reptoman Posted August 8, 2015 Share Posted August 8, 2015 Food management has proved to be incredibly effective for training and everything else. Here is some video from today. Zoe is learning quickly! We had a bit of a struggle for a few weeks when we stopped managing the amount of food she had access to but after getting that under control she is incredibly sweet and very receptive to training. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kins2321@yahoo.com Posted August 10, 2015 Share Posted August 10, 2015 Zoe looks great! Are you using those techniques to teach step up and step down? Nancy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reptoman Posted August 11, 2015 Author Share Posted August 11, 2015 Thanks Nancy! I have already gotten step up and step down pretty much mastered. I use step up to get her out of the cage and to move her between perches and to put her back in the cage. I am still treating regularly with step ups that don't involve a nip or a fuss. The issues with step up are getting fewer and farther between though and are mostly because she does not want to go back into the cage. I also use target to get her to fly to me. She really is the sweetest bird. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdhouse Posted August 11, 2015 Share Posted August 11, 2015 Food management has proved to be incredibly effective for training and everything else. Here is some video from today. Zoe is learning quickly! We had a bit of a struggle for a few weeks when we stopped managing the amount of food she had access to but after getting that under control she is incredibly sweet and very receptive to training. I'm glad that things are working so well. I'm just worried about any fid who doesn't have 24/7 food access because they have such a high metabolism. So I hope you weigh Zoe frequently. As a possible alternative food management, you might find great success limiting w/Zoe's favorite food(s) being fed only as a training aid & bribery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reptoman Posted August 12, 2015 Author Share Posted August 12, 2015 I am checking weight every couple of days a few times during the day and it seems to be fairly consistent. We tried leaving food in 24/7 and training progress ground to a halt and out of cage time became more stressful than I could have imagined. Even cutting out all high energy foods barely made a dent. She bit 2 new people and started biting us every time we would try to put her back in her cage. With the current plan, she actually eats more and throws less on the floor of the cage and is eager to train or just hang out and is much more manageable. The other advantage is that she has no problem going back in the cage. I see nothing but benefit with managing the amount of food that she has access to. She seems much happier and we certainly are. I did not undertake this with no research. I am following a known proven method that I studied before implementing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdhouse Posted August 12, 2015 Share Posted August 12, 2015 Very glad to hear it. You might be surprised at what well intentioned, misinformed parronts do. But suffice it to say, better just to ask. Also, it's good to spell things out for the many lurkers who don't ever post so they'll know there are some rules to consider w/this type of feeding or anything out of the ordinary, really. btw, the vid of your gekko came up after the one of Zoe. Nice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reptoman Posted August 13, 2015 Author Share Posted August 13, 2015 Thanks! The blue geckos are very cool. We have had 2 hatchlings in the past week so tiny you would not believe it. I have to share what happened this morning. I was cleaning the cage and letting Zoe do her thing in the room when I felt a tap on my elbow. I turned around and found Zoe sitting there on the arm of the chair staring at me. I scratched the top of her head and put her on her perch a few feet away. I went back to finish cleaning and heard her flutter over to the table where her toys are. I looked up a minute or 2 later and she was standing at the end of the table with a plastic ring in her beak staring at me like a puppy with a ball ready to play! I reached out my hand and she ran over and dropped it right in my hand. I was so shocked I had to stop what I was doing and play fetch with her for another 15 minutes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRSeedBurners Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 Greys are the sweetest! GreybieGrey does a similar thing when she wants me to swing her on her chain. I was telling her tonight she's just like a little kid wanting to play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kins2321@yahoo.com Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 For those babies that don't want to go to bed... simple and easy.... " step down", in front of their cage on floor. They WILL climb up,,, then read a book ( short story... Sophie's favorite, Thomas the tank engine). I've been reading the same short story for many years. I can read it by heart, but she notices when I turn the page! If I don't turn the page at the right time... she knows... and squaks her disapproval! You can't trick them! LOL! Nancy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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