The Limp Body: self-taught CAG tricks

[LNCAG]

A Snickers (CAG) favourite.

Setup: Nighttime/bedtime.  You're are riding your Mum's hand to your cage and decide you aren't ready for bed.

Simply put one foot on one human finger, swing downwards and just "go limp" and hang upside down by one foot.  Your upside down body sways gently as she walks you to your cage. 

"Now let 'em try to put you back in your cage!!!" Bwu ha ha.  "I'm upside down here!  I can't possibly stand, I am too weak, I can't possibly step onto my perch while hanging upside down!!!"

Adorably cute.  And, if you're in a hurry, a huge drag.   I have tried just laying him on his back on bottom of cage but lemme tell ya -- that foot NEVER lets go of your hand.  The harder you try to dislodge the foot -- the tighter the hold becomes!  A second hand used to forced an upright position is wasted, does absolutely nothing to force my CAG to stand up again!!! This 'limp body" can waste an additional 10 minutes each evening when his ingenious 'I'm too weak to stand upright/my body is completely limp" trick is played.    Gotta love a grey -- they're just too smart!!!!  

AND, of course, Snickers earns an additional treat reward (mostly just so he'll let go) -- so a double win with this self-taught trick!

C'mon guys -- what 'tricks' has your Grey learned by him/herself??? 

[neoow]

I'm sure the birds are training the humans instead of the other way round...

Alfie rattles his food bowls when he's not happy with the contents. He grabs and pulls on them to make a loud metallic clicking noise which is highly irritating. I stupidly fell for this and would take his food bowls away for inspection/refill before bringing them back. Sometimes I'll change the food completely, sometimes I'll add a few tasty morsels on top. If it's fresh food that he's just refusing to try I will take it away, move it around the bowl a bit and bring it back to try and trick him into thinking I gave him new food.

Either way, he knows this is a good way to get attention and will do it repeatedly. Even if he's just had his food changed.

I do my best to ignore him now and only change the food when it actually needs changing. He's a fussy bugger and sometimes can't be bothered to rummage/forage in his bowl for his favourite bits. He knows if he does it long enough then I will come over though. 😂

[LNCAG]

My macaw had a food throwing trick.  The beauty is in its simplicity!  Said parrot simply puts her foot in her pellet dish and stirs the food around and around with her foot (unaware her human can see with her with their peripheral vision and HEAR her); this ritual continues until dumb human finally makes eye contact.  Then parrots grabs a handful of pellets in her foot and just tosses them in the air.  Rinse and repeat as desired. 

Humans eventually learn when hearing that foot/dish stirring sound to NOT LOOK! 

[neoow]

Alfie just uses his beak to scoop and fling food 🙄😂

[Timbersmom]

Timber does the foot toss also. I think I mentioned on another post that he does this when someone is in the room that he does not like. Funny!

[Ray P]

When our dogs were alive Corky would call them by name and throw her peanuts at them.

The ones in the shell.

[Greytness]

That's really funny!

My Maalik will immediately put his head way down if he suspects I'm about to put him back in his cage for the night. He can't possibly step up if he's awaiting scritches!