How do I train my CAG to lay on his back?

[Big_Squishy]

I would like to know how I might go about training BoBo (CAG 7 months) to lay on his back in my hand or the crook of my arm?? I adore this behavior and believe that my attempts if not done right nay be counter productive and damaging to his trust for me?? Might I get some sugestions or stories on how your bird first started doing this?

 

Very Respectfully,

 

JC

[siobha9]

Liath loves to lie on her back and have her belly rubbed. I'm not sure if I could tell you how to teach Bobo how to do this but I can tell you how I did it with Liath if if helps?

 

Liath is an acrobat and loves to hang out of anything, so very early on I discovered that she loves to swing out of my fingers upside down. I would do that and then every now and then cup her back for a few seconds with my other hand. After a while I would actually let her lie on my other hand. After many more weeks I let go her feet and just had her lie on my hand. And finally I was able to rub her belly. Each time I did something new such as letting go her feet I would do it for a few seconds and then a few more seconds the next time and so on. I never let her get to the point of feeling nervous because it was something new. But now I can just pop her on my knee upside down and she stretches her head back for a good old rub

 

I hope this helps;)

 

Siobhan

[Big_Squishy]

I will have to try that. BoBo does not hang from my fingers even though I would love for him to do that as well. Thank you for the input and I will see how I might apply that at home.

 

V/R

 

JC

[siobha9]

Will he hang from a rope or the top of his cage? If he does it isnt a huge leap to have him learn to hang from your fingers.

 

Maybe someone will have an easier method to suggest. I wasnt aiming for Liath to lie on her back, it just kind of evolved to that;)

[Big_Squishy]

BoBo will hang from everything but me. Once I am holding him he wants to stay right where he is. Thank you for the responce.

 

V/r

JC

[nims]

hmmmm OK what I did with my CAG was to put her on her back and giver her to treats and toys to play with but before you do that your bird needs to feel your hand on its back. So start with that and then progress remember this may take a while. You will just need to build up the time that he is on his back. If he is on his back for a period of time give lots of praise and treats. Once he is happy on the floor you can try him on the palm of your hand.

 

Nims

[OlBenny]

Hello-

I am currently teaching my TAG to lay on her back. She is still getting used the idea but I can lay her on her back in my arms,my hand, and on her back on the couch. It takes some persuasion to get her to let my fingers go, but after some time of praise and belly rubs she does.

 

Fist what I did was get her used to perching on my left hand with both her feet wrapped around my left hand index finger. With my limited experience this seems to be a must for the first step. After she is comfortable with that, start introducing your thumb on top of her feet. I do this because it more or less a security issue with the bird. Any way, after she is comfortable with that, I started tilting my hand so that her back was starting to hang off my hand. When you do this she is going to dig those claws in and probably bite. Just remember that she isn't doing it to hurt you and the biting is more for balance and to right her self. She is doing it because it isn't natural for a bird to be on her back. On kind of a side note, make sure you are talking and praising her the whole time, and kind of trick I have learned is when you are talking to her make sure you use a calm voice (Not stressed out from pain; if her claws are really tight on your finger). Keep going as you see progress but don't over do it. If you do, she will associate being on her back as a bad thing.

After she is comfortable being up side down on your finger, start petting her back and belly, just to let her know that every thing is okay. Then when you are convinced that she is cool with it, start lowering her closer and closer to what ever you are going to lay her on. I started with my hand. If you decide to go with you hand or lap, take your other hand and kind of cup it around her head so she can't see what ever you are placing her on. This does a couple of things. 1. she isn't going to bite what ever you are putting her on and 2. gives her that security that YOU are not going to let any thing bad happen to her. When you get her down to what ever you are going to put her on just touch her back to it for a second, then bring her back up top, and keep repeating this step longer and longer. Your bird will tell you when she is ready to just lay there and be comfortable with being pet or rubbed. After that just start pulling you finger(s) out real slow and see if she will open her claws. When I got to this point I didn't pull my hand out all the way, I kept the finger that she had a hold of close, just in case she decided that that was enough. Then just pet her and praise her and keep letting her know that every thing is okay. Then to pick her up, just stick your finger back on her feet and let her grab a hold, and lift and twist your hand up into a normal perched position.

 

Like I said before, I am by no means an expert, but what I did really worked for me. I hope this helps. Let me know what happens. It worked out for my Grey, I hope it work for yours as well. Good luck! :-)

Ben Fort

Chanhassen, MN

[Suzzique]

It is a trust thing. If he wont move when you are holding him then he is afraid of something. You need to figure out what he is scard of. I can't keep Alex in one place when he is on me. He even hangs off of my shirt. So filping him upside down is just part of what he does anyway. He is 13 months old and we are just now getting to a point of him letting me hold him on his back. Even then he wont always let me do it.

[Big_Squishy]

Sweet thank you very much. BoBo was hatched 2 Feb 2008 Sep so he is just over 7 months old. BoBo will walk back and forth on my sholders but does not climb all over me. Maybe I should try wearing a shirt I don't care if he nips a billion holes in. That might be part of why he restricts him movement on me. I only have so many shirts I can wear in public. lol

 

Thank you very much,

 

If there are more sugestions i am welcome to them all and will apply every bit that is possible.

 

V/r

JC

[Suzzique]

The only time I worry about Alex chewing a hole in a shirt is if I'm trying to file his nails. Then I wear one of my old working around the house shirts. Otherwise it doesn't matter what I'm wearing he will still crawl all over me. No holes yet.

[she]

I never trained Charlie to lie on his back,it just sort of happened. He loves to swing up side down from my sleeve,I swing him and he shouts weeee.One day I sat down with him and just lowered him on to my knee. He was quite happy to lay their chewing my sleeve. This is not recomended with your good clothes on.

[Big_Squishy]

BoBo loves to sit and nip holes in my shirts. At first I thought he was doing it just to get a hold, unfortunatly this is only the case sometimes. BoBo seems to like to punch holes in my shirt, kind of like the old fashion juice can opener. The other night he managed to finish off the colar of one of my shirts and I really was not aware he had done that much. I have plenty of old shirts I am just really short on shirts I can or will wear in public. maybe I will put on one of my old fight deck jersies and let him have at it. Thanks again. I will keep working with him.

 

v/r

JC

[shelly_quin]

Adanna does that now... my bf started it by just picking her up when she was sitting on the sofa, and turning her round so she was laying on her back, she does it does by climbing onto his hands, she loves it, she will actually sit on his knees o her back letting him stroke her tummy, and she will sit like that for about five mins, totally forgetting where she is lol. I would say that your grey must fully trust you before it will even entertain you doing this with it...