MEET GANDALF THE GREY - AN AFRICAN GREY PARROT
"Gandalf The Grey" is an African Grey Parrot accepted by Nancy at Nancy Foresters Secret Garden for behavior modification.
THIS REHOMED BIRD'S SKETCHY HISTORY
Gandalf's background, his age, sex and most of how he was cared for is unknown. He has been rehomed at least three times. I met Gandalf around 2017 when he was rehomed to "Big John" proprietor at NY Pasta Garden. John was a beloved friend. I frequented his restaurant. I and my birds were welcome there. Most of Johns rehomed birds were displayed uncaged outdoors in his garden restaurant and occasionally they flew away. For the bird's safety I periodically helped clip their wings and toenails when asked to do so. Gandalf was one of the birds. I captured and held him in a towel for this procedure. A My volunteer clipped while I held. I do not remember Gandolf being difficult, the story has it that he bit "Big John" at the beginning of their relationship and John never handled him again. Gandal was let out of his cage to exit and reenter at his will. He spent most of the day on top of his cage. He was on display in the outdoor garden part of the restaurant. He was never handled or given much individual attention. He and his cage were kept far enough away in the plant beds behind a rope barricade where Gandalf could not be touched by the clientele. Living within a few feet of him were three other re-homed African greys Bobo, Emma and Lola and overhead on a wooden gym were two macaws. All the birds but Gandolf got lavish daily attention and handling. A tarp was pulled over Gandalf's cage at 2 AM when the restaurant closed. Mid-day when the staff came to work the tarp was peeled back and the door to his cage was opened. He entered and exited his cage on his own and spent the days on top of his cage. Apparently, he did not stray off his cage top. He put himself to bed at night by going back inside his cage after dark. Staff would then close the door and apply the tarp. The restaurant closed in the wee hours of the morning. I am not sure if he was labeled a mean bird, but everyone knew not to touch him. Gandalf did not receive much attention, social interaction or stimulation by the public or staff. Shortly before March 2020 (the covid shutdown) the restaurants chapter in all these bird's lives ended, "Big John" had died and the Restuarant had changed ownership. At this point a NY Pasta Garden former staff member became the bird's single caregiver. This person was forced to move from apartment to apartment annually. At first, the birds were well housed indoors and outdoors but for the last three years they were house outdoors and for the last two years they were not housed on the same property where their primary caregiver lived. Gandalf continued to be in close proximately to the other three African Greys Parrots who always received much more attention because they were socially interactive and easy to handle. I continued to trim their wings and toenails when asked. For the year prior to his coming to stay with me at Nancy Forrester's Secret Garden his caregiver kept him outdoors in a cage where he was described as cage bound because he had the reputation of biting people. According to this caregiver this bird bit him once and he did not handle him again, which is the same story from years before when he was rehomed to Big John at NY Pasta Garden. This caregiver had mentioned several times that he wished to rehome Gandalf.
GANDALF'S REPUTATION - A CAGEBOUND BITING PARROT
DEFINITION OF CAGE BOUND BEHAVOR
It is a type of anxiety disorder in parrots, often the result of neglect and the lack of socialization. Parrots develop this issue when they are not let out of the cage frequently or not provided with much needed social interaction. These birds may become afraid of the world outside the cage. They learn that the cage is a safe sanctuary and can refuse to leave it. This may lead to aggression and attacking anyone attempting to remove them from the cage. This behavior is common among rescue birds. It is very likely that Gandalf suffered this kind of neglect by previous owners. Birds don’t become cage-bound overnight, it results from long periods of neglect.
BITING BEHAVIOR
FEAR OF HUMANS OR THE UNKNOWN Parrots can become frightened of something and bite out of impulse. Parrots are good natured & normally not aggressive to one another in the wild or to people when in captivity. Their beaks are used for a variety of functions: preening, eating, climbing, playing and self defense
AGGRESSION Can be the result of improper care, neglect, territoriality, resource guarding, hormonal fluxes during adolescence or breeding season, stress, lack of mental stimulation, and dominance issues.
AGGRESSION Can be the result of improper care, neglect, territoriality, resource guarding, hormonal fluxes during adolescence or breeding season, stress, lack of mental stimulation, and dominance issues.
A DESIRED TRAINING OPPORTUNITY FOR ME AND
MY HOPES FOR A BETTER FUTURE FOR GANDALF
GANDALF'S SETTLING IN - A PERIOD OF ADJUSTMENT
It usually takes a parrot about two weeks to adjust to a new environment. Everything around Gandalf was new. He was now inside a house not outside as he had been for a least seven years before coming here, He was in a different cage (his old cage had to be thrown away) in a room with other caged birds several unknown big birds and two of the greys he was accustomed to seeing. This room was frequented by people he did not know doing a variety of tasks that were unfamiliar to him. I positioned his cage near my computer where I work daily so he could get accustomed to me. He had new toys. There was new lighting, new smells, new sounds. new routine, new feeding schedule, improved diet. His Harrisons pellets and Lafeber's Nutriberries in the 3 PM feeding were the same.
MY OBSERVATION BEGINS
During his adjustment period I observed him closely. He did not appear to be fearful of anything, He ate and played with his new soft rope toys. He was devoid of quick movements, he moved about in his cage slowly and deliberately, he stayed mostly at the top of the cage. He was silent. I placed his cage near my computer workstation so he could get used to seeing me and being near me. All of my behavior towards him was carefully measured to be calm and gentle including my English spoken words and phrases. He did not seem interested or responsive to me, my words or actions. I did not attempt to touch him, I did not reach inside his cage. Gandolf did not appeared to be a fearful parrot or an aggressive bird. No eye pinning, trembling, lunging or moving away when I approached his cage or changed his food, water or his tray papers. He did not appear to be afraid of the world outside the cage, nor did he appear to be curious about it or all the activity around him. Based on the little I knew about his past, I assumed he wanted the cage door to be opened so he could climb on top of his cage and exit and reenter as he pleased. I kept the door closed as I assumed he regarded his cage inside and outside especially the top as a safe sanctuary. I assumed that once he was out and on top of his cage, I would have difficulty getting him back in the cage. I thought it would lead to resistance, aggression and biting. I assumed that it would be hard and traumatic for both of us to get him back in his cage, so I did not allow him to come out of his cage. Based on his calm behavior during this initial two week settling in period, I decided to start training.
TRAINER NANCY FORRESTER
I Nancy Forrester have been training birds for ten years, my interest in training began as a result of meeting Lara Joseph of the Animal Behavior Center. Lara visited me and our parrots when she used to be a Key West annual visitor, I am a long time grateful member of her Parrot Project. My friend Michele has had great influence on me. She is an excellent trainer who studied under Barbara Heindrich, Michele has conducted training workshops here for me and the benefit of my visitors. I also am a member of Jen Cunha's Parrot Kindergarten. Two of my birds took part in a scientific study Jen was responsible for. During the two months period of daily training in the summer of 2023 I became a much better trainer because I was held to scientific norms. The training was difficult but both of my birds completed their tasks which made me very proud of them and I gained confidence in my training skills. The results were made public in the New York Timed March of 2024. I was Gandalf's sole trainer for the first 6 months of training, with the exception of Michele who trained him several times when she visited Key West on her annual trips from Long Island,
MY TRAINING PLAN
I BEGAN TRAINING WITH THE METHOD KNOW AS TARGET TRAINING
Targeting” is a training concept which teaches a parrot to touch a target (hand/spot/stick) with a part of theirbody – their beak or foot. Many behaviors we teach our parrots are complex, and are broken down into smaller steps, targeting makes it easier to communicate the next step to the bird.
I decided on NO CONTACT target training. Safety first. No opportunity for biting to occur. No reinforcement of aggressive behavior, I decided to train him in his cage with the door closed and to drop treats into a bowl rather than offers them by hand.
GOAL FOR GANDALF -
My beginning goal was to teach Gandalf that when he touched the end of a target stick gently with his beak a clicking sound would happen and a treat would follow. The ultimate goal was to teach Gandalf to move in and out of his cage easily by stepping up on to a hand or a handheld perch.
TRAINING BEGINS FEBUARY 2024
TRAINING AIDS
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Movable telescoping parrot tote
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Moveable treat bowl
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Clicker
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I use one common bone colored plastic chop stick.
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Gandalf's Predetermined training reward
walnut pieces |
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The Clicker I use
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Lollipop target trainer
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Trainer Nancy primary trainer first six months of 2024
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Trainer Michele
intermittent trainer through out |
Trainer Joe co- trainer from July 2024 to present
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PREPARATION FOR TARGET TRAINING
I needed a target stick (I use a white plastic chop stick, a simple clicker, a pre-determined valued treat in this case a piece of food. a walnut. I needed a way to deliver treats to him without jeopardizing my fingers. A chose a bowl where I could drop treats to avoid the possibility of him biting my fingers. I was able to open the door to his cage and affixed a bowl on the inside of his cage with no angst from him. He has breakfast at 9 AM, dinner at 3 PM, so I decided to train him at 2 PM when I thought he would be hungriest for treats. I identified a food treat reinforcer with which to reward him by trying a variety of nut pieces. He did not eat and dropped pine nuts and almonds but ate and seemed to like walnuts and pecans equally. I choose to train with walnuts. I cut walnut pieces into two sizes, mostly small with some larger pieces to provide bigger rewards for wanted "break thru" behavior. Training is the only time he receives walnuts. I resolved to be very observant of his behavior to be patient and to work at his pace! He does not react to things with quick movements. His behavior or physical movement to all stimuli is the slowest paced of all the birds here. I know that "Labels" are inappropriate when describing animal behavior, but I cannot help thinking he is a "laid back" "stoic" "do nothing" "non motivated parrot", nothing seems to ring his bells, nonplus to sounds, movements or exploration. He does like to dismantle soft colored rope toys, and he likes to shred paper when it is in his cage. I imagine that his apparent lack of socialization is probably because he does not know how to interact with humans. Being cage bound for so many years, perhaps all he knows is that humans only show up to shove food and water at him and clean his cage
MY TRAINING PLAN
I BEGIN NO CONTACT IN THE CAGE TARGET TRAINING FEB 2024
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Trainer Nancy Forrester
Video of Gandalf's very first lesson in target training. No contact In the cage target training for our mutual safety because he has a history of biting. The clicker sound is the only audible training sound at this early stage of training. The use of audible words will come later. I normally train five to seven minutes, This session was longer because of his interest and engagement. |
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MY OBSERVATIONS NO CONTACT IN THE CAGE TRAINING
After the first day of training, I removed the treat bowl and delivered his treats by hand as he showed no signs of fear or aggression towards my fingers. He gently took the small nut pieces from my fingertips. he understood what I wanted but he was slow to respond uncomfortable and getting bitten. On the four or five times that I have had to towel him, he has not struggled or put up much of a fight or carried a grudge. He is a big bird with a long reach. He was not afraid of the stick. He was slow to move his body when interacting. He came forward & chomped the target stick (not an aggressive hard chomp but nevertheless a chomp). I clicked & drop a small walnut treat in the bowl. He ate the treat. He would only touch the stick if it was entered in the upper half of his cage. He did not climb down to engage with the stick when offered anywhere in the lower half of his cage. I entered the stick at different upper cage locations. I maneuvered the stick to encourage a softer touch rather than a chomp, he still chomped He did a lot of beak wiping on his perch
Additions
MY TRAINING PLAN
USING A LOLLIPOP TARGET STICK
When he chomped the chop stick, I ordered a special lollipop target stick with a ball on the end so he
he could learn to touch the end gently. This was successful right away. I returned to using the regular chop stick. When I could target him successfully all over his cage and he learned to touch lightly I was ready to start the next phase of training Many weeks of no contact in cage target training ensued. Most days he engaged with the target stick but only when offered at the upper parts of his cage. It took many weeks of repetition for him to be comfortable to touch it when offered at the bottom half of his cage. and some days he had no interest in training. Mentally he is a quick learner but his movements when moving from point a to b are never quick including moving towards the target stick. I do not detect any body ailments. In time I felt comfortable to open the door and extend my hand into his cage to do light maintenance. When I had to replace toys or perches I did so when he was out of his cage to avoid any possibility of making him. It was clear that he was not ready to engage with my hand or a handheld perch. When I offered them to him he would either retreated of pushed them away with his beak.
he could learn to touch the end gently. This was successful right away. I returned to using the regular chop stick. When I could target him successfully all over his cage and he learned to touch lightly I was ready to start the next phase of training Many weeks of no contact in cage target training ensued. Most days he engaged with the target stick but only when offered at the upper parts of his cage. It took many weeks of repetition for him to be comfortable to touch it when offered at the bottom half of his cage. and some days he had no interest in training. Mentally he is a quick learner but his movements when moving from point a to b are never quick including moving towards the target stick. I do not detect any body ailments. In time I felt comfortable to open the door and extend my hand into his cage to do light maintenance. When I had to replace toys or perches I did so when he was out of his cage to avoid any possibility of making him. It was clear that he was not ready to engage with my hand or a handheld perch. When I offered them to him he would either retreated of pushed them away with his beak.
MY TRAINING PLAN
- TIME TO OPEN THE DOOR AND
- INVITE GANDALF TO COME OUT OF HIS CAGE
TARGET TRAIN HIM TO STEP ONTO A PERCH THAT IS ATTACHED TO HIS CAGE
I wanted to open the door and target train Gandolf to come out of his cage and step onto a wooden dowl which was somehow attached to his cage, I decided to use a tote perch that I already had. Because of his history of spending days on top of his cage I anticipated his would immediately climb to the top of his cage when the door was opened. He did. I knew it would be difficult to get him back in his cage, It was. Sadly, I had to use force to get him back in his cage I use a towel to try to herd him back in, he fell to the floor, I had to towel him to put him back inside. This was traumatic for both of us. I was surprised he did nor growl or put up much of a of struggle or hold a grudge as I had expected. I resume training in a couple of days. After that incident him climbing to the top of his cage became less of an issue.
. Use one travel perch touching the open door for him step onto as he exits cage to exit cage target from one stand to another Michele helps train when in town Introduce more travel perches Practice moving him from perch to perch whether horizontally aliened or stacked end to end. Use multiple perches to practice step up ability near the cage perches placed parallel or lined up to train "step up" agility,
MY OBSERVATIONS WHILE TRAINING HIM ONTO THE MOVABLE TOTE PERCH DOWL
always keep one foot on cage huurry back inside to eat the treat not like any movement in the door or on the tote Fussy about size or girth of the dowl feel of the larger dowl changed his minf iftheir was any movement in the dowl mounted of the tote anything that had the slightest movement. cowel needed to be sturdy no movement
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Since he had the habit of spending most of his day on top of his cage and coming and going inside and outside at free will, I suspected that when I opened the door of his cage, he would make a bee line for the outside top of his cage and then it would be difficult to get him back inside, I was correct. This happened and I had to towel him to get him back inside, I had to be creative in ways to get him out of his cage not have him immediately climb to the top of his cage and more important to be able to move him away from his cage and then direct him back inside the cage. This is where target training became invaluable. It took about six months, a lot of repeation and patience to redirect a behavior that he practiced for a least six years my telescoping parrot travel, with a narrower plain tan wooden dowel worked best as long as there was zero movement in the dowl on the stand. He learned to trust stepping on to it. I target trained him to step on to the wooden dowl attached to the metal stand and practice going back and forth on the stand and then target him back into his cage. He soon became more interested in the training than escaping to the top of his cage
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On the back porch continue to train Gandalf to go from perch to perch whether they are arranged horizontally or end to end, My plan was to target train him to come out of the cage by opening the door and rigging a perch to step onto I took into account his habit of going to the top of his cage and me having to use force to get him back inside. I rigged a telescoping perch with a simple wooden dowl attached to it by his open cage door and target train him to step on to it. At first he would not get onto the door or the dowl if theirwas any movement in them. I had to keep the door from the smallest swing and make sure the dowl was screwed on tight.
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MY TRAINING PLAN
ADDING TWO TRAINERS
I wanted a "broader conversation" with more people involved because Gandalf will be up for adoption in the future and I do not want him to be dependent on me alone. Some parrots are sensitive to human beings as to whether they are male or female. I had Michele in mind as she visits us frequently and trains similarly. It was my hope to find a man who would agree to help train Gandalf so the parrot could understand that different types of humans deliver the same "target training " messages and the same verbal prompts. Joe and his wife Shannon are new to Key West, they are awesome parrot caregivers. Luckily, they came to visit, and we have become friends. Joe agreed to help train Gandolf and to train the bird my way or no way. People are harder to train than parrots and I have found that some men cannot take direction from women. Joe was willing to follow my instructions. He is very observant, creative, patient and offers much appreciated suggestions. Gandalf has made great strides with Joes help. Gandolf has been with me a whole year now. I was his sole trainer for his first six months here with the exception of Michele who helped trained him in Feb, July and Sept. when she visits. I wanted him to be trainable by others, both men and women to understand that other people can also deliver "this new language" he has learned to trust and enjoy. Joe Stahl also became a trainer of Gandalf at about six months into the birds training. Gandalf trains with three different humans me, Michele and Joe.
Some prompts get faster action like learning new tricks other basic prompts are followed by delayed or slower action, perhaps this is a sign of boredom. He is a quiet parrot. He rarely speaks. He does have a repertoire of English words and sentences which are mimicked from his past, these are often revealed during out of cage training. He occasionally wags his tail while training . I read that as he is happy. He constantly rubs his beak on wooded perches more than other bird I have known, He has his own vocalization sound (a dull click) to greet me in the morning and just before lights out at night. I copy his sound. It is now a necessary ritual to mark these two times of the day.
ADDITIONAL TRAINER MICHELE
MICHELE INVITING GANDALF TO STEP ON TO A PERCH THAT IS TOUCHING HIS CAGE
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Trainer Michele Dodd
Volunteer Michele comes to Key West from Long Island to help us three times a year. She comes in Feb, July and Sept for 10-day visits. She is an excellent bird Mama and trainer. I wanted to introduce Gandalf to new trainers. It is important for Gandalf to learn to trust other people and to understand that the new audible and visual sign language that I have taught him is spoken by others. Michele agreed to train him by using the same prompts and style of delivery that I have established with him, same words, same inflections same timing. She agreed to discuss and shape new training ideas to help him advance in his learning. Shows Gandalf's use of the ball target stick. Shows his ability to target train with a new trainer, Shows the adversive dowel perch beginning to tip when he moves his weight closer to the end Up until this point in his training the sound of the clicker has been the sound cue in his training. Michele begins to cue him and reward him with English words.phrases and sentences, He shows some indication he walts to get back in his cage as she slowly moves him away. |
Michele training Gandolf to come out of his cage onto the travel perch using the big ball target stick and slowly increasing the space between the bird and his cage. He showed nerviness when separated from his cage
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OBSERVATIONS
MY PLAN MICHELE HELPS ME TRAIN
GANDALF LEARNS TO BE COMFORTABLE BEING SEPERATED FROM HIS CAGE
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New goal, once he became comfortable stepping on to the portable stand, It was time to begin to separate him from the safety and proximity of his cage by slowly increasing the distance over time but staying in the same room where he could still see his cage. At first, he come out on to the dowl take the treat but quickly go back inside his cage to eat it. 4 Relieve cage seperation anxiety by introducing new stimuli to occupy his mind, sound books toys to distract him to get over the nervousness of cage separation. his immediate interest in book helped. 3 Physically move him away from his cage in small increments using
moveable travel perch to distance him from his cage to other places in the room. This is done in small increments over a long period of time, by increasing the distance and duration of time away from his cage, To help redirect Gandalf's nervousness at being away from his cace I used colored legos blocks I rang a bell and introduced other foys in an effort to to capture his interest. Books seemed to interest him the most, Here I got him to focus and interact with The Five Little Pumpkins book in such a way that he stopped thinking about cage separation Focus and interest |
Practicing moving Gandalf away from his cage. He is in the same room where his cage is. I am moving him further away from his cage in small in small increments. He displayed some fear of being separated from his cage. To engage his mind. I experimented with objects, toys cellphone and books to redirect his nervous behavior. Having him engage with a this book helped him quell his fear of cage separation. He showed immediate interest in the Five Little Pumpkins book, First use of vocal prompts in addition to the clicker sound
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OBSERVING HIS CAGE SEPERATION BEHAVIOR
, Gandalf looking at cage, angst wing fluttering and body bouncing moving away, straining
Out and away from his cage enrichment for Gandalf, Exploring new people, places, objects, activities and sounds.
MY PLAN
ADDITIONAL TRAINER JOE ADDED
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Trainer Joe Stahl
Joe moved to Key West recently. He and his wife Shannon are parrot lovers and caregivers. They have become our friends and visit often when their work schedules permit. I wanted a male trainer for Gandolf and I wanted Joe to be that person. Then came the hard part. People are harder to train than parrots. I explained to Joe if he accepted my offer to train, he would need to train my way or no way. Joe kingly agreed to do that. He has been involved in the successful training of Gandolf's training for six months. Joe is patient, observant, creative, fun loving and offers good suggestions, |
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OBSERVATION Joe's Goal target Gandalf out of cage unto perch We do not want Gandalfto to go to top of his cage but he does Joe successfully targets him down and onto stick Notice Gandalf gets treat with one foot on perch the other foot on the cage still on the cage. Joe targets him further onto stick and then slowly move him away from cage and successfully walks him outside During this kind of training mishaps occurred several times. Gandalf has fallen off the perch several times. Once because the girth of the wooden dol was too large for him to grip. When on the floor it was difficult to retreive him. He would not get on hand or handheld perch He had to be toweled or corralled by several people to step up onto the tote dowel when it was offered upside down, these mishaps set training back a day but he does not hold long term grudges and was willing to train again.
Goal is to move Gandalf outside to train him on back porch eventually front porch and take him on garden walkabouts . walk about Continued learning while on tote in back porch Introduction to new stimuli while on the tote on back porch opportunity to socialize with visitor's while on the stand, dog passing by
Aldo dancing hand movements human vocalizations verbally cell phone family dog walking by or stopping to admire him on the back porch opportunity to see a variety of object on table. Learned on stand beak snug, spin, raise right foot to grasp and release target stick raise left foot to grasp and release
target stick, drop objects in bowl differential training red green
Aldo dancing hand movements human vocalizations verbally cell phone family dog walking by or stopping to admire him on the back porch opportunity to see a variety of object on table. Learned on stand beak snug, spin, raise right foot to grasp and release target stick raise left foot to grasp and release
target stick, drop objects in bowl differential training red green
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Once comfortable stepping onto the movable parrot stand placed touching the open door of his age and comfortable being moved on that stand to various degrees away from his cage. I have three travel stands the next lesson was to arrange the stands in various configurations to target train him to go from stand to stand and after that move him outside on a stand to the back porch.
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OBSERVATION
MY PLAN
GANDALFS TRAINNING CONTINUES ON THE BACK PORCH
His target training continues Gradually Gandolf become accustomed to going outside on his travel perch. His perch was always set near a big white table. While his on his dowel perch I wanted him to get used to everything in the new area and all the activities the ativies that he would witness The travel perch was lowered so he could easily step unto the table. He refused to step unto the table for weeks. When he finally made his first step or misstep onto the table, he got right back on the familiar dowl, It took weeks for him to target on to the table and more weeks to walk to the other end of the table. We slowly add items we hoped would be of interest to him like toys books and food, water bowl to bath in Gradually Gandolf become accustomed to going outside on his travel perch. His perch was always set near a big white top table. While his on his dowl perch his target training continued. The travel perch was lowered so he could easily step unto the table. He refused to step unto the table for weeks. When he finally made his first step or misstep onto the table, he got right back on the familiar dowl, It took weeks for him to target on to the table and more weeks to walk to the other end of the table. We slowly add items we hoped would be of interest to him like toys books and food, water bowl to bath in Out and away from his cage enrichment for Gandalf, Exploring new people, places, objects, activities and sounds.
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SEXUAL BEHAVIOR, FALLING, WING FLUTTER, TALKING, WAGGING TAIL, CLICK GREATING NOISES, CHEW THIN SLICED NATURAL WOOD PIECES PAPERTOWEL ROLLER BROCOLRII, BAMBOO BTANCK ORBITOR BELL
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Video. Joe usually trains Gandolf twice a week on his days off. Michele trains Gandolf when she is in town. I train Gandolf daily if he is interested in coming out for training. As a team we train the same way using the same prompts, inflections, timing etc. Joe sets up the travel perch near the door of his cage and clicker trains him unto the dowel on the adjustable travel perch. Joe then carries him outside on the travel perch and continues training him on the back porch or front porch. Gandolf is always asked to step up on Joes hand, arm, or stick he always polightly refuses. He encourages him to step up onto his hand and a handheld perch. Gandalf politely refuses. He is not pushed past his comfort level. They usually go for a walk around the property. Joe does a beak snug touch that Gandolf seems to like.
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Gandalf does a lot of beak rubbing on his perch. Over time he has become more interested in socializing, learning tricks, exploring objects on a nearby table and engaging with toys than learning our basic goal for him to step up. Trainers agree to use Joes word suggestion "poopie when Gandalf poops. Joe offers hand and arm Gandalf often put one foot on hand or arm but does not complete step up much beak wiping
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OBSERVATION
PLAN
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Visitors admiring Gandalf with their eyes, smiles and gentle words focused on him. For Gandalf it is a lesson in socializing with human attention on him when he is out of his cage. Introduction
to new stimuli while on the tote on back porch opportunity to socialize with visitor's while on the stand, dog passing by Aldo dancing hand movements human vocalizations verbally cell phone family dog walking by or stopping to admire him on the back porch opportunity to see a variety of object on table.
to new stimuli while on the tote on back porch opportunity to socialize with visitor's while on the stand, dog passing by Aldo dancing hand movements human vocalizations verbally cell phone family dog walking by or stopping to admire him on the back porch opportunity to see a variety of object on table.
RARE OCCASION GANDALF ON HANDHELD STICK
OBSERVATION
PLAN
A RARE OCCURANCE GANDALF ON ARM
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VIDEO Gandalf on Joe's arm. This has happened only once; it happened when Joe first started training. It was a misstep on Gandalf's part. Gandalf's outside back porch socialization and training continues. Joe and Aldo are experimenting with vocalizations, silly sounds and hand movements to get a response. Joe does what we call a "beak snug" which Gandolf seems to like, Joe does fluttering hand movement and calls it dance. Aldo offers his hand Gandalf refuses.
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VIDEO When Joe first joined the team Gandalf seemed to prefer training with Joe and sometimes exhibited sexual behavior towards Joes hand. He drops his wings and wags his tail. We discouraged this sexual behavior by either putting him back in his cage or redirecting this behavior. Joe is usually able to redirect his behavior by taking him for a walk in the garden after wich training resumes. When offered a hand and asked to step up he will put one-foot forward to touch a hand or arm but will not step up and returns his foot to the dowel.
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Gandalf displaying sexual behavior towards Joes hamd
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OBSERVATIONS
NEW PLAN
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GANDALF IS MOVEABLE WHILE PERCHED ON A WOODEN DOWEL AFIXED TO THE MOVEABLE TOTE
Continued learning while on dowl on movable tote on back porch Learned on stand beak snug, spin, raise right foot to grasp and release target stick raise left foot to grasp and release
target stick, drop objects in bowl differential training red green red color or walk about
target stick, drop objects in bowl differential training red green red color or walk about
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VIDEO Going for a walk
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OBSERVATIONS
NEW PLAN
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VIDEO Training Gandalf to step up on hand or arm
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OBSERVATIONS
NEW PLAN
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Video Gandalf is learning his body parts. He has learned to lift each of his feet to grasp and release the target stack. I am continuing to use the clicker sound also integrating English spoken words when training by calling him by his name, using the words foot and beak to teach body parts and the word good synonymous with the clicker sound, meaning a treat is forth coming.
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OBSERVATIONS
NEW PLAN
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Target train to step off of stand unto nearby table learn to target step from stand unto a table and back onto stand, slowly learned to target walk from one side to the other, slowly become comfortable enough walking on the surface to explore and interact with objects placed on the table, Introduction of objects food, toys books, chew non dyed wood blocks paper towel ruler water bowl for bathing cell phone tablet etc,
Introduction of water bowl
Introduction of water bowl
TRAINING GANDALF TO STEP UNTO THE BACK PORCH TABLE
Training Gandolf to step off the dowel tote onto the back porch table, I adjusted the level of the dowl so it rested on the table and he could easily step down on the table. I proceeded to target train him to step unto the table once on the table he made a hasty retreat back onto the dowel. It took weeks to teach him to be comfortable stepping off and on table, more time to walk on it, walk from one side to the other, walk end to end and be comfortable and interact with enrichment objects placed on the table, like chewable toys, edible food, books, cell phone, bathing bowl etc. All of this took months of patient training. Now as evidenced by the video of him with a shallow water bowl on the table he clearly enjoys his time on the table. The table on the back porch has become a new place to learn not to fear and explore
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GANDALF IS COMFORTABLE ENOUGH ON THE TABLE TO EXPLORE A BOWL OF VEGETABLES
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VIDEO Eating food from bowl Playing with smallof greenpeas baby food
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Video Gandalf checking out items on the table
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VIDEO Gandalf checking out some items on the table. we have been putting a large assortment of all kinds of items on the table to see if he interested in exploring them. He is now comfortable enough on the complete surface of the table to pay attention to these items, He is beginning to interact with some of the items
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VIDEO Joe teaching Gandalf colors
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Joe (wearing black hat) and occasional visitor Aldo (wearing blue hat) attempting to interest and activate Gandalf with conversation, silly sounds, cell phone music, hand movements and dancing. Joe is an accomplished bird handler. At times when this sort of stimuli happens Gandalf will end the session with whistles, vocalizing English words and phrases clicking sounds and biting his toenails while making clicking sounds.Beak whipping a lot
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Here Gandalf responds with a little bouncy dance.
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Reevaluating The Original Goal of moving Gandalf in and out of his cage on hand or movable stick
Gandalf has achieved my goal of stepping up on a handheld stick only with Joe about five times during a span of six months. This is a recent photo of Gandalf going for a walk outfront on a handheld perch by Joe.
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VIDEO Nancy/s birthday Celebration July 29th, 2024,
3: PM Nancy, Michele, Joe, Gandalf and Pierre socializing |
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VIDEO Birthday Celebration Goofing off the birds with Bubbley
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VIDEO Further enrichment for Gandalf. Micheel helps when training Gandolf (Michele, Joe and Nancy take turns)
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Continue asking for "STEP UPS" Practice, Practice, Practice on hand and on all perches whether handheld or not Target train him to come out of cage and direct him to go to the top of his cage and then target him to come down and go back inside'
Try handheld perches of different lengths, different materials different textures different colors different circumferences including vet wrapped and held by the hands different people. More target training and trick training and out of cage socialization, Encourage him to play and spend time on top of cage making sure he will target train to go back inside cage when directed.
observation, not aggressive not fearful not very responsive, nonverbal eats well does not like blueberries. accept serving of cage without aggression. stays at top of inside cage dismantles colored rope toys. Did preference sleuth on favorite food for training. Walnut pecan Rejected pinenut and almond seemed to be equal choice walnut and pecan Target trained him in the cage. added a treat bowl inside. He was gentle first day in taking treat from my fingers so I deleted the treat bowl end of first day would only touch target at top part of cage later would go to the bottom of cage to touch stick opened door PLAN Rigged stationary perch to door in a way to discourage him climbing to top of cage his habit for many years encouraged him can step on to it OBSERVATION Will not step on any travel stand if there thr slightest movement.had habit of chomping with too much pressure on the stick. Plan Ordered a stick with large round ball on end to teach him to light touch the target atick lightly
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GANDALF ADVENTURE ON THE TABLE WITH A SHALLOW WATER BOWL
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VIDEO Recently I have noticed two changes in Gandalf. He has more dander than usual and although I did not see him splashing in the water bowl in his cage. I have discovered at least on three occasions water all over the floor indicating he was sloshing water in his water bowl. I hoped this meant he wanted a bath so I put water in a short rimmed shallow wide bowl and placed it on the outdoor table that he has learned to be comfortable on. Joe Shannon and i had a lot of fun watching his playful and vocal reaction Joes hand splashing in the water bowl. His body movements were quickened
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Gandalf is having a good time now and enjoys coming out for lessons or to play on the movable tote or table He no longer suffers from cage separation anxiety. He has no incentive to step on hand handheld
stick. He refuses to step up on human hand and has only recently targeted onto a handheld perch with Joe six times (dark colored manzanita perch) and once targeted with me onto a long tan wooden dowl. He refuses the short dowl tan wooden dowl. Rethinking preferential training with treats. Rethinking ways to help him advance. Back to basics Determine if walnut is still his favorite treat. Cut back on treats. Make sure he is hungry for them larger treats for desired behavior Goal use a variety of handheld sticks different lengths different colors textures substances,Try a variety of wood perches, different girth, substance color
Present the human hand close to him in various positions palm open palm up palm down do flutter motion food in palm of hand food offered on arm, Offer food on hand held stick Try cheese, broccoli safflower seed cracker.
stick. He refuses to step up on human hand and has only recently targeted onto a handheld perch with Joe six times (dark colored manzanita perch) and once targeted with me onto a long tan wooden dowl. He refuses the short dowl tan wooden dowl. Rethinking preferential training with treats. Rethinking ways to help him advance. Back to basics Determine if walnut is still his favorite treat. Cut back on treats. Make sure he is hungry for them larger treats for desired behavior Goal use a variety of handheld sticks different lengths different colors textures substances,Try a variety of wood perches, different girth, substance color
Present the human hand close to him in various positions palm open palm up palm down do flutter motion food in palm of hand food offered on arm, Offer food on hand held stick Try cheese, broccoli safflower seed cracker.
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I Success on Nov 30, 2024, I targeted Gandalf out of his cage onto the moveable tote I carried him to the back porch where he sat on the tote close to me while I ate lunch, Going on and off the tablee did not come into play . Did not use the table I was able to target Gandalf off of the tote dowel onto a long wooden dowl hand held by me and then switched to a shorter wooden dowl, I carried him into the house and put him back in his cage using this short hand held perch. An important accomplishment for us both Lesson only no play no physical contact with the table, strategic use of treats, target training click sound coupled with spoken cue "step up"
HUGE SUCCESS DECEMBER 8 2024
A FIRST Gandalf steps up onto a handheld wooden mansanita perch. Trainer Joe opened the door of his cage put the handheld perch inside his cage and said "step up". Gandalf stepped off his inside perch unto the stick. Joe then carried him outside I am jumping for joy.