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Parrots in Temporary Shelters
The Groundwork for Empowerment and Trust

Instead of ignoring or forcing, we can change the antecedents that precede the behavior and the consequences that reinforce the behavior, in order to change it. For example,antecedent changes include fitting cages with outside access to food and water cups to avoid unnecessarily stressing birds when our hands are inside their cages. Consequent changes include adding a special treat food (e.g. a few corn kernels or a sliver of almond) in the first bowl to be changed so that feeding time becomes associated with a treasured treat not available at any other time. While the bird enjoys the treat at one bowl, you can be changing the others. Avoid setting the occasion for your parrots to practice stressful or unwanted behavior. Take every opportunity to reinforce desirable behavior.

Building Better Behavior: The Basics

• Behind every parrot behavior is a reason.
• To discover the reason look at what happens right after the behavior called the consequence.
• Parrots maintain or increase behaviors that result in valued consequences called reinforcers.
• The tricky thing is that every parrot is an individual -- a ‘study of 1’-- and decides for itself which consequences are positive reinforcers.
• To learn what a particular parrot’s positive reinforcers are, carefully observe its favorite activities, people and food treats.
• Most problem behaviors are the result of inadvertent reinforcement; you get what you reinforce so catch `em being good with praise, treats, and favorite activities, as often as possible.
• Behavior is triggered by antecedents, cues and conditions.
• Thoughtfully arranged antecedents set the occasion for cooperative behavior and reduce the need for force or coercion.

Replacing Force with Facilitation: Teaching Tips

Stepping up:

1. To teach a bird to step up, reward small approximations toward your hand rather than withholding reinforcement until you get the final behavior.
2. Parrots generally prefer to step up rather than down; position your hand for success.
3. A bird who wants to step onto your hand will signal you by raising its foot in anticipation.
4. For many birds, the most valued reinforcer for stepping up is to be put right back down again. Repeat this several times a day if possible.

Perching Calmly:

1. To teach a bird to stay calm when you approach its cage, advance only as far as the bird’s behavior remains ‘unruffled’. Advance one step closer only after all previous steps to that point are met with calm behavior from the bird.
2. For many birds, the most valued reinforcer for staying calm as you approach their cage is to take a few steps back away from the cage. For frightened or aggressive behavior, stand still where you are neither advancing nor retreating. When the bird calms, step back away. Then try one step closer again.
3. Pair your retreat with praise to make praise a reinforcer by association.
4. Drop a favorite food treat (one that is not available at any other time) every single time you pass by the bird’s cage. This will make you a reinforcer by association.

1 The pronoun “it” is used when the sex of the animal being discussed is unknown. This follows biology and veterinary published writing conventions.