Dali’s Ongoing Training Journal and Q & A thread.
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She is so pretty! You're doing great with her.
You might want to consider putting the paper at the bottom of the cage on top of the bottom grate rather than under it.
Doing so allows Dali to run on the bottom of the cage (if she desires) and makes clean-up much easier as well.
You might want to consider putting the paper at the bottom of the cage on top of the bottom grate rather than under it.
Doing so allows Dali to run on the bottom of the cage (if she desires) and makes clean-up much easier as well.
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Thank you! I did put the paper at the bottom of the cage. She didn't like it but I guess she'll get used to it. I try putting some seeds at the bottom so she would go get them.
So last week Dali came on my finger each time I offered her millet. Always took some time but she would eventually do it. I would stay still once she was on my finger and slowly drop her back on her perch where she was when she hoped on.
However, for the last 4 days, she only puts one foot on my finger and not for very long.
Also, she reacts a lot when my roommate start moving around the apartment. She will start making noise when he move around the appartment.
He never ever talks to her, go see her. He is very noisy (he always whistle or sings, or practice cello). (It kind of annoys me to be honest because she seems more interested in him even if he never gave her attention whatsoever)
Maybe I should be more noisy? I try to talk to her as much as I can.
Also, should I back off with the perching on my hand thing since she seems more scared than anything now?
Finally, she did not come out of her cage for 3 weeks now. Even when I bring her to the living room and build her 2 playgrounds (one in my office where she mostly is, one in the living room) and even if I leave the cage door opened when I leave for university for a couple of hours. I would really like for her to go out and have some exercises beside playing with her bells and getting on her swing from time to time. I feel as if she is depressed if she never comes out but maybe it is normal for a young budgie?
So last week Dali came on my finger each time I offered her millet. Always took some time but she would eventually do it. I would stay still once she was on my finger and slowly drop her back on her perch where she was when she hoped on.
However, for the last 4 days, she only puts one foot on my finger and not for very long.
Also, she reacts a lot when my roommate start moving around the apartment. She will start making noise when he move around the appartment.
He never ever talks to her, go see her. He is very noisy (he always whistle or sings, or practice cello). (It kind of annoys me to be honest because she seems more interested in him even if he never gave her attention whatsoever)
Maybe I should be more noisy? I try to talk to her as much as I can.
Also, should I back off with the perching on my hand thing since she seems more scared than anything now?
Finally, she did not come out of her cage for 3 weeks now. Even when I bring her to the living room and build her 2 playgrounds (one in my office where she mostly is, one in the living room) and even if I leave the cage door opened when I leave for university for a couple of hours. I would really like for her to go out and have some exercises beside playing with her bells and getting on her swing from time to time. I feel as if she is depressed if she never comes out but maybe it is normal for a young budgie?
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24 Posts
Hello,
It has been a while since I posted update.
She now hops on my finger as soon as she start eating it. For two weeks she would only put one foot on my finger. Was frustrating but then I started to make it a game since she wasn't trusting me. At first I would put her foot back on the perch then just said "come" over and over and wouldn't allow her to eat as long as she didn't put a foot on my hand and finally she flinched and realized I looked happy and stopped taking the millet away when she put her foot so it became an habit after a while. Then I would keep to having the millet just in reach so that with one foot on my finger she could barely get it and kept saying up. After a day she learned to hop (she didn't like to but still came after saying it 3 or 4 times). 3 days ago she was hoping on the first "hop". For the last 2 days she has been hoping on my finger on her own and sometimes even when I get her back to her perch she tries to hold as long as she can.
However, she is still (not as much) scared of my hand when I get it in for anything that doesn't involve millet. I've been trying to do stuff right next to her cage like writing or something that makes my hand move so she gets interested and see that it is not a monster.
I was wondering how I could transition the hop thing from millet to without millet (I'm not very used to only positive reinforcement learning since I mostly worked with abandoned dogs) and if I should try to slowly bring her out the cage very slowly as she eats millet but I fear it might just freak her out.
Thanks again for all the help I probably would have given up by now if it wasn't for this forum.
It has been a while since I posted update.
She now hops on my finger as soon as she start eating it. For two weeks she would only put one foot on my finger. Was frustrating but then I started to make it a game since she wasn't trusting me. At first I would put her foot back on the perch then just said "come" over and over and wouldn't allow her to eat as long as she didn't put a foot on my hand and finally she flinched and realized I looked happy and stopped taking the millet away when she put her foot so it became an habit after a while. Then I would keep to having the millet just in reach so that with one foot on my finger she could barely get it and kept saying up. After a day she learned to hop (she didn't like to but still came after saying it 3 or 4 times). 3 days ago she was hoping on the first "hop". For the last 2 days she has been hoping on my finger on her own and sometimes even when I get her back to her perch she tries to hold as long as she can.
However, she is still (not as much) scared of my hand when I get it in for anything that doesn't involve millet. I've been trying to do stuff right next to her cage like writing or something that makes my hand move so she gets interested and see that it is not a monster.
I was wondering how I could transition the hop thing from millet to without millet (I'm not very used to only positive reinforcement learning since I mostly worked with abandoned dogs) and if I should try to slowly bring her out the cage very slowly as she eats millet but I fear it might just freak her out.
Thanks again for all the help I probably would have given up by now if it wasn't for this forum.
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59,173 Posts
She isn't ready to transition to no millet just yet.
With regard to her coming out of her cage, that needs to be her decision, not yours.
When you are going to have the time to ensure she gets back safely into her cage without you having to chase her around and grab her to put her back in, then leave the door to the cage open. Have a couple of perches set up on the outside of the cage and, if the cage has a flat top, you can put a small playground on top of the cage for her. Or, put a playground near the cage. You can put a favorite toy and some millet on the playground to make the idea of coming out more acceptable to her.
Keep in mind, just like anything else, you have to have patience and work at her pace.
With regard to her coming out of her cage, that needs to be her decision, not yours.
When you are going to have the time to ensure she gets back safely into her cage without you having to chase her around and grab her to put her back in, then leave the door to the cage open. Have a couple of perches set up on the outside of the cage and, if the cage has a flat top, you can put a small playground on top of the cage for her. Or, put a playground near the cage. You can put a favorite toy and some millet on the playground to make the idea of coming out more acceptable to her.
Keep in mind, just like anything else, you have to have patience and work at her pace.
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24 Posts
Hello,
Just a little update on Dali's progress. I just kept on feeding her millet while she sits on my finger everyday about 10 mins 3 times a day. She always hops on my finger if there is millet now (and if shes in the cage) which is very cool.
I don't know what happened yesterday but she flew out of her cage and now she can't get enough of outside time. Since I work from home on weekends she has been flying on and off the top of her cage all day yesterday and today. It is such a relief that she finally fly. She also really likes to climb on her cage bars. She also sometimes.wait for me to say fly before jumping which is very funny.
I try to feed her millet when she is outside by holding it on one side and she'll eventually come and eat some.
I think she is still scared of my hand without millet I try to leave her be as much as possible while being in the room just in case. I guess with time ( quite long when I compare to most article that says that within a month a bird should be tamed) she will eventually trust me.
Thanks again for all the help!
Just a little update on Dali's progress. I just kept on feeding her millet while she sits on my finger everyday about 10 mins 3 times a day. She always hops on my finger if there is millet now (and if shes in the cage) which is very cool.
I don't know what happened yesterday but she flew out of her cage and now she can't get enough of outside time. Since I work from home on weekends she has been flying on and off the top of her cage all day yesterday and today. It is such a relief that she finally fly. She also really likes to climb on her cage bars. She also sometimes.wait for me to say fly before jumping which is very funny.
I try to feed her millet when she is outside by holding it on one side and she'll eventually come and eat some.
I think she is still scared of my hand without millet I try to leave her be as much as possible while being in the room just in case. I guess with time ( quite long when I compare to most article that says that within a month a bird should be tamed) she will eventually trust me.
Thanks again for all the help!
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