In this episode, we go over three most important things to master and work on first to use operant conditioning, raising screech owls as ambassador birds, and what we believe is the most important thing to consider when setting up a new free flight bird...
Aggressive behavior in parrots looks like different things to each of us. While different terms like dominant, bold, or territorial are often used as explanatory variables, none of these describe in precise terms what the behavior actually is or under what conditions it occurs. Understanding...
This podcast speaks frankly and openly about progressive weight management practices. As mentioned in the intro, it is part of a much larger conversation and is not meant to be all inclusive. It is an excerpt from our Raptor Workshop Question and Answer Panel. We mention...
Another podcast discussing the gray area between always and nevers, we discuss some of the variables to consider when thinking about adding a new parrot to your flock. There is a lot to think about when it comes to adding another bird, including its impact on...
One thing you'll always hear us say at ABI is "We always say we never use the words 'always' and 'never'" It's meant to be tongue in cheek, and it refers to the lack of absolutes in animal training. And so it is with imprints...
This subject is really important to us because we see many of these things come up time and again across various venues of parrot behavior and training information. Just because you don't see your parrot biting in the moment doesn't mean it isn't creating some...
Barbara Heidenreich and I met back in the early 2000's when she was first starting out. I won't ever forget meeting her at a conference and I was immediately drawn to how easy she made positive reinforcement based training for the parrot owner to consume...
Parrot screaming is incredibly complex! This challenging behavior calls for a comprehensive approach. In this podcast, we tackle just one aspect of parrot screaming: when you parrot screams when you set it down or leave the room. Keeping your parrot busy, especially if he doesn't have...
This episode discusses real life situations in which the very environmental variables I discuss had actual impacts on our birds' levels of motivation, like when Halley the Saker Falcon flew in colder weather. Even a bird designed for the steppes of Eastern Asia and Mongolia...
To say motivation is a broad topic is an understatement. But it can be confusing. We call unmotivated parrots insecure, unconfident, phobic, territorial...