ramsey@kona.cs.ucla.edu (Brenda Ramsey) (11/01/90)
Big-Bird is a 1 year old Hyacinth Macaw with a LOUD voice. His normal babbling is tolerable, but when he screeches it is enough to wake the dead. Patti brought him to *bird school* over the weekend and the *teacher*, who has been training birds of all types for years, suggested "THE BLACK BOX" routine for him. A wooden box, painted black on the inside, no holes, large enough to deposit the bird so he cannot turn around, was recommended. When the screeching starts, pick him up, deposit in the box and leave him for 3 minutes. If he screeches after he is deposited, he stays in 3 minutes from that time. In her experience, it should take no more than 1-1/2 weeks of constant *in the box sessions* to cure him of this bad behavior. When Patti was in her house, which is inhabited by 3-4 Macaws, several Cockatoos, several Amazons, it was perfectly QUIET. After the screeching stops, and hopefully it will, the next behavioral problem will be to teach him to stay PUT on his perch until he is offered the opportunity to move. Has anyone else encountered such behavioral problems with their birds? I will forward all my comments to Patti....I am a CAT person! Thanks -- Brenda Ramsey (213) 825-2778 UCLA Computer Science Department ramsey@CS.UCLA.EDU ..!(uunet,ucbvax,rutgers)!cs.ucla.edu!ramsey
mm@lectroid.sw.stratus.com (Mike Mahler) (11/01/90)
Why stop there? What about a shock collar (make sure you shave the feathers off around his neck). ;-} as they say.
kdb@macaw.intercon.com (Kurt Baumann) (11/01/90)
In article <1990Oct31.174425.13520@cs.ucla.edu>, ramsey@kona.cs.ucla.edu (Brenda Ramsey) writes: > Has anyone else encountered such behavioral problems with > their birds? I will forward all my comments to Patti....I > am a CAT person! > > Thanks Were as I sympathize with you. It needs to be pointed out that the screeching is part of their (the birds) NORMAL behavior. It is looking for attention (which is why the black box works), calling for other macaws in the area, etc.. To term it a behavioral problem is like saying that your talking to a friend is a problem. We have used the "black box" behavior modification when they get too loud, and in general it works fairly well. The getting off the perch problem I have found that you just need to be persistant in putting the bird back on the perch a couple of times and then on the 3rd jump put it back in the cage. Eventually it gets the idea that if it wants to stay out it needs to stay put on the perch. Just make sure that if it stays on for 15 minutes or so you take it off and play with it then put it back again. It takes time. Kurt -- Kurt Baumann InterCon Systems Corporation 703.709.9890 Creators of fine TCP/IP products 703.709.9896 FAX for the Macintosh.
susans@cfi.COM (susans) (11/01/90)
In article <1990Oct31.174425.13520@cs.ucla.edu> ramsey@kona.cs.ucla.edu (Brenda Ramsey) writes: >Big-Bird is a 1 year old Hyacinth Macaw with a LOUD voice. >His normal babbling is tolerable, but when he screeches it >is enough to wake the dead. That's the nature of the bird! Didn't she do any research before buying such a huge and expensive bird? If she wanted quiet, she had many, many choices of birds quieter. >Patti brought him to *bird school* over the weekend and the >*teacher*, who has been training birds of all types for years, >suggested "THE BLACK BOX" routine for him. A wooden box, painted >black on the inside, no holes, large enough to deposit the bird >so he cannot turn around, was recommended. When the screeching >starts, pick him up, deposit in the box and leave him for This sounds cruel to me. The nature of birds is to signal their "joy of living" through their voice. They "talk" to their human friends too. Ridding a pet of a vice, such as biting, is desireable, but trying to squelch the bird's natural means of communication through a torture system of solitary confinement seems, to me, to be wrong. She should sell the bird to someone who knows what they're dealing with--or do a lot of reading and talking to other macaw owners. Bird Talk magazine has lots of articles on such "problems." -- Susan S. (susans@cfi.com) Another Friend of Bill's
kdb@macaw.intercon.com (Kurt Baumann) (11/02/90)
In article <272F4B3A.D9E@intercon.com>, kdb@macaw.intercon.com (Kurt Baumann) writes: > We have used the "black box" behavior modification when they get too loud, > and in general it works fairly well. Hmm, in further reading this I think that I need to explain. We put the bird in a pet carrier, in a dark room. Not in an enclosed box. Sorry about that. -- Kurt Baumann InterCon Systems Corporation 703.709.9890 Creators of fine TCP/IP products 703.709.9896 FAX for the Macintosh.
steveg@hpcvnb.CV.HP.COM (Steven_Grant) (11/02/90)
>Patti brought him to *bird school* over the weekend and the >*teacher*, who has been training birds of all types for years, >suggested "THE BLACK BOX" routine for him. A wooden box, painted >black on the inside, no holes, large enough to deposit the bird >so he cannot turn around, was recommended. When the screeching >starts, pick him up, deposit in the box and leave him for >3 minutes. If he screeches after he is deposited, he stays in >3 minutes from that time. In her experience, it should take >no more than 1-1/2 weeks of constant *in the box sessions* to >cure him of this bad behavior. When Patti was in her house, which I use(d) a similar technique to curb unwanted behavior in my conure. Not surprising, screaming is one of those unwanted behaviors :-) Instead of the black box I just use a cage in the back room with a blanket over the top of it. NO toys, food or anything fun in it! I find it very affective! He still screams once in a while, but if it gets out of hand 5 minutes in the birdie prison takes care of the problem for a long time (at least the rest of the day).
lark@tivoli.UUCP (Lar Kaufman) (11/02/90)
Yeah, I bet it _is_ quiet over at that trainer's concentration camp for birds. Several comments. First, the greater macaws and amazons are very intelligent birds. I guess if such techniques work on, say, Patty Hurst, they will work on one of these birds. But (let me be perfectly clear about this) IT WOULD BE WRONG. A person who is not prepared to accept and accomodate the natural behavior of a bird should not have one as a pet (or companion). Sure, you can modify behavior in small matters and with respect for the animal's intellect and personality, but if you want dog-like behavior, I respectfully submit that you want a dog for a pet. Second, hyacynth macaws are rare birds. I consider them a threatened species. It would be wrong to impose behavioral patterns that might impair the ability to court and establish a pair bond with a compatible mate. I am aware that the survival of a number of bird species may lie with successful captive breeding programs by aviculturists, so I have no objection to one's keeping such birds. However, the "owners" of rare and endangered species have a responsibility to propagate them. If the owner of this macaw wants an obedient pet, she should take her bird to an experienced, established aviculturist and exchange her for a less-rare animal. Every hyacynth macaw in captivity is too valuable not to be kept for breeding. A side note. Support captive breeding (and limit bird abuse and loss of indiginous populations) by buying birds that were hatched in captivity. These can be identified by their seamless metal legbands and proper, verifiable papers. Leave the wild stock for professionals. The captive- hatched birds are much better adapted for life with humans, anyway. (Sorry for the preachy tone - I know it's not your bird - but this is a very important issue in birdkeeping.) -lar PS as a general observation, I can guage the health and happiness of my birds by the raucousness of their calls. Prolonged silence is an indication of an unhappy or ill bird.
stewartw@cognos.UUCP (Stewart Winter) (11/03/90)
In article <155@tivoli.UUCP> lark@tivoli.UUCP (Lar Kaufman) writes: >Second, hyacynth macaws are rare birds. I consider them a threatened >species. In fact they are an endangered species listed on CITES Appendix I. >A side note. Support captive breeding (and limit bird abuse and loss of >indiginous populations) by buying birds that were hatched in captivity. >These can be identified by their seamless metal legbands and proper, >verifiable papers. Unfortunately smugglers capture babies in the wild (and band them and raise them). Also, they are now using bone-softening chemicals to allow them to slip a closed band on the birds leg. Don't assume because the bird is banded that it is domestic bred. Run down the baby bird's ancestory. If you are willing to put some effort into it (and the breeder is legit) you should be able to track down the grandparents or at least some previous owners of the parents. >(Sorry for the preachy tone - I know it's not your bird - but this is >a very important issue in birdkeeping.) Keep on preaching ... the aviculture hobby needs more of it! Stewart -- Stewart Winter Cognos Incorporated S-mail: P.O. Box 9707 VOICE: (613) 738-1338 x3830 FAX: (613) 738-0002 3755 Riverside Drive UUCP: uunet!cognos!stewartw Ottawa, Ontario The bird of the day is .... Peach Fronted Conure CANADA K1G 3Z4