Michael wrote:How do you keep a flighted parrot off your shoulder? Obviously you don't want to punish them but every time they get away with flying onto the shoulder it is automatically self rewarded!
I have a parakeet at home that's non flighted but likes to sit on shoulders and runs to the other shoulder when someone gets even a treat near it
And I found the best way for a parakeet that's so used to being out an on a person for hours at a time is a diversion..
I put the arm connected to the shoulder the bird is on, near the computer or sofa for it to climb down; then use the other hand(which it usually runs away from) to move it on the arm and it'll hop off on the sofa/computer...Sometimes when there's not much excitement even holding its cage door open works.
The first two work cause it's been 2 years and everyday my sister keeps it on her while doing anything but cooking(as it is "her parakeet"),and it likes to play with it's surroundings while we do something like watch tv,or go on the computer.
The 2nd though is because people bring it out a lot; whether it's because it makes a fuss to, or we want it to come out (to clean cage/food&water bowl etc..).
Because it likes this, it usually hops out on it's own when we open the cage door. We dont/cant force it as it's not used to being grabbed.
So a quick trip around the room to show that there's not much going on..and back to the cage with door open and it hops in...knowing it'll be brought out again sometime soon...
The way to do this while it staying out and getting of the shoulder is putting it on something, or at times something lower,then walking away and calling it..it usually flaps itself down and runs after who ever it wants to be with on the ground(which is usually cleaned with a "steam mop"
) or onto a finger/leg/etc that's presented
We dont mind it being on our shoulders though...so its not a "problem" and it goes back into its cage about 3/4th the time without any holding done to it.
Once again it's out of it's cage on and off from 4pm-9pm,and isnt trained or anything. I only recently decided to train
"my new" parakeet and found this site in the process..