Dave and I have always done this as a "habit" with our birds. We do this mostly with just our macaws because they tend to reject touch more than our other parrots, such as our cockatoos or grey. So, to be on the safe side and to always know that we won't be getting bit in the face, we make sure to present a treat when we kiss our birds on the t...

Backstage during one of our shows about three weeks ago, our Congo african grey parrot, Cressi, who is about 8 years old now, said her name from her travel carrier. It was in an adorable little voice that called, “Cressi!” just like I say it. 

I quickly said, “good!” and rushed over with a treat. I couldn’t find a clicker fast enough, and in th...

In my attempts to catch Cressi saying her name, I ended up teaching her to shake her head "no". I know, sounds crazy, right? But every time I would take Cressi out to have  'training session', she would offer everything BUT saying her name. I noticed how often she naturally shakes her head, and I decided to capture it. I figured that since I'm ...

Both of these article explain ways we unintentionally sabotage our own efforts with our parrots. Our third biggest mistake is yet another stumbling block we place our own paths. Sometimes we make things much ...

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This post is probably not going to make me popular. However, my popularity in the avian community has never been driving force in anything I have said or done here. I don’t use Birdtricks to gain personal affirmation in the form of shares and likes. My only interest in this community begins and ends with your birds.

I will be speaking my mind in this post and saying what I feel needs to be said. I want ...

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