It took two days to train Bondi, my 4 year old galah, how to do the "ring on peg" trick. But it took some learning on MY end. And she was getting SO insanely frustrated. It was super hard for her to get the ring over the peg since it just barely fit, and as I continued to try, she only got it twice out of all the times we were trying... And for a bird to fail THAT much, is disheartening and they start to feel discouraged and frustrated. And as a trainer watching, so did I, because there was no way I could tilt the damn prop to make it easier on Bondi. I needed an EASIER prop for her to use, with a bigger ring so she could have an easier time learning it. I reached into my prop basket and found an old prop I had and could use with a peg on it. It also holds the basketball trick on it and is multi-useful.

Anyway, once I got Bondi a good peg to use and an even bigger ring to start out with, she had the whole trick in 2 days flat. To learn how to train your bird like this, check out our bird tricks training courses.

Article by Jamieleigh Womach. She has been working with parrots and toucans since the age of 17. She isn’t homeless but is home less than she prefers to be. She travels the world with her husband, daughter, and a flockful of parrots whom she shares the stage with.