How to Train Your Bird Simple Tricks
Many people are surprised to find out just how intelligent most pet birds are. In addition to
learning to talk, many bird are able to learn
some pretty impressive tricks. Some birds will be better at it than others, but all birds should at
least be able to learn a few basic tricks
Playing dead is one of the simplest tricks to train your pet bird. Begin by getting him used
to having his head and back touched. You can move
to step two when this does not bother him anymore.
The next step is to have him perch on one hand and hold him around his back with your
other hand, being careful to support his head with your
fingers. Lean him over on his back, but stand him upright again if he struggles. Do this
repeatedly until he becomes comfortable with being on
his back and will stay there for a while without being held down.
Conures will learn this trick easier than most due to the fact that many of them sleep on
their backs anyway. Once you’ve taught your bird to
play dead, it’s fairly simple to teach him how to tuck himself in at night. If you lay a light cloth
over him and say ‘goodnight’, he may
naturally pull it up with his beak as if tucking himself in. Sometimes you may have to show him
a few times, but normally they pick it up pretty
quickly.
Since birds usually throw things around in their cage normally, ring toss is another great
trick to try. First, you should get your bird used
to throwing the rings regardless of where they end up. Once he becomes comfortable with
throwing the rings, you can start to encourage him to
toss them at some kind of target. Usually, some type of upside down ‘T’ made from wooden
dowels will do.
If you’ve had success with the ring toss game, training your bird to play basketball should
come relatively easy. Fasten some type of ring to
a wooden dowel to make your hoop. Then give your bird a small light ball to throw at it. This
game will be easy for him if he has already
mastered the ring toss.
Finally, if your bird is a talented talker, you can teach him to say a number of clever or
funny phrases. If you have visitors, many times they will ask your bird if he can talk. A good
response to teach your bird is, ‘I can talk, can you fly?’.
Another great vocal trick is to teach your bird to ask for his favorite treats by name. This will
amaze your friends that aren’t used to being around pet birds. This trick is fairly simple to
teach. Just say the name of the treat every time you give it to your bird, and sooner or later
he will make the connection and begin to say the name whenever he wants one.
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