Reinforcers And Parrots Who Are Fearful Of Humans

Reinforcers and how to use them with a Parrot who is fearful of humans

Building a history of Reinforcement from almost nothing

We all have to start somewhere. A new parrot will have had no time yet to build a nice long history of reinforcement with us. Maybe that parrot is used to humans and being handled in which case new reinforcers are quickly learned. But maybe that parrot is afraid of humans. Where do we start?

It might be a good idea to read this thread first which explains more about reinforcers:

https://theparrotclub.co.uk/communi...rcers-and-how-to-identify-and-use-them.29149/

To recap, if the outcome to a behaviour is desirable, then we will repeat that behaviour. That outcome or consequence is said to be reinforcing. Primary reinforcers are unlearned – there are very few eg. food, water, heat. Secondary reinforcers are learned by pairing them either with primary reinforcers or other secondary reinforcers eg. head scratches, praise, the clicker and thousands more! It therefore makes sense to use a primary reinforcer like food – treats - with a new addition to our flock since there is no learning involved. But how can we use treats if we can’t get close to our newcomer?

Negative Reinforcement
Another example of a primary (unlearned) reinforcer is escape from an aversive. Negative reinforcement is also known as escape/avoidance learning. The behaviour is strengthened (reinforced) by escaping an aversive (something the parrot doesn’t like). For example, pushing a hand into the bird’s chest to make it step up. The bird steps up to escape the sensation of being pushed in the chest. The bird has no choice but to step up… or may well learn to bite to make the hand go away. Not the best way of teaching a step up since you are also pairing yourself with an aversive, but we can use negative reinforcement in a more positive way when approaching an "untame" bird.

Note: if you have to use negative reinforcement at any time, it should be immediately followed up with positive reinforcement. However normally, negative reinforcement should be avoided.

Ollie (Orange-winged Amazon) came to me "untame", "cagebound" and afraid of humans, especially hands. He had very few reinforcers and certainly none where humans were concerned. I had to find a way to get close enough to then be able to offer positive reinforcement. My presence was an aversive. He was frightened of me. I used negative reinforcement:

I would walk towards his cage very slowly beginning from the far side of the room. When he showed slightly uneasy body language that was my starting point. I took a couple of steps back and waited for him to show relaxed body language (RBL) again. When I saw RBL I took a slow step forward (introducing an aversive). His continued RBL then earned half a step back (removing the aversive). I’d wait a few seconds and then took another slow step forward. His RBL earned half a step back, and so on until I could get closer and closer to his cage without him freaking. I did this every time I had to approach his cage. If his body language changed at all, even slightly, then I would go back a couple of steps until I saw his RBL and then break the steps down even smaller.

Positive Reinforcement
When I could get close enough I would offer him a palm nut. I knew the palm nut was reinforcing because he continued to take them from me. Then I noticed he was choosing cashews out of his dry bowl first, so sometimes I offered a whole cashew (whole so my fingers could be as far away from him as possible). When he was successfully taking a whole cashew I would then offer half, and then slowly broke them into smaller pieces. So now we had two reinforcers – the palm nut and pieces of cashew.

Handing him treats like this began to pair me and my fingers with the delivery of good things therefore my presence and fingers started to become reinforcing. My presence and fingers became a secondary reinforcer (learned by pairing in this case with a primary reinforcer – food).

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Watch out for Reinforcers you can use!
I noticed Ollie would swing a bell and stick his head underneath so it would catch his head feathers – a self head scritch! The bell catching his head feathers was reinforcing. By this time he was used to my hands in his cage, so I carefully unhooked the bell and gently swung it above his head and he put his head down so it caught his feathers. Gradually I made the chain shorter until I was scritching his head holding the bell itself. Still reinforcing. I began handing him various favourite foot toys and because he was used to me skritching his head with the bell, he began putting his head down so I could skritch him with a foot toy.

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My fingers got closer and closer until one day I gave him a short head skritch with my fingers. I gave him a piece of cashew as extra reinforcement. The process took 6 months.

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Head scratches became hugely reinforcing and he would ask for them often. So just for fun I used them to start balancing various objects on the nape of his neck and then head.

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Today Ollie has many reinforcers all built up over the years paired with other reinforcers. It is now reinforcing to come out of his cage, fly, chew boxes, go sit with Kobe the Blue-headed Pionus (Kobe doesn’t find this particularly reinforcing), explore the floor, go out into the aviary, even explore my arm the other day.

I usually use pieces of cashew to reinforce targeting, stepping up, and turning circles (all these were learned by shaping):

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First I used to use pieces of cashew to reinforce him keeping his feet still as I cut one toenail at a time, but now I switch it up with head scratches or animated talking. As an experiment I paired a head scratch with a silly squeak and managed to cut a nail just using the squeak as a reinforcer:

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A newly slotted in food bowl reinforces Ollie’s flying back to his cage to eat. What a simple way to have a parrot go willingly back into his cage without even having to touch him!
My bird would bite whoever tries to get near his cage. He isn't scared when we get near him, but when we try to touch him, he would bite us. How should I approach him without getting bit?
 
the best answer is do not force him to come to you, if he bites then he is scared and you should hold back and let him relax. you have only had him a day, and building trust can take time. the important thing in building a strong relationship is not gaining trus but it is not loosing trust you have gained
 
Biting is communication. It sounds like your bird is uncomfortable at being touched for now. How long have you had him? What sort of bird is he?

Right now, try not to do anything that results in a bite, because if you do, you are only teaching him to bite more in that circumstance. Instead of pairing yourself with aversives (being touched is an aversive for the bird at the moment) try to pair yourself with good experiences for him so that you gradually gain his trust.

Can you please tell us more about the bird?
 
you can look up a post "What are the No No's when trying to gain your birds trust" As i have always maintained Gaining trust is more about how to not loose trust.
 
Biting is communication. It sounds like your bird is uncomfortable at being touched for now. How long have you had him? What sort of bird is he?

Right now, try not to do anything that results in a bite, because if you do, you are only teaching him to bite more in that circumstance. Instead of pairing yourself with aversives (being touched is an aversive for the bird at the moment) try to pair yourself with good experiences for him so that you gradually gain his trust.

Can you please tell us more about the bird?
I have had him for about 3 months now. He's an Alexandrine and right now, he would eat from our hands when we feed him and he would never bite us even if his beak is close to our hands. But he still doesn't appreciate getting touched, even if it is an accident. For example when we change the food bowl, we touched the tip of his tail sometimes since it's getting longer and he would squawk loudly. I know he doesn't like it because he pins his eyes as well. Actually, he doesn't like anything that touches him. For example if something like a chew toy touches him while he's dancing, he would get annoyed and try to bite it. As for his dancing habbit, I have come to accept that it's his way of showing he is happy/content. He would not dance if he's disappointed, angry, or bored. Also, it seems that he's territorial of his cage. If someone tries to touch the bars on the cage, he would squawk and pins his eyes. But he's getting used to our hands now and wouldn't really bite when we cleans the cage, but he would squawk and snap his beak though he never really attempts to bite or come near to our hands. It is understandable, since he's not tamed nor from a shop. He was rescued from crows while they're pecking him. I don't know the reason, but he would still make his flock cry whenever he heard crows crying. I'm sorry that my reply was late.
 
I have had him for about 3 months now. He's an Alexandrine and right now, he would eat from our hands when we feed him and he would never bite us even if his beak is close to our hands. But he still doesn't appreciate getting touched, even if it is an accident. For example when we change the food bowl, we touched the tip of his tail sometimes since it's getting longer and he would squawk loudly. I know he doesn't like it because he pins his eyes as well. Actually, he doesn't like anything that touches him. For example if something like a chew toy touches him while he's dancing, he would get annoyed and try to bite it. As for his dancing habbit, I have come to accept that it's his way of showing he is happy/content. He would not dance if he's disappointed, angry, or bored. Also, it seems that he's territorial of his cage. If someone tries to touch the bars on the cage, he would squawk and pins his eyes. But he's getting used to our hands now and wouldn't really bite when we cleans the cage, but he would squawk and snap his beak though he never really attempts to bite or come near to our hands. It is understandable, since he's not tamed nor from a shop. He was rescued from crows while they're pecking him. I don't know the reason, but he would still make his flock cry whenever he heard crows crying. I'm sorry that my reply was late.
Sorry I had him for about 5 months now. I mixed up with the IRN.
 
Michael where are u based? I sure could do with your help. Mitto can come out of his cage but he just does not seem like he wants interaction with us..I just confused about whether he is happy or not?..
 
Really thankful finding you guys on here reading all the help and advise etc thank you , we took on keeks our Indian ringneck who was a little nervous and now she's coming right out of her shell ,even flying to my Mrs which at first she didn't like ( not sure she still does) but it's a start , she still doesn't like hands to much but with food and being relaxed around her she's slowly coming on in leaps and bounds :) thanks again hope it was ok to post here
 
So great to hear, Michael! Great picture of Keeks on your shoulder! :biggrin:
 
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Really thankful finding you guys on here reading all the help and advise etc thank you , we took on keeks our Indian ringneck who was a little nervous and now she's coming right out of her shell ,even flying to my Mrs which at first she didn't like ( not sure she still does) but it's a start , she still doesn't like hands to much but with food and being relaxed around her she's slowly coming on in leaps and bounds :) thanks again hope it was ok to post here

What have u been doing to get Keeks to open up?
I have Mitto firstly bought home in a really small cage which he broke out of, I then bought a really big cage, even bought a night cover but we soon realised he does not like being caged. So we let him out, he is basically cageless, sits in the living room and alternates from perching looking out of a window , trying to get attention from other ringnecks in the area (he makes calling noise) and sitting high on a lampshade later in the evening. I feel like he just expects us to provide food. I can go close too him but if he feels I'm trying to touch he moves quickly and flies to the lampshade.
Overall he is not destructive, does not chew furniture and respects the living space.
He is living with us but not really attempting to form a bond with us, he started muttering in the morning sometimes, perhaps he is trying to talk?

I need help trying to tame him more..hence the questions
 
Just make all your movements slow that may help eventually with cleaning. But over time your bird will get used to what you are going to do. I don't know whether you have feeders that you have to reach into the cage to or the swing door ones which are easier. The floor of the cage you could cover with layers of newspaper so you only need to reach in and roll up the top sheet or two each day. Have a small damp cloth to wipe down perches and bars. I am sure you will find ways of coping, and talk gently while doing it .
I have to go inside the cage to change food
 
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