How to Reinforce Good Behavior in Pet Birds

Punishment seldom works with pet birds, since they do not have a social hierarchy in the wild. Instead, birds primarily learn through positive reinforcement. Reinforcement for good behavior can be used to train birds to do tricks, and also to discourage problem behavior by reinforcing alternative behavior. For example, birds that bite will often stop if they are rewarded when they are gentle, but not when they are aggressive. The following steps will help to better discipline your beloved birds.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Tame pet birds
• Healthy treats

1. Choose the behavior you want to reinforce in your birds. The behavior will usually be opposite the problem you encounter with your pets. For example, if you own screaming parrots, then you will need to reinforce quieter sounds. If your birds bite, you will want to reinforce gentleness. In these cases, you could use the words "quiet" and "gentle" to indicate the behavior you are rewarding.

2. Wait for your birds to spontaneously exhibit the behavior you want to reinforce. For example, if your birds sometimes bite when you ask it to "step up" onto your finger, reward the birds each time they step up without biting.

3. Immediately respond to the good behavior by saying the word for that behavior and speaking kindly to the birds. In the example of the biting birds, you would say a phrase such as, "Yes, gentle! Good birds!" Use the same warm and enthusiastic tone of voice you might use when interacting with small children.

4. Offer additional reinforcement by giving the birds a small, healthy treat or petting them. If you offer food treats, choose something your birds enjoy and do not get to eat regularly. A single sunflower seed is a popular choice, but your pet birds will benefit from lower fat treats such as half a grape, a small piece of apple or an unsalted, popped popcorn kernel.

5. Reward the good behavior you want to reinforce as consistently as possible, and never reward bad behavior. The most effective way to discourage bad behavior is by ignoring the birds entirely. If the birds are outside of the cage, you should put them in the cage first, and then leave the room. Turning your back on the misbehaving birds is also effective.

Tips & Warnings

• A "clicker" can be used to provide instant positive feedback to your pet birds. Clickers are inexpensive and available at most pet stores.
• If your birds are not tame, you can still reinforce good behavior by speaking kindly to the birds and placing treats in the cage.
• Be careful not to offer too many high-fat treats, especially to birds that are prone to obesity, such as cockatoos and Amazon parrots. Excess weight is just as dangerous for birds as it is for humans.

Resources

• Information about clicker training
• Healthy treats for birds