How to Train an African Grey Parrot – Part 2

Part 1 of this article discussed African Grey behavior modification. As we move into Part 2, let’s look at teaching new behavior to an African Grey parrot.

Offer a Big Carrot

Parrot training proceeds more quickly if you make sure your African Grey is somewhat hungry. You will not want to starve him, of course. You will only want to cut back slightly on the amount of food readily available in his cage. There are ways of checking the amount your parrot is eating. Once you know how much he eats on a daily basis, reduce the amount slightly.

You can train your African Grey parrot more easily now. You will begin the training in the evening, about 22 hours after you last put food in his cage. He will be hungry, unless he’s been overeating, and the training treats you offer will make up for the reduction in regular food. Your African Grey will be motivated by these treats during parrot training class.

Reward Natural Actions

If you expect your parrot to understand and obey your words from the beginning, your parrot training is off to a poor start. Your African Grey does not know what you mean when you ask him to lie on his back. You might as well be asking him to install a new mother board in your computer.

That’s why the goal of your early parrot training will be to get him to do an action naturally. It doesn’t matter what the action is, as long as it is agreeable to you and not bad behavior.

With a supply of treats nearby, take your African Grey from his cage and place him on a perch. As he sits there, hold up one treat. The second he looks toward the treat, say, “Good.” Say it before he takes the treat, and don’t give the treat until you have said, “Good.” This is step one of any parrot training.

Why do you do this to train an African Grey? That one word will come to mean a lot to him. In no time, he will connect the sound of the word “Good.” with his treat. He will know that the treat always comes after the word “Good.” and never before. He will want to please you so that you will say “Good.” and trigger the treat.

Since parrot training involves a great deal of repetition, continue training him in the same manner. Hold up a treat, wait for him to look at it or reach toward it, say “Good.”, and give him the treat.

Save Treats for Training

You want your African Grey to connect good behavior with treats. To be sure that happens, you should always save treats for parrot training time. Also, refrain from giving his favorite treat when he is in the cage, unless he’s doing an action you want him to do. Parrot training is best done outside the cage, with saved treats offered only then.