Many of friends asked me how do I train Kiki and Kermit to be an ultimate performer? There’s no secret on how train them to be like one. Many parrot owners will suggest best to start training since young. Does that mean if I have a adult bird, the bird will never be an ultimate performer?

Many experienced trainers and even parrot books suggested to start off training from a young age. Frankly speaking, age is not the key issue to parrot training. Even an African Grey which is in its mid-20s is still learning new things. But it’s always good to start training early, as it’s one best method to prevent and eliminate behavioral problems.

When I got Kiki and Kermit, I started basic training as soon as they get settle down to the new environment. To date (based on 18th April 2008), Kiki had already mastered 14 parrot tricks and Kermit mastered 4 basic parrot tricks. That’s an achievement! Both of them are still learning new things, so I expect the figures to grow!

So start off quickly with some simple training like step-up command. This is the first basic command, that I introduced to my parrots when I first go them. Then from there, add-on with other basic tricks like Turn-A-Round. Always be consistent with your training and train daily.

It’s always good to allocate a specific time when to conduct training session. Both of my parrots have their own specific time for training, once in the morning and the other at the evening. I always try to allocate 2 training sessions per day, although the morning slots are usually optional. You can have training sessions as much as 3 per day of 10-15 minutes, but no longer that.

Conclusion, the golden words to the success in parrot training:

1. Start training early
2. Be consistent in training
3. Train daily
4. and Patience!

Good luck and happy training your parrots!

Related Posts:
Kermit’s First Basic Tricks Collection
Kermit’s Turn-A-Round Trick
Introducing Clicker Training
Clicker & Target Training for Kermit
Introducing Target Training
Kiki performing the Turn-A-Round Trick

Earlier on, I mentioned about Kiki mastered the new Cup Stacking Trick on New Year’s Day. My aunt who visited my family during New Year’s Day was really impressed with Kiki’s performance of the new trick. She’s absolutely delighted. Oh gosh! Looks like Kiki is becoming the “centre of attraction” in my family, she got all the attention she wanted. *Jealous*

Lately, I received a couple of emails from friends asking about the Youtube video clip of Kiki performing the new Cup Stacking Trick. Honestly, I’ve yet to get it uploaded to Youtube but Kiki and I are really happy by your warm response. Do stay tune on our weblog and YouTube Channel! I’m sure everyone will get to see the clip by this weekend!

On today’s posting, I will like to share on how I created my own Cup Stacking Props rather than purchasing them off shelves. To be frank, it’s pretty hard to find any parrot trick props from pet’s stores in Singapore. Even you do find one, it’s definitely going to burn a hole in your pocket! Possible problems like the size of the prop might be too big or just unsuitable for our companion parrots. Thus, I do find that making your own props will be an ideal choice. Not only it’s cheap but you also customize the right size just for your own feathered pals.

For my Cup Stacking Props Project, I barely spent above two bucks. Sounds amazing right? I’m not kidding and it’s the fact. The items I bought are just a few coins from my pocket from any neighborhood stores.

Items for the Project:
1. Small Plastic Cups (Those that hawkers used to package chilli sauce) - $1 per pack (10 Cups in a pack)
2. Colored Insulation Tape (I’ve got myself a green one!) - 50 Cents

For the Cup Stacking Trick, I require 4 Plastic Cups. 1 of it will be the primary cup and the other 3 cups are to be stacked into the primary cup. In order, to let Kiki able to differentiate the primary cup from the other 3 cups to be stacked, I sticked the green tape around the primary cup. Thus, it will look different from the other cups. It’s a fairly simple project and does not take up too much time. I believe anyone interested can make one for your feathered friends!

Related Posting:
New Tricks for New Year

Kiki’s back in action again. This time she recently picked up a new sport that I introduced to her, Basketball. She’s definitely doing well and understand the basic game rule and objective - which is to place ball through the ring. Till now she tend to miss a few shots, but I’m already impress with her performance. She still has lots of training to undergo to perfect her skills. With her talent and intelligence, I’m sure she’s able to make it to the PBA tournament (PBA aka Parrots Basketball Association). *Haha* Just Kidding.

She still attending the frequent Basketball training, hopefully by the next progress report she’s able to meet the perfect scoreline. Ganbatte Kiki! Don’t disappoint your readers and supporters!

Related BasketBall Trick Posting:
Making of the Basketball Prop