How to Train a Parrot

Parrots are the most colorful of house pets, literally and figuratively. A lively, happy parrot can add plenty of fun to your home. The problem is, your home is far, far away from your parrot's natural environment. Patient and persistent training is crucial to ensure that both you and your pet are comfortable cohabiting with one another.

Parrots are renowned for their amusing antics, like talking, but are equally infamous for exhibiting "bad" behaviors such as squawking, biting, and errant pooping. When you train your parrot, you must remember that a parrot isn't a toy; you can't just teach it the "fun" stuff and hope that the other behaviors will fix themselves. Parrots are also not dogs; they do not respond to punishment as a training method. In fact, parrots are even more attention-hungry than most dogs, so if you punish a parrot, it will likely see that interaction between you two as a desirable outcome and repeat whatever "bad" behavior you are trying to correct.

Before you begin, take the time to create a safe training environment for your parrot. Aim to do all of the bird's training in the same room -- one that is clean, closed off (no open windows!) and quiet. If possible, train daily, and at the same time every day, and not in the same room as your parrot's cage. Make sure to always have treats like cut-up fruits and vegetables on hand during a training session to reward the bird when it successfully learns or carries out a new command. Lastly, always approach and interact with your parrot in a calm and confident manner. Parrots can sense tension and anxiety and will react to it with biting and squawking, so even if your parrot upsets you or snaps at your during a training session, do not act out on the parrot.

So, what are the most common steps to training a parrot? Read on to get started training your parrot into becoming a well-adjusted pet!

1) The "step up"
Many experts recommend first teaching a parrot to "step up," which means perching itself onto one of your fingers. Slowly move a finger towards the parrot's belly, and when it is gently but firmly pressed there, say "Step up." Your bird should instinctively perch itself atop your finger.

2) Stop the squawking
The best way -- if not the only way -- to wean your parrot off squawking is to simply ignore the parrot when it squawks. This may take several days, may require earplugs and may get worse before it gets better. The parrot squawks because it wants attention and thinks that squawking is the best way to get it. Reverse that thinking by only praising or interacting with your parrot when it's being quiet.

3) Stop the biting
While parrots usually squawk because they want attention, they often bite because they want to be left alone. In this case, the best thing you can do is to give your parrot exactly what it wants. If the parrot is out of its cage, return it to its cage immediately. Shut the door to the room.

4) Potty training
Parrots poop a lot, usually soon after eating, soon after being let out of the cage, and right before flying to a new perch. But you can train a parrot to poop where you want it to. Start by taking a few days to observe the bird and see if you can detect any sort of pooping patterns, especially any routine behaviors the bird does right before eliminating. Start saying a phrase like "go poop" or "good poop" every time you see your parrot pooping, inside or outside of its cage, and not just when it poops where you want it to go. Next, start associating your "poop" phrases with an attention-getting target that you can move around with the bird, like a bright piece of construction paper or a decorated trash can. Eventually, your parrot will begin correlating poop with the paper or can, and it will do its business there.

5) Talking
Now for the fun part! Talking training should begin when the parrot is six months old at the latest. Try to have the bird close to your mouth when you repeat the phrases you want it to start saying, and keep lots of excitement in your voice. Start by picking phrases with easy correlations, like saying "Good morning!" when you take the parrot out of the cage in the mornings, or "Up!" when you lift your bird up. Eventually you can add in people's names or fun phrases. If you want to run a recording of repeated phrases for the parrot to listen to while in its cage, limit them to about 15 minutes at a time or the bird will get bored!

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