How To Train A Quaker Parrot Or Any Other Type: The Towel Game Part 1

When learning how to train a Quaker parrot or any other type you should learn to play the towel game.

This might be called "peeking out" patterning. It is an easy way to access a sense of safety for both birds and humans (towel-covered hands are more difficult to bite).

The towel game really is not like restraining a bird in a towel for physical examination, it is more like playing peek-a-boo under the covers, only you use a towel instead of a blanket (the bigger the towel the better, so that at first one or more humans can get under there too).

Just try to make the bird feel happy and secure and let it peek out (cavity breeders spend a lot of time peeking out of small spaces) and sometimes hide the bird's head or eyes and then expose them and say, "peek-a-bird."

Begin by modeling the towel game with anyone and everyone except the bird in the towel.

Sit low, across the room from the bird and hide your face with the towel, then lower the towel, peek around it, and blink, giggle, or say "peek-a-bird."

Also when learning how to train a Quaker parrot or any other type , try being the "mysterious creature" in the towel.

At a time when the bird is in a great mood, preferably after a well-enjoyed bath, and ready to mellow out, wear a fluffy clean terry cloth bath robe (no stripes), and wear a towel colored like the bird over your head, partially obscuring your face like very long hair.

Let the edges of the towel stick out several inches from your face so that your face is mostly obscured.

Let the ends of the towel hang down with two corners touching in the middle front and the other two corners behind your shoulders so that your face is inside and there is sort of a cave under your chin.

Try whistling, singing, dancing, and holding out the front corners of the towel, one in each hand, sort of like a bird holding out it is wings to catch rainfall.

Play lots of eye games and peek-a-boos, and act like a parrot enjoying a shower.

(You are trying to convince this prey species that you are also a prey species, not an evil predator.)

You will notice that if you just let the ends of the towel hang down like long hair and then bend your head forward, there is a large cave under your face. With the bird on a comfortable low perch, maybe a chair back, try to lean over the bird so that the ends of the towel come forward opening the "cave" that you are in so the bird can be in there too.

Keep your hands covered by the towel so that the bird never sees hands.

Be sure to flirt with the bird with eyes and body when you are inside the towel, play peek-a-boos, and sometimes let another person or bird or pet in there without the bird to play with you.

You might take one of the bird's favorite holding toys inside the towel and make lots of fun noises while playing with it.

Sometimes you and another person could play with the bird's favorite toy inside the towel.

When learning how to train a Quaker parrot or any other type if the bird is very food motivated, you could let it see you eating a favorite food inside the towel.

Go To The Towel Game Part 2

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