A Consequence is any event that is triggered by an earlier event. A consequence can be natural or artificial (man-made). It can also be negative, positive, or neutral.
Example of a Negative Natural Consequence: If you get your arm stuck inside a vending machine while trying to steel a pack of m&m’s, then your arm getting stuck was a natural negative consequence of trying to steel from a vending machine. It was natural because the inventor of the machine simply wanted it to be difficult steel from, he did not plan for you to actually get your arm stuck inside the machine.
Example of a positive Man-Made Consequence: If you pay a store owner for some m&m’s and the store owner lets you eat the m&m’s, then you getting to eat the m&m’s is a positive artificial consequence which was created by the store clerk who intentionally set the rules. Yum!
Example of a neutral consequence: When you buy a bag of m&m’s, the store owner puts the money in the cash register. The money went into the register as a consequence of you buying the m&m’s but for you this was a neutral consequence. You didn’t actually care what the store owner did with the money just as long as he let you eat the m&m’s.
Consequences in Parrot Training
When training parrots, or any animal for that matter, we create artificial consequences to help shape the parrot’s behavior. If the parrot says hello when we tell it to say hello, we can then give the bird a positive consequence like a treat or some loving attention as a reward. If a parrot is screaming at the top of its lungs for attention we can give it the negative consequence of being ignored it until is calm. When the bird has been calm for a while, we can then give the bird a positive consequence of attention as a reward.
Operant Conditioning is the official word describing the use of consequences (both negative and positive) to shape the behavior of a living thing. The goal of operant conditioning is to get an animal (humans included) to willingly perform or stop performing a certain behavior.
Example of Operant Conditioning: If at the dinner table you only pass the butter when someone asks with a ‘please’ you are attempting to train them using Operant Conditioning.
Operant Conditioning in Parrot Training
In Parrot Training, operant conditioning is how we get our birds to do what we want them to do whether that is simply stepping up onto our hand or doing a triple flying back-flip through a hoop while singing the Star Spangled Banner 
Budgie Parakeets are so common that some people consider them to be “throw away pets”. That’s definitely not the case, these little guys are amazing! See this guys parrot talking skills! Learn more about pet parakeets on our sister site MyPetParakeet.com
Funny Ring Neck Parrot Talking to a Rabbit
1 Comment | Posted by Jon Perry in Funniest Parrot Videos, Parrot Talking Videos Mar 1 2010
A parrot talking to a stuffed animal, too funny!
Groucho the Amazon Parrot Talking
0 Comments | Posted by Jon Perry in Parrot Talking Videos Mar 1 2010
Groucho is an Amazon Parrot with incredible parrot talking skills, not only does he talk, but he can sing!
Einstein’s Parrot talking skills!
0 Comments | Posted by Jon Perry in Parrot Talking Videos Mar 1 2010
Einstein shows off his parrot talking skills for us all on TV! I have actually worked with Einstein in person back when I was volunteering at the Knoxville Zoo. The trainer told me that Einstein is actually a girl. She is a Congo African Grey parrot who is spoiled as can be, in fact they nick named her Diva.
As long as she keeps up her amazing parrot talking skills I don’t think anyone will complain.
This Eclectus has some parrot talking skills. My favorite part is when he says “Praise the Lord”. The poor little guy has been indoctrinated against his will! ha ha.
Blue and Gold Macaw opens a beer
0 Comments | Posted by Jon Perry in Funniest Parrot Videos Feb 28 2010
blue and gold macaw
Experience level: advanced
Lifespan: approximately 50-60 years
Size: approximately 30″-35″ in length
Voice Volume: Extremely Loud
Price Range: $1,000 to $2,000
Parrot Talking Ability: Good
Blue and Gold Macaws (also called blue and yellow macaws) are what many people think of when they hear the word “parrot”. These South American Creatures are well known for their amazing coloration and parrot talking ability. Their large size makes them all the more impressive. Macaws tend to form very strong bonds with their owners and are prized companions to those who have successfully bonded with their birds. As you will read below, they can also be aggressive.
Blue and Gold Macaws in the wild
These birds have a huge range from Panama and the lowlands of South America to SE Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay. They live in wooded areas, usually near water, including edge of lowland humid forest, gallery forest in savanna, savanna with scattered trees and palms, swamp forest and palm swamp. Sometimes forages in open country.
They feed in the top of forest canopies and usually stay in pairs but are sometimes found in flocks of up to 25 birds.
Sound Levels
Macaws are one group of parrots that are big on what is called “flock calling”. In other words, they scream really loud in order to find their friends. This is wonderful for them when living in the jungle but it’s horrible for you and your neighbors when they live inside your house. This is a natural characteristic of macaws and is as much a part of them as their beautiful feathers. With careful training you can get a macaw to do this less often then he normally would but you can never kill this instinct all together. These high sound levels make them inappropriate pets for apartment dwellers.
Blue and Gold Macaw Aggression
Bite marks from a blue and Gold Macaw
Most young Blue and Gold Macaws are extremely friendly if they have been exposed to people since being hatched, but many people report a change in nature at about age 2 or 3. This is usually because the bird has become sexually mature. Even a well cared for macaw will likely become aggressive during mating season (spring time).
Sometimes a bird will develop a mating bond with one person or other bird and be aggressive towards all others, other times the bird will simply become territorial and aggressive to all people. Many people who get bitten during this time will develop a phobia of their bird, stop interacting with the animal, and thus make things worse. It’s important to understand that if you get a large parrot like a Macaw, you will most likely have to suffer a painful bite or two at some time during your relationship.
Bolivian Blue and Gold Macaw
Bolivian B&Gs are simply the birds who’s ancestors were originally caught in Bolivia when it was still legal to sell wild caught birds in the United States. These birds tend to have more vibrant colors than other blue and gold Macaws and they generally sell for a higher price in the pet trade. The difference in color is slight but is reasonably noticeable when two parrots are standing side by side.
Blue and Gold Parrot Talking Ability
The parrot talking skills of this bird are pretty good. Most macaws will pick up a handful of words even without proper training. They don’t tend to be able to compete with African Greys, Eclectus, or Budgie Parakeets though in terms of vocabulary.
Basic Care
Longevity:
60 yrs
Housing:
An outdoor aviary is ideal for parrots; natural sunlight is essential for their plumage (feathers) and overall health. This can be supplemented with full-spectrum lighting indoors if your climate does not allow for your cage to be outside.
Parrots do best when put in a “high traffic” area in the home where they will get daily interaction.
Because parrots in captivity are more likely to become obese – a flight cage is highly encouraged as a means to properly exercise and stay as healthy as possible while living in captivity.
As with all animals, the larger the cage/habitat, the better. Bar spacing should be no less than 1 inch apart and the proper gauge should be 10g/12g.
Enrichment:
Large macaw toys, chewables (fir branches, pine cones, bird-safe wood), large perches, swings, ladders; regular bathing.
Futher Reading
Cool Blue and Gold Macaw Videos
Dino the Blue and Gold Macaw Opens a Beer (Never let you parrot drink alcohol by the way)
Dino does some tricks
Screaming Macaw
Budgie Parakeet
Experience level: beginner
Lifespan: approximately 8-20 years
Size: approximately 7″-7.5″ in length
Voice Volume: Quite
Price Range: $10 to $60
Parrot Talking Ability: Excellent
The budgie parakeet (the ‘Budgerigar’ or simply the ‘Parakeet’) is the most popular pet parrot in the world. They were discovered by Europeans in Australia back in the mid-1800s and their fame spread fast!
Wild budgies are extremely nomadic and live in flocks which can contain over 100 strong if food is plentiful. They are usually found throughout the drier parts of Australia and have survived for the last five million years in the harsh inland conditions of that continent.
Parakeet color variations and domestication
People started breeding budgie parakeets in captivity as early as 1850 which makes them some of the first parrots to be successfully bred and fully domesticated. Their natural coloring is mostly green and yellow but breeders have been able to produce a wide variety of colors today. Blue budgies simply lack yellow pigment, yellow budgies lack the blue coloration, and white budgies obviously lack all coloration.
Captive birds can sometimes survive in feral groups if released into the wild. They once had a decent strong hold in Florida. This of course should never be done intentionally because the introduction of a foreign species can cause havoc on a local ecosystem.
Budgie Parrot Talking Ability
All budgies can learn to mimic human speech if they spend a lot of one on one time with people. Budgies are considered one of the best talking parrots on the market. Males tend to be the better talking parrots and their skills put them up against the African Grey Parrot, the Amazon parrot, the Eclectus Parrot and the Ring-necked Parakeet.
A budgerigar named Puck holds the world record for the largest vocabulary of any bird, at 1,728 words. Puck, a male budgerigar owned by American Camille Jordan, died in 1994, with the record first appearing in the 1995 edition of Guinness World Records.
It’s important to note that many budgies are quite talkers unlike African Greys or Amazon Parrots that can be heard clearly. See the talking budgie videos below to learn how they sound.
Taming a budgie
Budgie Parakeets
Many people think that budgies are hands off birds that should stay in their cages. This myth is due to the way budgies are usually raised and sold. Many pet stores keep them in large groups and most breeders do not handle the young. These birds never get the chance to socialize with humans and tend to be frightened of them. To cure an old bird of this may be tricky but it’s possible if you buy your birds one at a time. Work with the bird every day by feeding treats by hand until you gain the bird’s trust. Once your bird comes to you and lets you handle him, you can add another budgie if you would like.
Budgies tend to be the best talkers when they are only allowed to socialize with humans and are kept away from other birds. Keep in mind that if you decide to go that route, you will need to spend at least 4 hours a day with your bird to give him the minimal social stimulation he needs.
Budgies are often over looked
Budgies have a reputation of being a ‘throw away pet’ or a ‘beginner bird’ for kids. This is, of course, a horrible way to think about any living creature, let alone a creature that is so intelligent, beautiful, and loving as a budgie. These are among the best pets a person could ever have.
Basic Care Info
Housing:
Not less than 76cm (30 in) long.
Enrichment:
Bathing; foot toys, destructible (non-toxic) toys, non-destructible (non-toxic plastic) toys, food-finder toys, preening toys, different texture and size hanging perch toys, fir branches, push-and-pull toys (sliding up and down), vegetable tanned leather toys.
Nest Box Size:
8″ x 6″ x 6″ (20.3cm x 15cm x 15cm) or 6″ x 6′ x 6″ (15cm x 15cm x 15cm) vertical box.
Clutch Size:
4 to 8
Incubation Time:
18 days
Fledging Age:
30 days
Further Reading
Cool Budgie Parakeet Videos
Budgie Parrot Talking Skills
How to Set up a cool Budgie Parakeet Cage
How to tell when your parakeet is sick
