Parrots are not puppies! I have had my young Sun Conure, Coco, for about 3 weeks now - last night he finally ate a piece of banana. A puppy on the other hand will eat anything it can fit in its mouth. Paper, leather, fruit, candy, anything. Coco eats seeds - not the healthiest of diets by far and he has to learn to eat healthy. Did you know that, unlike most birds, parrots have tase buds? Dogs appear to eat mostly by smell - if it smells strong, eat it!
This morning, Coco decided to take his first bath in his water dish - a puppy usually starts investigating his dish by playing in it.
Coco is taking a while to get used to a target stick - we have been working on it daily for 2 weeks and he will still only take 2 steps toward it: any farther away and forget it. A puppy on the otherhand usually chases anything that moves - move the stick, he goes after it.
I think I have been spoiled by training eager dogs in the past. The parrot will be highly rewarding in the future, but for now, it is a lesson in patience and small progress and refinment.
