(no subject)
I brought the parrots to work today, which of course meant occasional little training sessions to keep the parrot brains busy.
At one point there was a large piece of banana chip lying on the desk. Icarus walked up to it, looked at it, then looked at me. I immediately started a "leave it" training session, a behavior we've only worked on a couple of times, and those were many months ago. Yet immediately when I said "leave it," he would straighten up and back away from the food.
In Reaching the Animal Mind, Karen Pryor writes about how behaviors taught with clicker training are remembered even after very long periods in which they are never cued. It's something I've noticed, but didn't consciously think about until I read the book. I have experiences like this all the time, where one of my animals will offer a previously-reinforced behavior that hasn't been reinforced in months (or sometimes years). It's pretty cool.
Also, parrots are freaking smart. It never ceases to amaze me. How can a creature with a brain the size of a shelled almond learn so fast and be so creative? (Lest this make you want one, let me remind you thatthis creativity is often turned to purposes like getting out of cages and opening every plastic container in the pantry. But when that energy is channeled into learning, it's like magic!)
At one point there was a large piece of banana chip lying on the desk. Icarus walked up to it, looked at it, then looked at me. I immediately started a "leave it" training session, a behavior we've only worked on a couple of times, and those were many months ago. Yet immediately when I said "leave it," he would straighten up and back away from the food.
In Reaching the Animal Mind, Karen Pryor writes about how behaviors taught with clicker training are remembered even after very long periods in which they are never cued. It's something I've noticed, but didn't consciously think about until I read the book. I have experiences like this all the time, where one of my animals will offer a previously-reinforced behavior that hasn't been reinforced in months (or sometimes years). It's pretty cool.
Also, parrots are freaking smart. It never ceases to amaze me. How can a creature with a brain the size of a shelled almond learn so fast and be so creative? (Lest this make you want one, let me remind you thatthis creativity is often turned to purposes like getting out of cages and opening every plastic container in the pantry. But when that energy is channeled into learning, it's like magic!)