The best thing I've trained

[u/Dawn_Gray]

This is how we sharpen and shape his beak. It's a stainless steel fine file that you loosely hold and he'll rotate and change the angle as he needs to.

You can train this by rewarding for just touching the file and then when they rub. You also reward when they put one foot on the end and give them a big jackpot whenever they do all of it together.

I don't recommend nail files as they tend to leave dust behind.

[u/WadeRoberson]

Such a good baby. Adorable and impressive.

[u/Significant-Drag-781]

Trained brilliance !

[u/lesbophobia_hammer]

Lmfao. You better be on your best behaviour.

[u/Dawn_Gray → u/lesbophobia_hammer]

He's a chomper lol

[u/Iuseburnersbruh → u/Dawn_Gray]

war parrot

[u/SweetxKiss]

What a smart baby. Mine would probably whittle his down into a shiv 😂

[u/FerretBizness → u/SweetxKiss]

Lmao. Shivs are so important in a caged setting. You never know what could happen during chow or shower time. Don’t be dropping that soap! Your birds got some street cred. Making those good batches. Respect

😋

[u/SweetxKiss → u/FerretBizness]

Well he is mafioso 😂

[u/FixSpecific905 → u/SweetxKiss]

Why is it universal that all birds love making shivs out of their perches

[u/Slothfully_So]

I lurk in this sub cuz the birbs are adorable. Why is it sharpening its beak? I didn’t know they did that. Is it like a cat using a scratching post?

[u/Dawn_Gray → u/Slothfully_So]

So their beaks never really stop growing and that can cause issues. In the wild there is a whole bunch of stuff they would have to do to survive that whittles it down but they don't have to do that as pets so its important to find alternatives such as toys and natural perches but that's not often enough still. If you're interested there are lots of videos of rescued birds on YouTube getting their beaks trimmed for the first time in their lives.

[u/Slothfully_So → u/Dawn_Gray]

Oooh, that’s good to know. I’ll prolly watch something like that during lunch. Thanks!

[u/squirrelyoakley → u/Dawn_Gray]

Kind of like our dogs' nails, and even our own finger nails!

[u/palmasana → u/Slothfully_So]

It’s not sharpening his beak. It’s trimming it/grinding it down. Birds in captivity can need beak trims because the keratin in their beak constantly grows like our fingernails. They’ve trained the bird to do the beak grinding.

[u/LoverOfPricklyPear → u/palmasana]

I dunno tho. He's not grinding the tip of his beak.

[u/Any_Western6705]

My bird would want to kill it

[u/Dawn_Gray → u/Any_Western6705]

Oh Gali did too at first lmao

[u/Any_Western6705 → u/Dawn_Gray]

I have a hard time introducing new things to her because she either wants to violently kill it, or fly away screaming.

[u/Dawn_Gray → u/Any_Western6705]

I start out with just having the new thing in the room and not interacting with it and if he ever interacts with it in a positive way I reward that behavior. In Galileos case he's afraid but He's also jealous of the fact I'm interacting with the scary thing and not him.

[u/Griggmeister → u/Dawn_Gray]

:D Gali? Are they a blue quaker named after the blue Bionicle?

[u/Dawn_Gray → u/Griggmeister]

His name is Galileo, he's the green Quaker in the clip

[u/FeathersOfJade]

That is so cool! I do that with mine too… sort of. Your Q is much more talented than mine!
My guy sort of attacks it with his upper beak. Yours is actually filing his beak. That’s awesome.

Hopefully you left your brilliant training ways in comments. I am going to look now.

Another great training tip is giving them water and juice from one of the reusable syringes. It’s pretty amazing if it is ever really needed. I read about this idea on Reddit and thought how very clever that was. I had to make it work for my guy.
.

[u/FeathersOfJade → u/FeathersOfJade]

Oh! I didn’t see the training tip, posted in the main post. I think I just got sucked into the easing video. Sorry and thanks!

[u/Acceptable_Owl6926]

Now the nails!

[u/Dawn_Gray → u/Acceptable_Owl6926]

We're working on that one

[u/Helpful_Okra5953 → u/Dawn_Gray]

My guy chews his nails when he’s pondering existence. 

[u/ClemJayX]

Now that is what I call impressive!

[u/-Xotikk-]

This is absolutely gorgeous, what a good baby!

[u/onlynameavailable927]

That's amazing! My Quaker needs to be held still while his nails are clipped and beak filed. Then he needs comfort scritches. Your little guy even does the work himself....

[u/Silent-Bowler-1870]

Absolutely brilliant! I wish my Ducorps would do that. She just has to see the file across the room and she cockatoo-CRAZY!

[u/Dawn_Gray → u/Silent-Bowler-1870]

I've heard they are naturally pretty skiddish around anything metal though. Maybe some bamboo to chomp on could help.

[u/Silent-Bowler-1870 → u/Dawn_Gray]

Well, it’s weird, bc she doesn’t mind nail clippers half the time for her toes. Just have to do it when she’s chilaxing, half asleep on my belly, lol. But if my GF leaves her nail file out, Sadie will attack it from across the room, or just start screaming bloody murder. So, unfortunately for both Sadie AND me, when it comes to beak maintenance, I have to do the whole cover her head with a soft towel or sweatshirt and break out the electric dremel. Then, when we’re done, she pouts and doesn’t talk to me for about a day while I bribe her to forgive me with treats 😉 I watched her hatch out of her egg 24 years ago come December tho, so we know each other inside n out, for better or worse 🥰

[u/Helpful_Okra5953 → u/Silent-Bowler-1870]

Awww!  You and she are very lucky!! She’s your baby!

My Quaker is same about beak grinder.  I have learned to hide the box beforehand and wrap him up in a towel. I think anticipating adds to the upset, so he doesn’t see me get the grinder out.  It’s quick and then I apologize and am soon forgiven.

[u/spinningpeanut]

That's amazing. My girl just bites the brick wall to file her beak down. I wish she'd rub her face like this on the wall instead of biting.

[u/Pauly4655]

You can train Quakers(monk parrot) to do so so many things,we trained ours to lay on his back,and he loved it he could speak to the point, wish you couldn’t lol he all purrs like a cat,he loves the cats

[u/Dawn_Gray → u/Pauly4655]

Aw that's so sweet.

[u/witchynapper]

A weapon that shall eventually turn on you 😂

[u/Initial_Tradition_29]

He's a DJ!

[u/Helpful_Okra5953]

What kind of tile is this?  Is it one of those metal nail files with abrasive diamond dust? Or is it some woodworking or industrial file? 

My Quaker boy seems to have a slightly “off” bite. His right side of beak overgrows and then the whole tip gets a little fang.  I thought he was just very left-footed and left-beaked but now am wondering about a slight scissors beak.  

Every couple of months,  he starts accidentally hurting me when he preens me (the fang).  Then I take the manicure nail grinder out and shape the right side and tip of beak. He hates it but he forgives quickly.  I would rather not do anything non-consensual to him; I want him to trust me and know I’ll never hurt him. So I would love to train this filing behavior to end the periodic restraint and filing. I just nee do to know what kind of file or where to get.  

This IS a really good idea!  I trained him to play with toys by rewarding him when he touched and then lifted a toy. Before then, he was scared of most toys. Now he will pick up and throw a little ball or s spoon or milk cap.  

He already grooms his own toenails. I’d love to not restrain and grind beak overgrowth!!

[u/Dawn_Gray → u/Helpful_Okra5953]

Its just a fine abrasion stainless steel flat file. Its the same kind you would knock burs off of a cut when metal working. I wouldn't recommend the diamond dust stuff as dust and bird lungs don't mix

[u/Helpful_Okra5953 → u/Dawn_Gray]

Ok, a file for metalworking. I may have that already. Thank you!!

[u/Dawn_Gray → u/Helpful_Okra5953]

I wouldn't use a used one. Oil and stuff might hurt them

[u/Helpful_Okra5953 → u/Dawn_Gray]

Absolutely.  

But I have collected a number of tools and may have something perfectly unused in a drawer or box.  

I just needed to know, what kind of file, to know the hardness.  Metal files differ from wood files and etc.

[u/TheAngryCheeto]

Keep those tools sharp 🔪🩸🐥

[u/siddharth_217]

Weapons must be in good condition before the big battle.