# Baby trying to steal my food and drink my coffee. How do i teach him not to?



## Sebastior (Jul 29, 2013)

Whenever i eat, Baby tries to fly up onto the plate/bowl to eat, so i usually put some of it aside on the table for him to eat if i know it's okay for him, but then he just stops eating that bit and tries to get up on my plate instead. I have emetophobia (phobia of feeling sick/throwing up) so it makes me really really anxious when he does that.
Same when i have a drink from a glass, especially coffee, i don't want him to try coffee though, but i'd really appreciate it if he'd stop trying to fly onto the glass, idk how much coffee i've wasted these last couple of days.
I tell him 'No!' in a harsh tone and put him back on the desk or a toy, doesn't seem very effective.
I have a clicker, but i haven't really used it yet, idk if that might be a useful tool in this case?

While i'm at it here, i like to drink red tea with freshly grated ginger in it, some honey and a drop of milk, if i leave a bit of this for him, would that be safe? Red tea has no caffeine in it, has anti-oxidants and stuff, it's quite beneficial for humans, idk about birds though.


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

I don't know about the tea but if you don't want him to fly into it, don't drink it when he's out of his cage. Or put a top on it. Like a travel coffee mug. You have a permanent two year old on your hands, this isn't like a dog where you can teach to not do things. Birds do not understand that. And just sticking him back on a perch wont teach him anything either, putting him back in his cage might. If he wont accept the food on the place, try feeding him pieces by hand while eating your food as well. He may not realize that what you're offering on the plate is exactly the same as what you're eating.


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## caterpillar (Oct 14, 2013)

roxy culver said:


> I don't know about the tea but if you don't want him to fly into it, don't drink it when he's out of his cage. Or put a top on it. Like a travel coffee mug. You have a permanent two year old on your hands, this isn't like a dog where you can teach to not do things. Birds do not understand that. And just sticking him back on a perch wont teach him anything either, putting him back in his cage might. If he wont accept the food on the place, try feeding him pieces by hand while eating your food as well. He may not realize that what you're offering on the plate is exactly the same as what you're eating.


Agree with all this. Some birds seem to treat it as flock behavior when the human in the household is eating or drinking and that they need to be part of it as well. There are some tiels who seem to be surprisingly trainable judging by what I've read here (responding to voice commands, etc.), but the thing I've learned the most is that you have no way of knowing whether an individual bird is trainable at all. Ours really are not. Yours may not be either.

I know some people think it's cute to share meals with their birds but we do not think it's sanitary so we do not allow the birds in the room while we are eating...after my BF got his first tiel he had to throw away an entire dinner because the bird flew into it and landed in it, and he was so broke at the time that he didn't want to risk having to waste food again. Lesson learned


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## SoCalTiels (Oct 8, 2013)

Mango is pro at this. If I am eating anything, anywhere, she finds me and all of a sudden I'm taking a feather duster to the face. She likes to go after anything my dad is eating too. Landed full on in his spaghetti once. We keep removing her, and putting her back in a neutral zone any time she does it. But Roxy is right, its like having a permanent two year old who doesn't quite understand the word 'no'. I definitely just recommend not eating or drinking without lids in front of them if you can, or if the repeated attempts don't bother you, just keep removing them from the situation. It'd be interesting to see if clicker training could be applied here? I don't know enough about it to be sure.


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## caterpillar (Oct 14, 2013)

SoCalTiels said:


> Mango is pro at this. If I am eating anything, anywhere, she finds me and all of a sudden I'm taking a feather duster to the face. She likes to go after anything my dad is eating too. Landed full on in his spaghetti once. We keep removing her, and putting her back in a neutral zone any time she does it. But Roxy is right, its like having a permanent two year old who doesn't quite understand the word 'no'. I definitely just recommend not eating or drinking without lids in front of them if you can, or if the repeated attempts don't bother you, just keep removing them from the situation. It'd be interesting to see if clicker training could be applied here? I don't know enough about it to be sure.


I have friends who have this problem with their dogs or cats. No matter what, whenever there is food out, the pets think it's for them and just can't be taught otherwise. Thankfully, our Kitty thinks human food is disgusting and has no idea why we eat it


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## Sebastior (Jul 29, 2013)

I've had to waste a few meals too and i'm broke, he's stopped flying up to the plate, i just put down a piece, when he's tired of that and i notice he's about to take off, i give him another piece, problem is mainly with coffee now, if i use a glass he gets so interested in it.


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