# Separating birds for training purposes



## popems (Nov 22, 2010)

Hello Everyone,

I have been working on getting my birds to be more hand friendly. Oscar will eat off my fingertips and the back of my hand, but the palm is still a little too scary for him. Sometimes when I am working with Oscar, Molly will get angry at him or possessive. Either way she gets aggressive and chases him away from my hand. Oscar is not trained to step up yet, I was wondering if anyone has a good trick for separating the two. How can I get Oscar into another room to do some individual training? I appreciate any thoughts or ideas on the subject.
Thanks!


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

Do you have someone who can distract and play with Molly while you take Oscar out of the room? At least until you've got him in the other room? She may flock call for him but at least you got him there in one piece.


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## popems (Nov 22, 2010)

I can distract Molly, but how would you recommend taking Oscar out of the room. When I try to do trust building exercises Molly will peck at Oscar and chase him from my hand. This is why I want to separate the two. I am pretty sure that Oscar could learn more if he is given the chance.


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

Can you pick him up? Or would leaving Molly in the cage and removing the cage from the room be easier? Like setting the cage with her in it in another room while you work with Oscar then bring her back in when you're done.


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## popems (Nov 22, 2010)

Oscar is the most trusting of the pair; he will take seeds from my fingertips, and sometimes the back of my hand. Molly will gulp millet from the far end of the stick.
He won't bite or struggle much if I use a cloth to move him, but I try to do that as rarely as possible. It would be easy to transport him that way, but I don't think it would create the best atmosphere for learning and building trust. I have tried a perch from inside their cage as a step up tool and but they are still frightened. Due to Molly's mistrust for me, it seems that separating the two in order to work with them is the only way to make progress, I just don't want to force it.


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## lordsnipe (Nov 11, 2010)

you might need to separate them into separate cages so you can easily move them when required...?


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

Or have a traveling cage you can put Oscar in to move him from one room to the other to work with him. Either way, when training you're supposed to take away all distractions meaning the cage, the other birds, and any noises that might distract them.


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