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Pocket training?

6K views 11 replies 6 participants last post by  Rubydoo252 
#1 ·
I'm hoping somebody will be able to give me some tips or ideas about how I might go about training Miss Pudge to
1. Go into my pocket on her own
2. Get comfortable riding around in my pocket and maybe even enjoy it

Hopefully there will be a person or two who has had some personal success with this.

She's a snuggler, loves scritches and neck rubs, likes to nestle in my long hair, and even likes to lay down on one hand or my chest or somewhere, with my other hand cupped over top of her body - I'm not sure if she likes the security of that or if it's more for the warmth. This makes me feel like it should be somewhat easy to get her to enjoy riding in my pocket, if I could just get her used to the idea of going into it to begin with. But she's never been one to go into tents or caves or tissue boxes or really any enclosed space (except for the couple of times she worked her way under my blankets from the foot of the bed, all the way up between my legs and tried to nestle in my jammies while I slept - she's lucky I'm a light sleeper!). She does have a good amount of trust in me though, so I'm hoping to be able to adapt her to a shirt or jacket pocket.
 
#2 ·
Hi Bean Dip!
Before I say anything else, I must say Please Please never sleep when you have Pudge out, or on you.
I've not even been on this forum for too long and i have already seen several birds die tragically because their well intended Parront thought they could stay awake or did not realize the danger. I do not want to see anyone else face this. Just make it a no-exceptions kind of rule.

On to pockets:
I would love to have a bird that would sit in my pocket. Only one of My little girl, Lilly, is into the "pocket" kind of thing. Since I got her as a baby she enjoys squeezing herself into little spaces, and I can fold up the bottom of my t shirt or hold her in a cloth napkin or a pocket and she chews it and makes the cutest noises. I just put her in there and if she's not biting I cup my hand over her and she just calms down. Either that or she squirms to get out. I don't try to force her. I don't know if you can train them, my other birds just flat out hate it.
Remember that you also want to be careful not to encourage egg laying by allowing to much "nesting" behavior and avoid touching her below the neck.
 
#6 ·
Hi Bean Dip!
Before I say anything else, I must say Please Please never sleep when you have Pudge out, or on you.
I've not even been on this forum for too long and i have already seen several birds die tragically because their well intended Parront thought they could stay awake or did not realize the danger. I do not want to see anyone else face this. Just make it a no-exceptions kind of rule.
Ummm, yeah. What's even worse than sleeping with your p'let out? I'll tell you... lol. I'm embarrassed to admit this and it makes me feel like a completely inept parront, but maybe that's exactly why it should be said. You never know who might benefit in the future from our past mistakes.

The first time it happened, when Pudgie climbed up under my covers, I thought my husband had let her out and I started questioning his memory. The second time it happened, my husband wasn't even home so I started questioning my own memory. It wasn't until quite a while after the second incident that I discovered that my cat was letting her out. (Don't worry, the issue has since been resolved.)

I have a really bad habit of spending so much time focusing on the little details of things that I often miss the bigger picture. I can't count the number of times I've said or felt "Phew! That was lucky!!". Parrotlets have such big and fierce personalities that it can be easy to forget just how delicate they really are.

As for the pockets, the main reason I'd like to train her to go into a pocket is because I was reading something about some people doing that in case of emergency, when they might have only seconds to get out of the house and don't have time to grab a travel cage or whatever. I worry about that constantly in this old building where I live. It sounds like a good idea in theory, just to have as a back-up plan. But really I don't know if it would be realistic in an actual emergency situation.
 
#3 ·
Many years ago my mother had a grey-cheeked parakeet that loved to hang in pockets. She used special treats the little fellow loved to entice him into exploring pockets, and after a while he just took to snuggling in pockets, poking his head out to see what was happening. I'd guess this might be possible for a parrotlet, but likely it depends upon the personality of the individual bird. It was really cute to see her bird, "Chatters," peeking out of her pocket...he was a very cool little birdie and quite affectionate. :)
 
#4 ·
I had a lovie who would love to run through the large pocket of my hoodie. I would wigle my fingers from one side and she would run through to the other side.

I dont know if that would help but maybe it would be a start.
 
#5 ·
:eek::eek:

I agree with Mrs. JP3+++++ Never lie anywhere comfortable with a loose parrotlet or any bird for that matter. Suffocation is silent and cruel. You will fall asleep and your wondering birdie will look for the warmest spot. A light sleeper will not feel or hear a sneaky p'lett.

As far as pockets go, be careful if you have a small bird in your pocket. If you reach for something and your body is leaning against something ( where the pocket is located ), you could harm or kill your little one. My wife's brother had a hamster in his shirt pocket and crushed it to death when he reached for something hard to get to.

Please be careful.;)
 
#7 ·
Oh my that story sends shivers down my spine!! Little miss Pudge is lucky! Oh please do be careful. It just breaks my heart to hear about any little forum friends passing. It may sound silly, but I truely remember each persons Birds and all their stories.

A saw a post somewhere about a very cool emergency set up.
It involved a pillowcase and a travel carrier near the cage so she could quickly grab the bird in the pillow case and then put it into the carrier. She had several so time was very important.

I would like to do something similar, especially having 4, I should have a plan. One bird would be fairly easy, just get a small carrier keep it next to the cage with a zip lock of some food and a bottle of water in it.
 
#8 ·
It may sound silly, but I truely remember each persons Birds and all their stories.
It's not silly at all. It just shows how big of a heart you have!

Yes, so many times we have emergency plans for us, in case of fire or natural disaster or whatever. But I really don't know too many people who have an actual realistic plan and a "go-bag" for their pets. It breaks my heart when I hear stories about people having to leave their pets behind in such situations. I pray I never find myself in that situation, but it's time I get prepared for a just-in-case situation.
 
#9 ·
I had a dog once that liked to let birds out of their cages, then he'd just lay down and watch them fly around the room. He had no intention of hurting them, just loved to watch them fly. The thought of a cat doing this, though, now that's a terrifying thought. Bird are on the menu! Goodness! :eek:
 
#12 ·
I've heard that cat saliva is poisonous for birds, so be very careful.

I used to put my cockatiel under my shirt whenever she freaked out, and it got her to safety very quickly. I've done it with Tumi as well. If the thought is "what do I do if I only have seconds," then you don't need to do anything more exotic than sticking the bird under your shirt. A pillowcase would be helpful as well, as that would be something you could prevent escape from. My cockatiel would stay underneath my shirt, seeking the comfort of being feathers to skin and away from the scary Insert-Random-Bird-Fear-Here, but Tumi is much braver and he starts climbing out right away.
 
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