After the first of this year, Lea observed that for the first time since CPR began, there were no African Greys in the program. (She dared to say this out loud!) Immediately the phone started ringing and emails poured in. Since then, we have taken in SEVEN African Greys -- six Congos and one Timneh. All have been emergency situations of some type. There is also another Timneh on the waiting list that will join us soon.

Thankfully adoptions have been strong and we have had the space to take on more than our normal capacity. Plus, we've added some new quarantine homes, enabling us to cope with emergency relinquishments. Thank you to all our quarantine homes -- we couldn't have helped all of these birds without you!

Since things are so "Grey" at Parrot University these days, we are featuring all African Greys in this month's 'Feathered Forum'. PLEASE know that we have MANY deserving parrots of other species available. And Amazons appear to be the next species that will rain on us -- did I actually say that out loud? And Macaws...well, you get the picture.

So please, read on about all the wonderful Greys at CPR. You can get additional information on our website, about these birds and the rest of the gang.

Come meet the "Brain Trust!"

I frequently hear people say their parrot "isn't food motivated." By definition ALL living beings must be food motivated, or we'd all starve to death. Dr. Susan Friedman, of Utah State University, says if an animal is not performing a behavior, it's because the reinforcer is not of value to that particular animal.

Let's think about this -- what's your favorite thing to eat? One of my very favorite foods is cheesecake. When I eat cheesecake, I want it to be the very best cheesecake I can find and I might only eat it a couple of times a year. Why? Because it's really special when I do let myself splurge. If I ate cheesecake every day it wouldn't be so special.

Then imagine someone offering me cooked cauliflower as a reward for good behavior. Not only do I hate the taste of it, but I also loathe the smell and texture. Cooked cauliflower will not encourage me to do anything other than gag!

So when we think about choosing the reinforcers for training, we have to think about them from the parrot's perspective -- not ours. We don't get to pick what will be reinforcing to the bird. Some birds will work for almonds, while others prefer walnuts. On rare occasions I might use a miniscule amount of yogurt (keeping in mind that birds don't tolerate a large amount of dairy) or little bites of an apple or maybe even a bit of peanut butter. Some parrots might prefer a head skritch, or being offered a favorite toy. One African Grey I know works for conversation!

The point is that you have to work to identify a reinforcer for each individual animal. If it's a food item, then you have to save that for training sessions. Almonds only appear if you're working with the bird, for example, not as a daily addition to their food bowl. They are special and of value because they are not readily available at all times.

The other thing for you to consider is the size of the reinforcer. Walking from one side of a perch to the other shouldn't be too hard for the bird and they might be content with a little piece of walnut. But if I want to teach a bird to do a forward flip on a perch, I might want to give a larger reinforcer to make it worthwhile. That's hard work which deserves a big payoff! Do keep in mind, however, that the larger the quantity the fewer repetitions you'll get when training. You can always train for several short sessions each day to overcome this.

One more thing to keep in mind is the old saying that variety is the spice of life. You can put this into action by changing the reinforcer to make it novel to the trainee. As long as the animal is willing to work for the item it is reinforcing to them.

So, what items will be on your list of reinforcers now?

Train away!

Want to learn more? Reserve your seat now for the next free, Positive Reinforcement Training Class on Sunday, April 15 at 2 pm at Parrot University.

Poe & Gipper

Things have been especially busy on the weekends at Parrot University this spring. This is a really good thing -- we need a healthy Parrot U to house the CPR birds. But it also means lots of people in the store, looking at birds and asking questions.

If you might be interested in volunteering on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon -- helping to make sure that the birds have plenty of supervision, answering questions or talking to potential adopters -- please let me know. We would like to have at least one person on hand each weekend afternoon. The only requirement is that you have taken Parrot 101. We will also have an updated information booklet on current residents as a resource for you to use.

Here are some upcoming events where CPR will have a presence. Please stop by if you're nearby. Also let us know if you might be able to assist at any of the events.

• April 28: Sam's Club Pet Month, promoting local adoption, at the Sam's Club in Pineville, behind Carolina Place Mall, 10 am-2 pm. Joining us will be Gold Coast Greyhound Adoption NC/SC.
• April 19: Founders' Hall, downtown Charlotte, adoption event sponsored by AARF, an organization of Bank of America employees, 11:30 am -1:30 pm.
• April 22: Omni Montessori School Spring Fair, Ballantyne, 2-4 pm.
• April 26: Good Samaritan United Methodist Church Pet Fair, Lake Wylie, 11 am - 3 pm.

Please contact me at volunteer@companionparrots.org if you want to help in any way, and let me know about the weekend help, too. Thank you!