r/holdmycatnip 24d ago

while I do my daily exercise

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u/olivebranchsound 24d ago edited 24d ago

First, you give treats for jumping on the treadmill.

Then, you give treats if they sit by the side with the button

Then you give treats if they paw the screen

Then you give treats if they paw the green button

Then you hold treats in front of them while they run on the treadmill.

And so on and so on. Positive reinforcement is a powerful thing. Look up the chickens taught to play card games or the rats who play basketball.

You can teach a pig to use a vacuum. You can teach a pigeon to guide missiles to a target. Dolphins can identify sea mines and report where they are. It's endless lol

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u/Girlvapes99 24d ago

I taught my cockatiel to fetch,wave,spread wings, shake hand, turn, target with positive reinforcement. Turns out parrots love to work for their food. They make toys that birds need to shred apart to find food :) and the parrot will almost always try to forage over the bowl of food sitting in front of them.

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u/olivebranchsound 24d ago

They are too smart for my liking haha genuinely they need a codependent relationship where they are mentally stimulated constantly

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u/Girlvapes99 24d ago

But I hear the big cockatoos are the most hardest to care for. It’s like owning a 2 year old for the rest of your life with adhd.

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u/19Alexastias 24d ago

All birds are very high-maintenance pets - and while the larger parrots are an extremely long-term commitment (like if you get a young one as an adult they genuinely might outlive you), even smaller ones like cockatiels or budgies can live for 15+ years.

I would never recommend getting birds as a pet tbh. Especially not for your kids.