Rock n... Roll?
Dr. Kiyanna was grateful for how smart Hawaiian crows were, but sometimes she really wondered just how smart this particular crow was. The goal had been to teach the crows how to roll over, as it would be fun enrichment and allow the vet to check their undersides without stressing them out. Uhane had picked up tricks rather quickly, but Ikaiki? The little menace seemed to be doing everything but what she asked. She circled her finger around, indicating the motion she wanted. “Roll.”
The bird instead reached his foot out, unsure as he flexed his toes. His eyes seemed puzzled, as if he was picking up on her frustration. Kayenna let out a breath and shook her head. “No… that’s ‘shake’. I asked you to ‘roll’.”
Out of her periphery, she caught Uhane rolling onto her back, then lifting her head to peer at the veterinarian over her feathery belly. Kiyanna sighed again and forced a smile, passing the crow a pistachio. A high value treat for listening. “Good girl, Uhane! That’s a good 'roll’!”
A sharp pinch on her arm made her yelp and she turned her head to look at the source. Seems she wasn’t the only one getting annoyed. Ikaiki had bit her, no doubt in toddler-like frustration at his mate getting the treat and he didn’t. She tapped his beak with a frown. “Bad, Ikaiki! No bite!”
The bird squawked at her, recoiling from the touch. It hadn’t been a hard tap to the beak, but he always was dramatic - it usually got a laugh out of staff, but today it was just annoying. Kiyanna circled her finger again. “You know what you have to do, little guy. Roll.”
Ikaiki stared at her finger, before reaching out and nibbling it gently. He then sat down, staring up at her, as if asking if that was what she wanted. Kiyanna shook her head in the negative. He was getting closer and closer, but always seemed to just miss the point of this exercise. Carefully, Kayenna reached over and cupped him between her palms, tilting him back and to the side.”See? Roll.”
Ikaiki stared up at her like he had no idea she was doing, his little feet sticking up in the air and his back to the table. “Good job! Good boy!”
Now if she could just get him to repeat the task, then they’d really be making progress. Still, she offered him a pistachio half. She waited for him to get on his feet and eat the nut before she focused on him again. She rotated her finger again. “OK, roll!”
It was clumsy, but the bird finally did it and Kiyanna was so happy at the progress. “Good boy! Oh, thank god… that’s such a good boy!”
She gave both parrots some more of the treats as a reward for their hard work. “Good job!”
