Hello, got a new CAG and named him Isak, I need some help

Hello everyone,
I just got a 6 months old CAG yesterday from a breeder here in India.
He is a very quiet since yesterday, eats little in daytime and eats in good quantity at night and plays around in the cage up and down sometimes.
He is a little scared as he is new in the house, but he lets me touch his beak and head, but he tries to bite sometimes.
I want to train Isak but I'm not sure when do I start because he just keeps staring if I put my hand/finger in front of him for him to step up inside the cage and does not step up; could you please tell me how do I start and teach him to step up as I want him out of his cage. How long will it take for him to be familiar and when and how do I teach him to step up when he is inside the cage?

Its never too late to start training. You can use food as reward during training. If you know what the favorite treat is, hold it near the bird and put your other hand for the bird to step up. Make sure you use the command to step up.

There is lot of info under the different threads that might help.

Good luck with your new parrot. Try to feed a well rounded diet including pellets and fresh veggies and fruits. If you give seeds, avoid sunflowers and use them as treats for training.

Have a good luck with a new family member. There are lot's of guides for teaching "step up" for example on youtube.
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpLv4l41wWM]Teaching Parrots to Step Up and Down - YouTube[/ame]

You haven't had your grey for very long, so it's fine to give him a few days to settle in to his new surroundings and get comfortable.

As far as training him to step up, well, the two previous posts didn't go over this well. At least, not in the sense of getting a bird to step up that may not know how to step up, or has not gained trust in you yet. I'd like to ask you to first read the following blog by Barbara Heidenreich.

Good Bird Inc Parrot Training Talk: Help! My Parrot Wont Step Up!


After reading it, I want you to pay close attention to the two videos.


Teaching a parrot to step up *does not* have to be a physical step up. It can be as simple as moving from one stable platform to another. If you watch the second video closely, you'll see how Barbara has her fist on the end of a T-Perch that a scarlet macaw is sitting on. You can then see how she is encouraging the scarlet to step closer to her and rewarding him. At first, it's a reward to step closer to her. Another reward to step even closer. He then barely touches her hand and he gets a bit bigger reward. Even when the scarlet put a foot on her hand, then removed it, he still got a big reward!

As you can see, the scarlet isn't being forced to step up, and any move he makes towards stepping up is rewarded.



Now, your goal is to first, find out what your african greys favorite treat is that he's willing to work for. Is it a seed? A nut? A piece of dried fruit? Verbal praise? Receiving scritches on the head?

Once you find the reward, figure out where you want to train from. Is Isak ok with you sticking your hand in the cage? If so, you can rest your hand at a distance from him on his main perch. If he's not ok with this, but he has a swing out door, is he comfortable enough to sit on this perch with the door open? Or maybe he's comfortable on the cage door? Or perhaps it's the cage top?

Where-ever Isak is most comfortable at, put your hand down so it's stable. Then, work on training Isak to come closer to that hand using the other hand as the one to give out treats. The treats should be small and eaten quickly, as you don't want the bird to fill up too quickly.


If you start with positive training, it'll build up to a positive relationship. If you force Isak to step up, you may find yourself in a situation where he refuses to step up out of avoidance and may lead to aggression, so try and keep each interaction with him a positive one.

Welcome to the forum, you know I'm from India too my family is from there. First he should be comfortable with your hand in the cage. You could do that by spending time with him by reading beside his cage, talking to him.. . Then, put a treat in your hand and wait until he comes on. Keep doing it a few times a day till he can comfortabaly and confidently come on your hand. Then slowly and gently push your arm just above his legs to the bottom of the stomach. To help you could be holding a treat just out of reach close to your arm

Thanks a lot for your replies, yes Isak is fine with me putting my hand inside the cage, he now steps up on the perch and on my hand sometimes, i have started target training for now, will train him different things each day.
I just wanted to know what should i feed my parrot everyday as he likes sunflower seeds, i am using them as rewards, what all should i feed him everyday cuz he does not eat apple, he eats corn sometimes, but he does eat pomegranate? And how many times in a day he should be fed and the approximate quantity? he is just 6months old.

If you aren't, or can't, provide a fresh food diet, then he should be on a pellet based diet.

Seeds should be a tiny portion of the diet, with the occasional pieces of mixed nuts (preferably no peanuts), some sprouted seeds, grains, legumes and lots of vegetables. Vegetables will be more important in his diet than fruits will be.