Trouble in training paradise

olivierr1

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May 22, 2020
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So I've slowly been training and taming my buddy ringneck.

He used to be abnormally scared of hands but he now enjoys a treat straight from my hand, howeeeever.
He is more interested in my hand than whatever treat I have.

I can do target training with a long stick and millet, but when I slowly shorten the stick he'll walk past the stick and nibble my finger or hand.

I've tried a lot of things but my fingers just look too damn good apparently.

He doesn't bite me in an aggressive way or intention of hurting, I can tell that much. The bites don't exactly hurt.

It just makes training step-up etc a lot harder since he'll ignore the treat and feed on me instead..

Has anyone had similar behavior?

He seems more finger motivated atm than food motivated
 
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olivierr1

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May 22, 2020
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Thing is, he'll walk up from the other side of the cage just to taste my finger? I'm not forcing him or anything
 

fiddlejen

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My suggestion: doN't shorten the stick. Stick in one hand. Fingers of other hand curled up away from him. So presenting him with back & edge of your hand, to be treated as just another type of perch to step onto. With those oh-so-tempting fingers tucked away out of sight, while you use the stick to lure him onto that perch-aka-your-hand.

(*ps I am no good at training myself, so my suggestion needs lots of grains of salt!)
 

wrench13

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Jen is exactly right, thumb curled into palm, fingers curled under, and present the thumb to first index finger knuckle part of the hand ( fingers away from him). Step up is the one absolutely needed trick to teach your parrot first, and it should almmost become a reflex, becasue some day you may need to remove him from the cage, room or house one day, and you dont want to waste time chasing or trying cajole him an emergency. Patience is the word of the day.
 

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