step up trained bird biting me when i give the command

[Chihuahua]

crossposting from fb...orion was trained to step up by his previous owner but with.me he randomly decided that if i put.my hand in front of him and say step up he will bite me... this is after stepping up successfully several times. i have been doing target training but half the time he just tries to shred the target instead of gently touching it... tips? he has a vet visit on thursday nd at this point i have no idea how i will get him into the travel cage. i have tried googling but everything talks about scared birds... he is not afraid, he wants to be near me and requests head scratches quite a bit.

 

[Rockford]

Just pick him up and put him in the travel cage.
I'm not saying that you shouldn't try a more pleasant way. What I'm saying is that when the time comes and he doesn't want to cooperate, just pick him up and don't worry about it.

 

[Chihuahua]

Can't that ruin my relationship with him?

 

[eatemijw1998]

Can't that ruin my relationship with him?

Yessss they loose trust in u if u just read and grab them ...if they aren't operating with u just get a perch and get them to step up on that 😊😄

 

[Chihuahua]

i have tried that he will also bite the perch... got him to step up today but he really does it on hos terms... working on that

 

[faeryphoebe1]

It's probably too much, too soon?
Did he just come home with you yesterday?

It takes time to build trust. Lots of patience helps. Sitting in a chair next to his cage and quietly reading or leaving the cage door open and letting him come out on HIS terms over the next several weeks or months will help.

Right now, it may be a good idea to take a step back from the training.

He's in a new home with new smells and with a complete stranger.
His whole world has been turned upside down.
It would be a lot for anyone to process, but especially a prey animal.

Offer millet between the cage bars and also as a treat for behaviors that you wish to reinforce.
Make certain that he can always see you approaching his cage from afar.
No sudden, quick moves. Keep your hands visible to him at all times and try not to move them directly over his head.
Instead of staring directly at him, glance at him with your head turned to one side and blink frequently.

In regard to the upcoming vet visit, the above posters gave some good advice. Just towel him and place him in the travel cage if he won't go in willingly.

Toweling him is not something you want to do often, except in a special circumstance like this where he needs to get to the vet and you've not had the proper time to build trust.

Suns are fantastic companions. Best of luck!

 

[Rockford]

Can't that ruin my relationship with him?

No, it will not "ruin" your relationship. At worst, it sets it back for a short while.
What's more important, his health or what he thinks of you?
When you have to take him to the vet and he won't cooperate, it's all you can do. And worrying about it is useless.

 

[Chihuahua]

thanks for the advice. he was pretty easy today. he really wants to be around me a lot and calls when i leave. he actually likes when i put my hand over his head more than under, he will put his head down and lean into me for scratches. pretty unusual. i will probably be able to get him into the carrier by thursday.

 

[Chihuahua]

he is now stepping up if he is anywhere but my shoulder.. still screaming/biting if he is on my shoulder and i ask him to step up. i realized he is not biting hard enough to injure me so i stopped flinching at least. he will not step on a stick no matter where he is, just attacks it.

 

[faeryphoebe1]

He sounds adorable!

 

[gracebowen]

Is he biting or beaking?

 

[Chihuahua]

he was outright biting, i don't mind when he beaks me to step up. he is doing a LOT better now, just getting him off my shoulder is the challenge now. i might have to ban him from shoulder rides for a while.

 

[Flboy]

My JoJo can be a bit moody when he isn't ready to come off my shoulder. What works for us is, I reach up with both hands, fingers together and swoop him up on the back of either hand, lots of praise and distractions! As for stick stepping, try using a safe simple tree branch, wedge it in his cage for a few days until he starts using it. Then start using it for stepping up. Stepping up on a stick could save his life ( oh my, drama queen)!

 

[Shae26]

Bandit will give me attitude if I want him to step up when he's not in the mood, too. I ended up bribing him with apple juice lol. He goes CRAZY for apple juice and will do just about anything for it, and he learned pretty quickly that being a jerk does not get him apple juice.

The best way I found to give it to him during training sessions is to suck some up in a syringe (without a needle obviously) and let him lick the nozzle. He gets a drop of juice that is not too big to fill him up on juice, but also not too small so it keeps him interested.