Stepping down/off

[palmetto941]

I seem to be having the opposite problem that most have.....I can't get the birdies to step down/off..... I've tried using the wall to force them in my reach....I've tried having them step up and using the other hand to stop the shoulder run..... but they are winning .....they can run and hop faster than I can.....what to do????

 

[MomtoPercy]

Percy is also very quick about trotting up to the shoulder but when he's not "being naughty up there" [nibbling my ear or face or trying to chew my glasses or earrings (small hoops)], I just leave him. However, sometimes he is very reluctant to come down and my son discovered this technique -

He goes to his bed (or a couch, anything soft and low it seems works) and leans down so that the elbow under the shoulder Percy is perched on, touches the bed (or couch or whatever). Percy then hangs onto the shoulder with his beak and very nicely puts his footies down on the bed and then steps up (and doesn't run back up usually) very nicely. I have no idea why this works with Percy but it does - everytime.

 

[Betrisher]

We did the opposite with the Beaks, LOL! We would bend double, head tucked down and arm raised so the Beak had no choice but to walk back up to the forearm and then the hand again. It made for some rather hilarious poses, but it worked. The Beaks rarely go to my shoulder nowadays. Whatever you do, you must do it every single time so the bird gets the message that it's never OK to sit on shoulders.

Madge had been a problem because once she got on a shoulder she liked to stay there and sort of snuggle into my neck. If I tried to remove her, she would bite hard! I had to use a short stick and reward her each time she stepped up for me from my shoulder. Thing is, I still have to use the stick if Madge gets to my shoulder and doesn't want to come down: she's a stubborn little Beakie, is our Madge.

 

[MikeyTN]

If you hold perch on the opposite end of your hand where you want them to step up onto hands they will step up readily. Or have them step up onto the perch. It works either way!

 

[Jayyj]

Alice will always step off my shoulder on to the drawbridge bit of her cage, which is perfect shoulder height for me. As long as she's not there because she's stressed and trying to hide she'll also happily come back down if I use her target stick as a lure. As a last resort, I've been known to simply take off my shirt with the confused bird still attached - but it rarely comes to that!