Getting impatient

[Oliver17]

As you all know Oliver is adopted, We love him to death. I have him eating treats from my hand, we do it three times a day. He runs to his position, but he won't come out of his cage and he won't step up at all.
What's a girl to do?
Thanks in advance

 

[Oliver17]

Oh it's been 4 weeks, but whose counting

 

[jm0]

I don't get it.

What are you getting impatient with? You can hand feed him, it took me 4-5 months to get my bird to take treats from my hand. Now he comes flying whenever i call, and i do training with him every day, it's amazing how fast he's been developing ever since he learned to trust my hands. It takes time, hang in there. Be patient, not impatient

 

[Kiwibird]

It took over a year before I was getting my BFA stepping up consistently without biting or having to wear a glove. Have patience and commit to working at his pace, not yours! Some parrots just take more time than others to learn to trust, especially one who's older and might not have always been treated kindly in the past.

 

[wrench13]

Start givig treats at the cage door. Then after X amount of time, put your finger between the cage door and the treat. All four fingers together, thumb tucked in. The idea is to coax him to step up onto your fingers/hand. Be consistent in using the same command, don't rush him. Lots of verbal praise too , when he does it.

 

[Oliver17]

What is the surfer stands? Straight back, wings to the side?

 

[clark_conure]

I want attention! usually....come over here i'm in distresses about something, or nothing at all, come pay attention to me.

 

[chris-md]

That’s total ekkie for “PAY ME ATTENTION”. He’s coming out of his shell. Great opportunity for you push progress forward.

 

[Oliver17]

I hope you all don't think I'm an idiot, so it's been three months almost 4. Oliver has his Dailey routine down, when I feed him when we spend time together. For the most part seems to enjoy it, but the spending time together is me hand feeding him treats. I can again touch his beak, and I try everyday to have him step up, I repeat the command as I hand him a treat. I get as far as touching his breast bone feathers with my fingers in a downward motion and if I say the step up with a little pressure is takes off and leaves. This all while I sit on the floor in front of the cage and he comes down to great me.
What am I doing wrong?

I volunteer at a bird shelter, and interact with all birds all sizes.

Oliver still doesn't play with his toys, I read an article from this forum that they can be playful, people mis understand them as boring and unhappy. That they like to climb and enjoy being with you, I'm not looking for a Velcro bird. I want for Oliver to be the best owner for him.

I'm a little frustrated, raising kids didn't come with a guide book but birds do, at this point I would prefer going back to raising kids. ( don't tell anybody I said that)

Thanks for letting me vent, Have great day��

 

[chris-md]

You’d benefit from target training. Targeting is a great way to bridge his fear to get him up.

Also keep in mind, don’t know what your training sessions look like, but be careful not to repeat the command “step up” too frequently. When done wrong, the command isn’t “step up!”, it’s “step up!...step up!”

Have you also tried to pick up his toes?

 

[Oliver17]

Thank you and what do you mean pick up his toes? I see target training all the time I have watched you tube videos, but it seems like they are out of the cage, on a training perch.
Thank you

 

[chris-md]

Exactly. You need to get him out of his cage.

It can be done in cage as well. But I’d rather you actually get him out. He’s spent enough time in cage.

 

[Oliver17]

It appears to me that target training starts on a perch outside the cage, if I can't get him out without force, how do I start that.
Also what do you mean by "pick up his toes"?

Thank you for your help

 

[itzjbean]

Agreed with the post above, target training could help you. Also, have you tried offering him a stick to step up onto? Sometimes birds don't step up on hands/arms but will on a stick. You can raise it under his body so that to get to the treat he has to step up onto it.

 

[itzjbean]

Also what do you mean by "pick up his toes"?

Thank you for your help

Basically trying to make him have no other choice but to step up onto you. Bring your fingers undernearth his feet and lift him up so he is forced up off the perch he is sitting on. It may or may not work, but you could give it a shot.

 

[Oliver17]

Thank you both I will give it my best shot, he seems more agreeable in the afternoon. I have tried the stick once before and he ran and climbed away, that was when we went to the vet.

 

[LordTriggs]

try holding the treat just out of his reach and what I did was use one of the perches from the cage, just took it off and held it so it was a familiar object. Took a while holding both treat and stick but eventually they should just hop on up and immediately get the treat

 

[chris-md]

Target training can be done in cage. I’d at least prefer you let him at least try to crawl on top of the cage when you try it.

 

[Oliver17]

First attempt didn't go as planned. I held the treat just outside of his reach, put my fingers in a salute style and push on his breast ( just under). He left and I tried to get him while on his Pearch the same thing happened he left and ran for the side on the cage. Trying bite warn me but not actually biting. I then tried the behind approach, which is what the vet did at his appt. and he screamed and did the surfer pose. I told him a stern no. I sat once again at the bottom of the cage and he came down and I gave him a treat and talk to him.

I don't want to lose any trust I have built so far, am I wimping out? Should I force the step up? I don't want a cage aggressive bird. When he lost his balance at one point he looked at me like it was my fault.

He runs from a pearch, he loses his balance, ( vet said because of missing toes) so we have the rope perches. That's mt next step is getting one of those but they seem so bulky while holding a treat.

Wish me luck, thanks for all your suggestions, have a wonderful sunny day

 

[LordTriggs]

don't chase him round the cage. That's giving him the wrong message. If he isn't leaning out for that treat then it's not the right treat for him. When I say it may take a while waiting in that position I'm talking upwards of an hour. Right now, your hands could very well mean death in his eyes. remember patience this very well could be a process you have to do every day for over a week before you see improvement. You have literally the rest of your life with this bird, work at his pace, if he isn't ready then he isn't ready. He's in the pilot seat on this

going from behind honestly sounds like the worst idea, you ever had a fellow human poke you from behind without your knowing they're there? Scary to say the least