Help teaching young budgie to step up

[Ronan265]

I recently got a 6 week old adorable budgie named Boe, he settled in great and is very comfortable with my presence. I am trying to teach him to step up but he really isn't intrested. I have watched all the videos on how to teach them but he will only try eating the millet if it is directly in his face, like within a cm. He does eat quite a lot from his food bowl so I don't know if it is because he isn't hungry or what (he is currently on a seed diet as that is what the breeder used, I have been offering him fruits and vegetables and will slowly switch him to pellets later). Even just putting the millet 10cm away from him where all he has to do is walk over doesn't work, not because he doesn't trust me, just because he doesn't care.

 

[wrench13]

Budgies are notoriously hand shy for one thing, so maybe try to have him step up to a perch will be more productive. Also, if millet is a part of his daily diet, using it as a training tool is not going to be so productive. Try several other treat type foods to figure out his favorite one and use that. Some suggestions are SMALL pieces of: pine nuts, sunflower seed kernels, almonds, walnuts. Tiny pieces as all these are oily fatty seeds.
A good way to determine which one is his fav is to lay out a small pile of each of them on a plate or flat surface, all at once, and note which one he goes for first, every time. That one becomes your training tool and is offered only during training sessions. Keep training sessions short, like 5 minutes or less at first.
Be consistent - ask for the action or trick the same way, every time, so you dont confuse the bird
Be immediate - have the treat ready and reward immediately when there is ANY progress, however small. It may only a raised foot at first, but that is progress.
Be patient - parrots are stubborn creatures and accept change slowly, with some individuals being much more stubborn than others. Be prepared for 1 step forwrd and 2 steps back sometimes.

 

[Ronan265]

Budgies are notoriously hand shy for one thing, so maybe try to have him step up to a perch will be more productive. Also, if millet is a part of his daily diet, using it as a training tool is not going to be so productive. Try several other treat type foods to figure out his favorite one and use that. Some suggestions are SMALL pieces of: pine nuts, sunflower seed kernels, almonds, walnuts. Tiny pieces as all these are oily fatty seeds.
A good way to determine which one is his fav is to lay out a small pile of each of them on a plate or flat surface, all at once, and note which one he goes for first, every time. That one becomes your training tool and is offered only during training sessions. Keep training sessions short, like 5 minutes or less at first.
Be consistent - ask for the action or trick the same way, every time, so you dont confuse the bird
Be immediate - have the treat ready and reward immediately when there is ANY progress, however small. It may only a raised foot at first, but that is progress.
Be patient - parrots are stubborn creatures and accept change slowly, with some individuals being much more stubborn than others. Be prepared for 1 step forwrd and 2 steps back sometimes.

Thank you, I have been having training sessions every couple hours with him and he steps up every time when the treat is in sight (I ended up sticking with millet as he has started to enjoy it more) and his starting to step up without the treat in sight, he is quite a quick little learner