How did you tame your aggressive parrot to step up???

[Beako_N_Kiwi]

I'm just curious if anyone has experience training an aggressive bird to step up on your arm? Hoping to get my wee bit aggressive amazon Kiwi to step up on my arm.

 

[KatherineI]

Try a perch. Many birds are cage aggressive, or simply don't like stepping up on to a person when being removed from their cage, but will do so with a perch. I have used the plain, boring wooden perches that come with many cages (but I don't use in a cage, ever) as the perch to get such a bird to step up.

Also, if you're trying to remove them from the cage, try and get them to come to you rather than reaching in, have them come out onto a ledge, or on to an open door. Reaching in for removal can be seen as a sign of aggression on your part, and can cause defensive behaviors that we interpret as aggressive. We do not remove Loki, we open his door and he either climbs up on to the door, or sits at the bottom of the opening, and get him to step up from there. The only time we reach in his cage is to move things around, and obviously in an emergency we would reach in and grab him, biting or not.

 

[lene1949]

I had an extremely aggressive green cheek conure some years ago... I target trained him... He would viciously bite the stick, I clicked and he got a treat... After a couple of weeks, he would go anywhere I put the stick, and eventually I targeted outside the cage... After that I used the target stick to get him to step up...

He learned lots of tricks in the year I had him, and I still think about him every day...

 

[oled]

Yes treat and time usualy solve the problem

 

[MaraWentz]

Target training

 

[solobaby]

target training to get him out the cage and then i would train on a stand away from his cage

 

[lizardsmells]

Bribery! I held an almond sliver in one hand and told him to step up while presenting him with the other. Also I had to learn not to show fear or uncertainty, even if I was sure I was going to lose my finger!

I still have all my fingers

 

[KatherineI]

Bribery! I held an almond sliver in one hand and told him to step up while presenting him with the other. Also I had to learn not to show fear or uncertainty, even if I was sure I was going to lose my finger!

I still have all my fingers

That's another big part of it, for sure!! Birds, much like dogs, can sense our fear. Dogs smell it, but Birds perceive it. Displaying confidence, even when you are confident at all, can change a situation almost immediately. You shrink back, and they're going to realize that they have the control, not you, and that as long as you're fearful of them, they will never have to do something that they don't want to do.

 

[Beako_N_Kiwi]

When I open her cage door, she will come out on her own or I can get her to come out on a stick no problem. I want to get her to step up on my arm from the cage door, where she often stands. I was thinking about presenting my arm to her with a closed first, showing her an almond or walnut with the other hand in front of the arm I want her to step up on. She seems to be hand aggressive but there are times I walk by her cage and she looks like she wants to jump on me (can't tell if it's in a good or bad way) any thoughts????

Thanks so much for the replies!!!!

 

[Sulphiria]

Remove her from the cage with a stick and take her to a room she doesnt know with a perch. Set her on the perch and try the step up with treats. Not being able to see their territory can make them a whole different bird and help gain trust. This worked wonders for our cag who was somewhat cage territorial when we first got him, now hes not at all. Good luck!

 

[Beako_N_Kiwi]

Sulphiria!!! This is the answer I've been looking for. When she went to the vet she stepped up onto the assistants arm without biting. I was SO JEALOUS. I couldn't believe it. I will try your technique tonight. I will let you know how it goes!!! Now I'm feeling optimistic.

 

[Ronald]

This method worked for me.

Follow the steps below on a perch where your bird can't see his cage. When ever he steps up give him a treat then return him to the perch then praise him as he eats, Wait for him to finish his treat and start at step one again.

1. Offer your forearm and say step up with no treat. Only say step up once and only wait 2 seconds before proceeding to the next step.
2. Don't move your forearm from step one. Offer a treat with the other hand that your bird can only reach if he steps on your arm. wait about 10 seconds before proceeding to the next step.
3. Remove the treat, don't move your forearm from step one and two. Use your other hand to gently shake the perch. Gently, not enough to make your bird fall or become off balance, just enough to make him think the perch is not stable. Continue this for about 5 seconds then stop.
4. Remove your forearm and give your bird about a minute to process what happen. Start over.

 

[goalerjones]

velcro??? just kidding, just kidding...

 

[Clueless]

Deep breath, exhale slowly . . . . repeat. Honestly? I read somewhere that we needed to calm ourselves totally before encountering our birds, they feed off of our energy.

I'm still not to the stage of getting my parrots to step off the cage onto my bare hand/arm. I have one now that, after I carry him to a stand in the living room floor, I can transfer to stand on my leg (blue jeans - love 'em) - and then I can offer him a sliver of a seed and he will step onto my bare arm. That is the ONLY place he will step from to my bare arm. Baby steps. Think Baby steps. It's been over 6 months and this is the bird that bites me the LEAST of the two! I'm worried that some day he will run up my arm and THERE's a fun thought! He is scared to death of my hand - not sure what happened in his life but it probably wasn't pretty.

Secret - is my problem child parrot - but I love her/h\HIM anyway. Hard to get used to a sex change in a parrot - I'm scared to test MC for fear he will turn into a female and then I'll really be whacked out.

Just give it time - we have PLENTY of time and there is no sense in trying to conquer Rome in a day! Your bird is just afraid . . . . and has plenty of time to build that fear in her past homes. Fear is conquered by love.

 

[Beako_N_Kiwi]

Lol - for the fear MC Will turn into a female!!!

Make me laugh! Yes you are totally right!!!

 

[goalerjones]

when I am angry my Hahn's mimics it and won't let me pick him up. Also, rather than my hand he prefers to get onto my arm instead.