how to teach too to step up?

[prtmom]

Hi,
I rescued a too from a smoke filled home yesterday. Her diet was sunflower seeds and some mixed seeds. Gave fruit and veggies "sometimes" but sounded like little variety - carrots, grapes and bananas. He got her from someone who hit her with a baseball cap and had kids that were loud and beat on her cage. Consequently, she is obviously quite firghtened. Got home last evening with her. She got on top of her cage, came up and snuggled up to me and gave me kisses. Absolutely hates to be picked up and won't step up. How do I begin this training so I can pick her up to go in and out of the cage? He said he used a flyswatter to "tap" her tail to make her go. Not happening with me. I had to block with my body and arms to get her to go, but I know even that is stressful.
Any advice please.

 

[mtdoramike]

What a sad situation for that guy. I'm glad you found him and able to give him a loving home. You really should check out You Tube. Go to You Tube and then Type in the search box "Teach Birds to Step Up". You should find several videos on there that will help you with this issue.

They also have video's on stick training, which in one of the first things I would teach. To me, all birds need to be stick trained, just in case your in a position and need to use a stick for them to step up on.

 

[suebee]

thank you for taking on this bird

i know getting this bird to step up etc is important, you have also just got it home with you, so i would try tempting her into cage with a treat?

 

[mtdoramike]

Yeah, a little piece of millet works wonders.

 

[brit193]

I'm not sure how much this will help, but while I was volunteering with a parrot rescue, one of the women was showing me how to get her cockatoos to step up.

Sometimes they gave her a hard time, so she would put her hand out in front of them, and then pat underneath their tail feathers on their butts and tell them to step up.

Or you could try having him step backwards onto your hand.

 

[SillyBoy]

Not sure if this will work for you but when I got my too, she wouldn't step up but would let me play with her feet so I would tickle her toes. She would pick her feet up and I would put my hand under them. And say step up. Now she does.

 

[prtmom]

Thank you all. This is the first day I've been back.
She is such a sweet baby. I can pet her all day, but any movement that seems like a pick up is NOt for her. Will try the suggestions.

 

[prtmom]

Well, so far nothing. She will lightly bite and move my hand away. If I do manage to get her to step on to my arm by laying it on the perch, she jumps right off. Otherwise she just hops over to get where she wants to go. Glory, she's eating me out of house and home with her wood chewing. Wow!!!!

 

[Remy]

Give her time. She is probably traumatized from one of her previous homes. I think stick training would be a good idea.

I'm sure she'll come around eventually. Let her start getting used to you, and then take it in baby steps.

 

[Mare Miller]

I'm still cursing the previous owner of our cockatoo for not training him to step up! Just kidding! Can you really train one to do something it doesn't want to do? Unless he WANTS to step up...he won't, when that happens I have to peel his feet off his perch, then he grabs his perch with his beak and I just take deep breaths, while I'm still holding his feet, till he decides to let go of the perch. To me, this is normal.

 

[lene1949]

Thank you all. This is the first day I've been back.
She is such a sweet baby. I can pet her all day, but any movement that seems like a pick up is NOt for her. Will try the suggestions.

What breed of cockatoo is she?