Macaw not stepping up. Unstable perches?

[Jroyal14]

Hi guys.. so I’ve had my BG macaw for about 2 months now. He seems to have gotten quite comfortable. He comes out and sits on top of his cage. He gets excited when someone comes home, he eats when we eat. And it’s been so much fun letting him try new fruits and veggies that he’s never had before. He seems to like us enough but we can’t touch him and he won’t step up still lol.
At first I thought he may be scared of hands, but he eagerly takes treats from us and doesn’t mind us moving things around his cage. But now I think I know what it is!!
So when I first got him cage setup, it came with a wooden perch and he immediately loved it. Although it was pretty small for his cage. So one day it fell while he was chilling outside of his cage. He didn’t get startled but he definitely took note of it and didn’t use the perch for like 2 weeks. Then just recently it fell while he was on it and he hasn’t even touched that perch since.
I also pair that with the fact that he is not a very good flier at all. The two times he tried to take off, it was more like a panicked flutter directly to the ground.
So I think he has a fear of falling?? Or maybe, a fear of unstable things…. LIKE HANDS!!!.
So maybe j should change my approach a little. How can I get him to trust that I won’t drop him??
Also should I start with petting and then maybe work up to stepping up/leaving the cage?

 

[HeatherG]

Hi guys.. so I’ve had my BG macaw for about 2 months now. He seems to have gotten quite comfortable. He comes out and sits on top of his cage. He gets excited when someone comes home, he eats when we eat. And it’s been so much fun letting him try new fruits and veggies that he’s never had before. He seems to like us enough but we can’t touch him and he won’t step up still lol.
At first I thought he may be scared of hands, but he eagerly takes treats from us and doesn’t mind us moving things around his cage. But now I think I know what it is!!
So when I first got him cage setup, it came with a wooden perch and he immediately loved it. Although it was pretty small for his cage. So one day it fell while he was chilling outside of his cage. He didn’t get startled but he definitely took note of it and didn’t use the perch for like 2 weeks. Then just recently it fell while he was on it and he hasn’t even touched that perch since.
I also pair that with the fact that he is not a very good flier at all. The two times he tried to take off, it was more like a panicked flutter directly to the ground.
So I think he has a fear of falling?? Or maybe, a fear of unstable things…. LIKE HANDS!!!.
So maybe j should change my approach a little. How can I get him to trust that I won’t drop him??
Also should I start with petting and then maybe work up to stepping up/leaving the cage?

Hi,
The shower perch fell once and my conure was afraid of it for a long time.

My last Quaker had trouble perching and I definitely got bit a few times until I realized she was afraid of falling. She could not grip much with one leg and a smooth arm or shoulder was not steady enough for her. Once I understood that she hardly ever bit.

I think some “biting” is just the bird grabbing on because he’s unsteady or upset because he’s slipped. My birds can’t hold onto my shoulder if I’m wearing a tank top or sleeveless dress and I just don’t carry them like that any more (on shoulder) unless I’m wearing at minimum a t shirt.