To push or not to push

[sprout]

ok, I have had papaya for a little over 2 weeks. When he is off the cage, he lets me pet him. He doesn't shake any more when I hold him. He steps up nicely off the floor and off a table perch I have. He takes food from me no problem on the cage.
But when it comes to the cage, he just runs to the other side and will not step up. I can't decide if I should push him to step up every day so that he does sit on me or the table perch. I want to work with his step ups more often and he is most comfortable on the table perch.
I know he needs more time also. I've tried a perch too but he still just runs. I'm going to keep trying the perch but does anyone have any other suggestions?
Thanks

 

[MaraWentz]

Try sitting by his cage and resting your arm inside to get him used to it or lure him with treats. If that doesn't work after a week or two and he is just being stubborn push. Unless you're asking him to step up, without expecting him to (such as a command) then push.

 

[sprout]

Quick update on Papaya. I took his cage off the stand so it is lower. That has helped. His cage has always been next to where I sit while watching tv or reading so I have that one covered. I also started clicker training yesterday with him.
He did let me pet him while on his cage yesterday. I am starting to think though that he really does not know the step up command so we are working on that on a table top perch.

 

[MaraWentz]

Ours' din't know it either we started by picking up one of er feet and pushing up- that causes biting of course, but we continued it until she was able to understand that was stepping up, then we switched to just pushing on her chest lightly, so when she was off balance she already knew she could step up on our hands or arms.

 

[ann]

sounds like your doing great

 

[taylor_]

i had this EXACT SAME PROBLEM with my baby. he would also bite if i pushed too hard. i read somewhere on the forum that using a wooden spoon so that you're not tempted to jump back works well and i got a wooden spoon last weekend and within 2 days he's stepping up on my finger and everyone else's fingers for the matter.

we learned that even though it might seem kind of cruel, use your finger (or wooden spoon) to push them all the way to the edge so that they lose their balance and have no choice to step up is the best way to get them used to it. it gets to the point where crowley would rather step up than have us chase him around and get almost knocked of the cage with a wooden spoon. lol. he's a goober. but he's so good now. he was soooo cage aggressive we couldn't get anywhere near his cage w/o him trying to attack us and ducking behind the back of his cage. wooden spoons are GENIUS!

 

[DebsFlock]

I think I'd try bribes before pushing it too hard. Have you tried luring him to step up for a treat?

 

[sprout]

Until we started the clicker training, he would grab a treat and run with it. Now though after 2 days of clicker training, he comes right to me as soon as he sees the treat container. He is very gently taking every treat from me but if I move to pet him, he shys away again. With his cage lower he is right at my level when he is on top of the cage and I am sitting. I noticed today that he is slowly moving closer to me. Sitting almost next to my chair now. And when he flies off the cage and I pick him up, he climbs on my shoulder and sits there playing with my hair instead of trying to get away. He is making progress so I think for now we'll just keep working with the clicker since I have seen quite a bit of improvement in the last 2 days.

 

[MaraWentz]

So glad to hear he is coming around!

 

[WannaBeAParrot]

The only time I push (and demand) Pritti step up is when he's got to be moved for safety reasons, i.e. he can't stay alone in a room not set up for him, or he is found wandering someplace not good for him, or he's got to go in cage because we are leaving house. Otherwise, if he doesn't want to step up and gets snippy, I kind of figure he is content where he is on his perch/play area/hanging out in "his" spot in bathroom, etc., and I leave him be. I kind of feel like I wouldn't want to be asked to move if I was content, tired, relaxed, playing, etc. unless there was a really good reason. He's 30, I'm 51 -- we both need our space, lol.