Trust and your parrot

Tman · Aug 27, 2026

I brought home Pegasus on July 1st. Him and I have been working together on hands not being afraid of hands. Also trust for him to trust me not to hurt him with my hands. And trust in general. At the same time I need to trust him as well. No one wants to get bit. It works both ways. When we start by just taking treats.
When we moved up to stepping up as he came over to my hand he bent down and grabbed it. Not aggressively just a grab. I went ahead and let him grab my finger. It was a soft grab he was just testing my finger for stability. After that he put a foot on my finger.
That's as far he would go. The next day he came up a grab my finger again. This time it was more pressure. But he put mor of his foot on my finger. Also he would left second foot up and back down. Like he wanted to.
So we kept at it the next time he grab my finger he dug his beak in my skin. Drew blood. I didn't make a big this about kept my hand there. Told him that was me. But he stepped up on my finger.
No for today I tried a new lesson. I put my hand palm up and started to see if he would take a treat off my hand, with the treat in the middle of my palm. He just grab my thumb light squeeze. I pointed to the treat and he took it. The next I did was.move up the pressure on him a little. I had him were he had to step up on my thumb to get the treat again he bent down a the first few tries, and would grab my finger. Every time he grab it was just enough to make him feel comfortable. And he step on my thumb with my palm up with my full hand exposed to him and took the treat a few times.
Then we ended the lesson.
Some times you have to have trust in your parrot. To make it all work out.

Vampiric_Conure · Aug 27, 2026

I totally agree! I'm having trust issues with Yvons, my CAG. He won't step up for me, and that big beak is intimidating. However, I can herd him where I want him to go with a stick. Then treat him once he goes where I want him to go.

Tman · Aug 27, 2026

Vampiric_Conure said:
I totally agree! I'm having trust issues with Yvons, my CAG. He won't step up for me, and that big beak is intimidating. However, I can herd him where I want him to go with a stick. Then treat him once he goes where I want him to go.

This is how I started.
Picture 1. My cage all my cages same size.
Picture 2. You will see there is a perch right at the doorway. This how I started, I would get them to come to the perch. Give a treat then have them come close to the front door. Then I would get them to get up on the frame of the door. See picture.
Picture 3. If you look you see my hand is right next to the door frame. Make sure there is a little space between the frame an d finger. This way your parrot can step up on the frame but not your finger. What you are trying to do here is get your parrot to step up right next to your hand. At the same time if he tries to nip you you just low your hand and its out of the way.
After you do this for two days where he's coming up and step up on the frame with your hand there.
No what you do is put your hand against the bottom of the door so that your fingers are against the bottom of the frame. Now when you ask your parrot to come to the frame. (FROM THIS POINT ON DO NOT MOVE YOUR HAND). If your parrot starts to come up the frame, make sure you show him the treat make sure this treat is a nice size. He may just touch your finger and not step up. Give the treat praise him. You what to get him use to your hand there it may take a day or to. Just remember a touch on your if praise, treat. If he just puts one foot on your finger and a foot on the frame praise, treat. All this time don't move your hand.
Picture 4 this is the biggie, if he steps up with both feet. Do not move away from the frame, stay still. Give a treat, praise. What he may do is step off your finger after you give him the treat, by not moving away you give him a way out. He can go back to the perch.
That's how are started
Hope this helps.

wrench13 · Aug 28, 2026

Parrots are all about trust when it comes to human interaction. Its built slowly and destroyed quickly. Everything you do with your parrot should be measured by "Does this build or break trust". And its a 2 way street, but because they are wild animals a big part of the trust on our side is also built on knowing your bird.

osklvste · Aug 28, 2026

That's very important. Trust goes so far. The greater the trust the easier it is on both of you. Learn your bird. He/she is studying you.

Tman · Aug 28, 2026

wrench13 said:
Parrots are all about trust when it comes to human interaction. Its built slowly and destroyed quickly. Everything you do with your parrot should be measured by "Does this build or break trust". And its a 2 way street, but because they are wild animals a big part of the trust on our side is also built on knowing your bird.

I agree I always say pay attention to your parrot even the small things are important to not only keep the trust but to better understand your parrot .

osklvste · Aug 30, 2026

I just remembered a humorous trust incident. It definitely wasn't humorous at the time. I walk by Nameliss cage. If she's hanging there I rub her foot. Whoocchee Coochhee Cooo. Laugh walk off. Out of cage time. I'm crocheting as usual. My feet on on stool. She walks around chair down my legs. I hear her repeating the phrase. She's a mimic so what? I feel a very sharp beak around my great toe. Phrase repeated. Do any of you know how hard it can be to force a realistic laugh in that situation? Oddly I wasn't afraid of being bit. But she can be stubborn. I was worried how long it'd be before she would let me go. I am encouraging trust. The degree depends on your and your birds personality.

HarleY 06 · Sep 25, 2026

This/these posts FROM EVERYONE clearly illustrates TRUST is a key . . . how you go into it, through it, or after you have it; depends solely on YOU and YOUR Bird. When you get trusting signals/actions it is important how you react. Please go over eveybodies posts . . . they all will help you to be a better bird carer