Parakeet training trouble

[Diamondec]

It's been four weeks. I have the bird eating out of my hand, he is successfully stick trained (in fact its funny how fast he will run to touch it), and will chirp when I talk to him. I even can get him on my finger by showing him millet and then giving him the command step-up. However, he is always reluctant to step-up. I think this is because when I get him to step-up on the perch I take the perch very fast out of the cage (if i take it slow, no matter how slow he jumps off). What's really weird is that if I hold millet outside of the cage he will come out of the cage on his own to eat the treat. I really would like him to run to get up on my finger like he runs for the stick. Any ideas besides patience to get results.

[Diamondec]

Maybe its the mirrors in his cage that are the problem but since he's an only parakeet I'm reluctant to take them out especially since I work a lot. Maybe I could take them out of the cage on my days off?