bird won't step up

[Matt Alyk]

My goffins cockatoo won't step up because she thinks she will go back in the cage if she does. Any idea how to get her to step up? I try to put my finger by her chest above her feet but she moves away.

[Matt Alyk]

She knows how to step up, she just won't.

[Wolf]

Do you have other perches that she can spend time on other than her cage? If not get or make a couple of them. This is mostly a matter of patience and persistence on your part. If you ask her to step up enough time and don't force her to, she will eventually trust you enough to try and that is where the other perches are needed so that you have a different spot to place her with a different view of the room.
You may want to show her a treat whenever you ask for the step up, and hold the treat so that if she will step up she can reach the treat. Even if she doen't step up when you are done make sure that you praise her, pet her and give her the treat. If you show them a treat always make sure that you give it to them before leaving.
If there are other factors here that were not mentioned then please fill us in on them and we will try to help. Factors such as how does she get out of the cage, or does she fly at all or is she clipped.

[Pajarita]

LOL - She is a smart cookie! She knows she gets put away when she steps up so she figures "If I don't, the human can't lock me in jail again". These are very intelligent birds which not only put two and two together but also have a sense of time, and of what action brings what consequence so (and I am not criticizing, I am simply explaining) she learned this because, obviously, every time (or almost every time) you asked her to step up, the denouement was the same, namely, get stuck in a cage. She doesn't like the cage so she found the way to avoid it.

There are three things you need to do to solve this problem:

1. Put her on a schedule so she learns she needs to go back to her cage at that particular time.
2. Give her more out-of-cage time (4 hours minimum).
3. Ask her to step up by 'luring' her with a treat in your other hand (ask her twice and, if she doesn't, don't insist, just try later), praise profusely when she does and, MOST IMPORTANTLY!, not put her in her cage. Play with her or let her perch on your shoulder instead. Once you do this often enough, she will start stepping up every time.

[Tman007]

OK Matt Here is a little advice from a new guy. I have a jenday Conure (Amos). Amos stepped up for me the first two weeks I had him then he stopped. Here are a few things I did. get a chair have a table or something you can out a perch on or a make shift perch. get some of Lilly's treats. Now sit in the chair with Lilly give her a treat now put her on the perch give her a treat. Now while you are still sitting in the char reach over ask her to step up, when she does give her a treat. now hold her on your finger. telling her how great she is. then put her back on the perch and give her a treat and tell her how great she is. now have her walk to the other side of the perch give her a treat. Just keep doing this a few times so she doesn't think that every time you ask for a step up you put he away. just sit there let her sit on the perch for awhile. then back on your finger. then get up and put her on another perch. that might be across the room. Just mix it up. And when you put her away give her a treat, and let her know what a great bird she is. I have been doing this with Amos and he is stepping up almost every time. Hope this might help.

[Wolf]

Pajarita, has explained exactly what has occurred as well as why it has occurred and what you need to do to remedy it permanently. It is exactly where I was going with this, I was just approaching it a bit differently, but I too would have told you the very same things as well.

[Matt Alyk]

Sorry for the late reply, being the genius I am, I couldn't figure out how to view the forum, lol. As for the comments saying what we did in the past, she is adopted, we had her for about a week when I first posted this, I have no knowledge about her past. On the rare occasion of stepping up, I don't put her back in the cage. We are slowly making progress! Thanks for all the support.

[Wolf]

Glad to hear that you are making progress. Just continue to be patient and when you do need to place her in her cage try to remember to give her a reward for her cooperation. You will do fine, I am sure.