Please get off my shoulder

[Attackco275]

Skylar a B/G Macaw 8 years old

I have had Skylar for about six weeks now and we have bonded big time. She is super sweet and well trained, step up out of her cage basically anytime, Pet/Play with her, Target trained like a champion now and progressing great. We are currently working on harness training now.

The problem is she refuses to step up off my shoulder. I have tried to target her, treats, she just loves it up there and would stay there all day. I can pet her up there no problem. I am able to have her step down to a perch off my shoulder but she does not like me approaching her with my hands. I like having her up there when I am doing stuff but need some help/advice. Any ideas?

[Wolf]

There are several forms of this particular problem, sometimes the bird doesn't want to step up from the shoulder and sometimes it is from some other favored perching spot. And as a result many people confuse this refusal to step up as a fear of hands, when most often the reason for this behavior is that the bird doesn't want to go to its cage and be locked in it. This is because many owners are just as happy as the bird to let it remain on its perch or on their shoulder until they are ready to put the bird in its cage. The bird learns that this is what is happening and then starts of with simply avoiding the hands and later this can turn into biting to keep from going into the cage. If this sounds like what is happening, then you need to make sure that you have at least two other places to put the bird when you ask it to step up other than the cage. You then will usually need to start off with showing the bird a high value treat such as a favored nut and ask the bird to step up and take it to one of the other perches to step down and give the bird the treat. From this point you need to use all of the different perches in a random fashion including the top of the cage or even putting the bird inside the cage but leaving the door open .

[Attackco275]

I tried with an almond a few times to have her step but she was not a very big fan. she just didnt wanna come off the shoulder... and I try to always transfer to another perch before i put her away. I have a total of 4 spots so she gets moved around alot. She has one main perch she hangs out when she is out.

[Wolf]

Sometimes they are just not ready and want to spend more time with you. You can try asking for the step up and if she doesn't do it, wait a couple of minutes and ask again.
I used to have this problem with my birds and I just kept asking for the step up and waiting and ask again, then I would offer a treat if they would walk to my forearm and then go from there. It can be difficult to deal with when the only issue is that they just want to spend a little more time with you.

[Pajarita]

If a nut doesn't work as reward, you must be free-feeing high protein food. I don't mean to sound accusatory but it's the only way this would happen because the only time a parrot refuses high protein is when it has lost its 'high value' and that means it's used to eating it all the time (something that never happens in nature and which is bad for their health).

Start training her to step down. It's the same as step up only in reverse and an easy thing to teach IF you provide the right reward and praise for it. But don't start teaching it from your shoulder, use a perch or a T stick for it and every time she does it, praise, praise, praise and give her a reward (you need to make sure that the reward is a high value item so you need to re-evaluate her diet) .

Please do not let your guard down, she is still in her honeymoon period and hasn't really bonded that deeply with you. I know it looks that way but it's not. Some of them do fall in love at first sight but it doesn't always mean they will remain 100% trustworthy - this only comes with a couple of years into the relationship.