How to Teach Parrot to Step Up and to Come Out of Cage

[Pagez]

Thank you very much for your reply Michael. I was pretty sure an old bird COULD learn new tricks, but it will probably take more time to tame a re-homed bird. We are looking at adopting an Eclectus female who has had some issues. If she comes home with us, then I would like to adopt a baby African Grey after we get the Eclectus settled in and comfortable. There is not an adoption fee for the Eclectus and she is coming from a reputable sanctuary. However, I think it will be difficult to find an African Grey for adoption. But we'll see. Kili and Truman are just adorable! God bless you, Page

[Parakeet]

It is possible to train two budgies right?

[Parakeet]

For the video of Duke being target trained, was he flooded? Was he already familiar with the surroundings and the trainer? and it was his first time being target trained right?


Whenever I take one of my two parakeets out of the cage and away from the room to train, the other parakeet immediately starts chirping. Is this normal behavior?

[lainmai]

[quote="Parakeet"Whenever I take one of my two parakeets out of the cage and away from the room to train, the other parakeet immediately starts chirping. Is this normal behavior?[/quote]

Its normal and should be expected. They are flock style birds, as soon as the "flock" or "mate" is gone out of sight they will call and try to locate them. Oddly enough my DOGS do the same thing. If you take one out of the house and out of eyesight the one in the house frantically looks for the other and calls/whines while the one outside returns the barks and tries frantically to return to its sibling. The longer they are together the stronger the bond....usually.

[lovelyheart25]

hi guys,
i got a new ringneck parakeet for my birthday..i have it almost 2 months...ive never had a bird before
i try to touch it and take it out of the cage so i can pet him and for him to fly around the room...its aggressive it bites it screams...
is there something i can do?
ive tried everything!!!!!
i think it hates me!!!!

[izmail1215]

my parrot dosnt care of the traget stick when i put his wooded perch near him. he just bites the pearch in a bad way he will attack it or just hold on. he is target tranied but if i put the pearch near him he wont step up

oh the the second thing i wanted to ask was should i let him come out if he bite the perch to be let out?

[meowingaround]

Ok working with Windy on the cage issue. But I'm wondering how often I should give him the opportunity each day to step up or stay in his cage with the door closed?

Also what should I do if he bites me AFTER he comes out with step up? He did this today stepped right up and out happy as a clam, heard the other bird in the other room, and bit me.
Should I only punish in anyway when he draws blood? Or should I constantly be on him about nips too?

Should I put him back in his cage or force hold him gently with a glove? Today I did both, because in one way I don't want him to believe that if he bites me he won't have to do whatever it was I was asking him to do, so I picked him up firmly but gently in my gloved hand and held him that way till I got him back to his cage. I said NO BITE in my bestest firm voice and closed his door and left the room.

Also should I stay in the room or leave? I leave the tv on in there for him. He's singing right now.. awwww

I'm sorry so many questions I feel like an idiot

Sometimes I feel like all I do is punish him for being himself ..

[javelin]

Hi all. This thread hasn't been updated in a while but I suppose its because it's such a straightforward guide.

If I may outline the taming process as a summary:

Stage 1 - Familiarization and Diet Control. Allowing the bird to be "desensitized" to the environment and our presence/role in their everyday life.

Stage 2 - Hand-feeding. The bird should eventually eat from our hands.

Stage 3 - Target Training (In-Cage). Using a target stick and reinforcer (clicker) to teach the birds to follow the target and be rewarded for the action.

Stage 4 - Step-up Training. Leading the bird to step-up through the target and onto our hand/arm/finger and be rewarded. Eventually, bringing the bird out of its cage.

Stage 5 - Gradual Withdrawal of Targetting Stimulus. Slowly reducing the presentation of the target stick so that ultimately, the bird will step-up and/or stay on verbal/visual cue alone.

Would this be an accurate outlining or should we change some terminologies or did I skip something? Would this also work for other taming goals other than stepping-up such as petting, or holding?

What do you think Michael?

[Michael]

Yeah, basically. The new Taming Guide I wrote on the Trained Parrot Blog basically supersedes this training article because it covers more details yet with greater simplicity.

Target training is a tool for teaching a bird the motions but once they are learned (step up), the target is no longer required. Continue rewarding step up occasionally but eventually the things you will do with the bird after stepping up (scratches, doing tricks, playing, etc) become the rewards and step up becomes automatic.

[Isaac Montes]

Hello! I have a Quaker Parrot but she is so scare of me, she run away from me and she don't want to step up? Im traying the clicker and target training but it see that it doesn't work.... why?