Wont step up when out of cage

[tumad]

Hi all, and thanks for a great resource.
My new (7 months old) African Grey is tame to me. When I put my fingers (hand) into the cage, he climbs on very rapidly obviously expecting to come out. He gets quite excited and sometimes nips my fingers as if to say... Take me out...
I open the cage and he climbs onto my hand and I either put him on top of his cage or take him to his play room (big perch with toys and rings and food in front of a small window.) He will play there for all day but when I approach him, he backs away and won't get up onto my hand. (same as if I put him on top of his cage)
It takes a lot of coaxing with soft whistles and a lot of patience before he steps up.

I think that he thinks that if he gets onto my hand I will take him back to his cage, where he hates being during the day. But at some stage he has to go back.. as I also have to work...
On occasions, he will make his typical short repetitive loud squeak and actually lift his leg signaling that he wants to step up. This is usually later in the evening and I read that as him wanting to get into his cage for the evening..which I then do.

Any help would be appreciated.. He doesn't take to treats at all and if he does something good, I usually praise him with lots of... Good boooooy and head scratching... which he likes..

Thanks all..

[Michael]

Stop punishing the bird for doing behavior you want it to do. You need to make it positively reinforcing.

A) Practice step ups out of the cage frequently that DO NOT involve going back to the cage. Give the bird a treat, attention, or take it over to another fun play area.

B) Make going back to the cage a reinforcement and not a punishment. This is actually quite easy to do. All feedings in cage. Don't keep any food outside the cage for the parrot (except treats as rewards for training). Then the bird will look forward to going back into the cage.

[tumad]

Thanks Mike.

I didn't realize I was 'punishing' him by praising him.. How am I punishing him? By putting him in his cage?
I will try your other advise and only feed him in the cage mornings and evenings as your other post suggests..

[Michael]

The praise doesn't mean much if anything. No. It's getting put back in the cage that is serving as the negative punishment. Check out this article about how the use of negative punishment hurt my relationship with my flighted parrot and how I used counter conditioning to solve this problem:

viewtopic.php?f=15&t=285

The first step was to eliminate the punishment. My issue was obviously much more complicated as the parrot can simply fly away while yours is completely helpless and at your whim as it is clipped. So instead of forcing the parrot (in a case where quite likely it might like to fly away), figure out a way that it would be grateful to you for being put back in cage.

My parrots are definitely happy to go back to their cages because of the schedule and system I have set up.