Hand taming schedule?

[razzlestorm]

Hi! My first time here. I'm living in Beijing, and bought a lovebird from a vendor who grabbed him to take him out of the cage and put him in the one he sold to me, so I'm thinking maybe my bird (Vincent) has a fear of hands? I've been spending a lot of time gradually working up to him getting comfortable with my fingers. Over the three weeks that I've had him, I've finally got it to where he doesn't panic when my hands are near him, and I can get it up to the point where I can touch his feet (once or twice before he steps away).

My question is, without any prior knowledge of stepping up, how do I get him to step up onto my finger? He is still a bit wary of my finger, and if I stay too close to his feet for too long, or try to move my finger towards his chest, he hops onto the side of the cage.

So far I haven't found any foods that he likes enough to use as a treat, but I'll keep adding fruits and veggies. Sorry for the long post. Any help or advice to hand-taming/getting him to step up would be great!

 

[Taw5106]

Hi and welcome! Do you know what his favorite treat is? Put the hand you want him to step up on in front of him, with the other hand show him the treat, then say "step up". When he steps up, give him the treat, and praise him. It's key to be very, very patient! If he fears hands, you will need to be consistent with those steps to help him get past the fear, and it will happen with patience and work!

 

[razzlestorm]

Thanks for the tip! I haven't found a favorite treat yet, so I'll keep trying new things. Do you think I should be able to hand feed him first before I try that? He doesn't mind my hands as much, but I haven't been able to hand feed him yet. Any other tips for that?