Help!!!

[tesignamint]

Hi I just resuced an orange winged amazon. He has had a ruff start he is about 5 yrs old. He was hit and stuck in a cage and has had about 4 or more homes and none were too great from what I found out. each person got him to save him from the last and ended up becoming up set and gave him up to someone else. I am sticking with Him well me and my husband. We had him a week and are making what i think to be GREAT progress. We got him and he seemed to hate the world with good reason. So now on to him I say him but not sure. an way. He wouldn't want to come out of his cage at all now we have his door open he will climb on his cage and look around and stuff. he knows when we enter the room and he starts clicking or kissing. he kinda makes out hi. If you have popcorn he will come down to you and will sit on my husband and watch a movie and eat popcorn. He still will not step up on you or anything we have tried a perch also. We are not sure what to do next. How is the best way to make him step up with out losing what we have gained. He will not do the popcorn thing with me and I am the one that wanted him the most and clean his cage. that doen't bother I just want him to learn and help get past his ruff life. He love popcorn, peanuts, grapes bread. He was on a wal-mart blend food we gradluly got him on good pellets and started in with the fruits and vegs and things. NOW he loves all of that and doesn;t want bird food either. Are vet said maybe he liked the other food so we want and got some and NO. He just wants people food. sorry this is so long I just need to know how to teach him to step up and things. I have never seen a bird not willing to respond to the reward of treats and trust. if someone could help thank you Jessica

 

[Auggie's Dad]

Well stick training has been recently described elsewhere, but a couple ideas/questions: Gently pushing the stick against their chest/upper thigh area often gets them to step after which you can offer lots of praise and a reward. If that doesn't work can you put a treat (perhaps a piece of popcorn) just out of reach with the stick in front of him - the only way to get to the treat is to step onto the stick.

You can also use shaping: if he is uneasy about stepping all the way onto the stick praise and give him the treat as soon as he puts one foot on it, or grabs it at all (with his foot not his beak).