How to know when you are pushing to far.

[Ryno]

I'm eager to learn and do things with Keelin, but how do you know when you are going to far? What I don't want to do is ruin any trust we have.
I have been tryin to teach him to "step-up" but most of the time he bites my finger, and they are getting rougher. He broke skin for the first time yesterday and today he got a little chunk,lol.

Should I be worrying more about talking to him and petting or is it on to keep trying to teach him "step-up"?

 

[Ryno]

I'm being patient with him, I have only had him got a week, I just want to know what's ok and what's not. I want to be a good owner of this bird!

 

[getwozzy]

Are you offering any treats to him for stepping up? If not, find a super special treat that he REALLY likes and use it ONLY when you're doing training exercises with him. Show him the treat, "step up" and reward promptly when he does as asked. Put him back where he started after rewarding him.

You might want to use a stand (or have him sit on the back of a chair) instead of doing this from his cage-- he may have a different attitude about things when he's not in "his space".

Try to take things as slow as you can- a week is a very short time in bird land, and sometimes it can take weeks or months to build trust-- it all depends on the individual.

Biting is part of how they communicate- watch his body language and figure out his warning signs...keep your training sessions short and always end on a positive note. If he's not in the mood- try again later.