Step Up Question

[c3honey84]

Roxy has been really good with stepping up for months now. However, lately it seems that she has gotten wise to it and will only step up if she sees a treat in my hand! How can I overcome this?

 

[Pedro]

When ever any of my eclectus don't want to step up i figure they want to be left alone. I give them a bit of time out & try again later. They usually come around when they are ready.

I know this will probably sound strange but i feel these birds have a lot of feelings like we do. If they don't want to come out of their cage or step up or refuse to do something we want them to do is it really that bad. They just might not feel like being social.

I get more out of my birds by just following their lead.

 

[c3honey84]

Yes you're right. I do wait and then try again later sometimes. I just noticed that if I even make a move towards her treat container, she immediately perks up to see if I grab one, and if I do, she almost immediately will come right to me.

 

[Pedro]

The thing is with eclectus you really don't need to grab a treat when you want them to do something, they thrive on praise. I have never had to use treats for my parrots they do everything i ask of them because they want to. I give heaps of praise & when they step up or do something really special they get heaps of it, kisses, cuddles & I tell them what a good boy/girl they are. It gets a bit crazy at our house sometimes. On the other hand if they are naughty they get ignored. Works well for me.

 

[BillsBirds]

Another thing to do when training a bird is, after they've learned what you want, don't always have a treat for them. Always praise them, but, let them learn that a treat is not always there. Most times it will be, but, not always.

 

[MissyMe83]

I agree with the other posters...when Tate doesn't want to step up for me and I'm trying to get him out I just let him be. Sometimes he likes to come out on his own accord and I'm fine with that. When he won't step up for me out of the cage and I need him to for whatever reason (to put him in his cage or move him) I make him step up. I don't give him an option at that point. If that doesn't work I gently grab him up. He's not a biter though, so I never have to worry about that (yet anyway as he's still young). I guess you use your best judgement in certain situations. I want him to be his own bird and to be happy, but I also feel that they should at times realize who is the boss.

 

[Mare Miller]

I'm also a firm believer that if your bird doesn't want to step up, give him/her a break. In an emergency, grab a towel and force the issue. When I was at the vets the other day with Amigo, she wanted to weigh him and was trying to get him to step up, (he knows not, this command, although, he will step on to my hand most times when put in front of him). I picked him up, bodily, and set him on the scale. It worked fine. To each there own. Do what it takes to communicate and if you can communicate without a fuss...good job!!

 

[Mitchell]

I give my birds the option only when they're in their cage. Outside the cage I normally do not have a problem, but when I do I'll ladder him stepping him up about ten times in a row being sure to say "step up" each time. That usually does the trick for a while, but a reminder happens from time to time. I only give mine a treat randomly when he's on the playgym, but I always give a treat when putting him to bed for the night. This way I've never had a problem with bed time struggles.

 

[roxynoodle]

I'm also a firm believer that if your bird doesn't want to step up, give him/her a break. In an emergency, grab a towel and force the issue. When I was at the vets the other day with Amigo, she wanted to weigh him and was trying to get him to step up, (he knows not, this command, although, he will step on to my hand most times when put in front of him). I picked him up, bodily, and set him on the scale. It worked fine. To each there own. Do what it takes to communicate and if you can communicate without a fuss...good job!!

For some reason the vet assistants didn't even want to offer Pete the opportunity to just perch on the scale when he was in Tuesday. They stuffed him into a little plastic container! I think they were afraid they wouldn't get him back into the towel afterwards, maybe. When Merlin was in on Friday we just offered her the perch and she stepped on.

I definitely got the impression from them that they are kind of scared of amazons.

 

[Remy]

Sometimes Puck flat out refuses to step up. He just doesn't want to. I find that we are both happier if I leave him alone (he doesn't get annoyed, I don't get bit). If I need to get him to move or step up, then I'll push the issue, but otherwise I don't.

I've found that it works better when I put him in his cage a few minutes before I go to work, instead of when I am walking out the door. If I am almost out the door already, he often doesn't want to go in his cage. Lol.

 

[c3honey84]

The thing is with eclectus you really don't need to grab a treat when you want them to do something, they thrive on praise. I have never had to use treats for my parrots they do everything i ask of them because they want to. I give heaps of praise & when they step up or do something really special they get heaps of it, kisses, cuddles & I tell them what a good boy/girl they are. It gets a bit crazy at our house sometimes. On the other hand if they are naughty they get ignored. Works well for me.

Wow Pedro, did you breed your eclectus? Most of the people I talk to who have eclectus females say they HATE to be touched. That is the problem I have, she hates to be pet, rubbed, cuddled, anything. She just doesn't like fingers near her. She seems to like when I say "good girl" so I have been doing that. I mean we have come so far from when I first got her so I can't complain. But since we moved I have been giving her more freedom, so I think she is getting a little spoiled. I noticed that if I open the door to her cage she will not step up but goes for the door to climb out. I guess she would just rather come out on her own then have me take her out like I used to. I can understand this, but I still feel that she needs to step up when I need her to. I mean, what do you do when it's bedtime? If she is on top of her cage and I want to put her inside, I can't get her because she bites me if she doesn't want to step up. Sometimes it works if I have a treat in my hand, but sometimes it doesn't.