Training a bird to step up that is afraid of sticks

[talvarez]

i rescued a g2 recently, and we been getting real cuddly, but he only likes my shoulder and chest.. he hates my hand unless it is to give him a peice of food.
i tried the stick method but he is deadly afraid of sticks. So what do i do?
thanks

 

[Featheredsamurai]

I'm having a similar problem with my African gray Kenji. He only steps up from the floor, I tried getting him to step up on a large dowel which terrified him, he dove to the floor and screamed in fear. It doesn't help that he is very uneasy on hands.

With Kenji I am taking it slow and making each experience good, right now I've gotten him to the point were he will grab my fingers with his beak. For him that's a great improvement. If I try to get him to step up he reacts fearfully and is afraid the rest of the day.

Just go at your g2's pace and don't be afraid to take it slow.

 

[Nocturnal]

How is he with towels? I work at a bird store and we get a lot of birds that are being rehomed for various issues, and I deal with a lot of boarders who are nervous and/or aggressive. I usually give the bird the option to step up onto my hand or arm first, but if they try and "eat me" I will ask if they will step up to a towel--- if they totally freak out, I might try a stick. In the end if they won't step up to either but I have to move them I will wrap them in the towel to move them but this is a last resort... If I were you I would at least try seeing if he will step up on your hand if it is covered in a soft bath towel. Most birds seem more OK with this than with sticks.

 

[MikeyTN]

Nocturnal,

Towels shouldn't even be a resort unless your clipping nails and such!!! IF your not getting a bird to step onto a stick your probably not doing it right. I've trained 100's of birds to step up to a stick, it's a simple process, but you just need to know how to!

To the poster, bring the stick to their chest and push against them to encourage them to step up. Always good to work with two sticks, one in each hand. The parrot usually would turn the other way to walk off. Hold the stick on the other side so the parrot have no choice but to get onto one. Then use both sticks to rotate them for step up training. IF you have him on the right stick, then bring the left stick to his chest and say the word step up or just "up". Repeat with right stick and repeat over and over. He will get the idea. Otherwise there's the rope option that someone posted awhile back and recently.

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[Nocturnal]

Nocturnal,

Towels shouldn't even be a resort unless your clipping nails and such!!! IF your not getting a bird to step onto a stick your probably not doing it right. I've trained 100's of birds to step up to a stick, it's a simple process, but you just need to know how to!

That's all nice to say, but when you are dealing with boarder's birds who are freaking out because they don't know you and you have to move them from a carrier to a cage, it's a completely different story.

I only towel a bird when it is freaking out and will not be picked up and it must be moved. We don't have weeks or months to train other people's birds for them, and in cases where I have to towel it's to prevent injury to the bird and myself. I would much rather towel than worry about the bird jumping off my hand in a panic and crashing in to things.


In other instances where I mention using a towel, that is to cover my hand to protect from bites (or in some cases nails that still need to be groomed as those can really rip my arm up).

None of our "regulars" (boarders) have to be toweled to be moved, but they may have to step on to a stick or a towel on my arm--- birds that are dumped or come from rescue situations may have to be toweled for their own safety.

I will continue to use a towel whenever safety warrants it, as a brief toweling has never hurt any bird in the store, while freaking out and crashing into stuff has.

Now excuse me, I have a caique surfing in my hair and she is getting quite tangled up.....

 

[MikeyTN]

Nocturnal,

Towels shouldn't even be a resort unless your clipping nails and such!!! IF your not getting a bird to step onto a stick your probably not doing it right. I've trained 100's of birds to step up to a stick, it's a simple process, but you just need to know how to!

That's all nice to say, but when you are dealing with boarder's birds who are freaking out because they don't know you and you have to move them from a carrier to a cage, it's a completely different story.

I only towel a bird when it is freaking out and will not be picked up and it must be moved. We don't have weeks or months to train other people's birds for them, and in cases where I have to towel it's to prevent injury to the bird and myself. I would much rather towel than worry about the bird jumping off my hand in a panic and crashing in to things.


In other instances where I mention using a towel, that is to cover my hand to protect from bites (or in some cases nails that still need to be groomed as those can really rip my arm up).

None of our "regulars" (boarders) have to be toweled to be moved, but they may have to step on to a stick or a towel on my arm--- birds that are dumped or come from rescue situations may have to be toweled for their own safety.

I will continue to use a towel whenever safety warrants it, as a brief toweling has never hurt any bird in the store, while freaking out and crashing into stuff has.

Now excuse me, I have a caique surfing in my hair and she is getting quite tangled up.....

BUT your giving advice to someone that owns the bird, NOT being boarded!!! That makes a big difference!!!! Toweling a bird is understandable when your in the situation your in, but not for training purposes when the person is trying to bond. Cause all you do is make the bird more afraid of you when you bring out a towel.

 

[Nocturnal]

I didn't tell them to towel the bird. I said they could try placing it over their hand to pick the bird up. I also gave details about why I recommended it. I noted that many birds who are scared of sticks may be more likely to accept a toweled hand. No where in my post did I say "catch your bird with a towel and carry him around". They don't have to force the bird to accept a towel. It's merely a suggestion that they /try/ it and see how the bird responds to a towel wrapped hand when trying their training. Some birds are very paranoid of moving snicks--- some think they look like snakes or something and I have known more than a few macaws who have been abused and actually struck with them and have a paranoia. My own Senegal was mortified of any sort of stick for years because children in her old home used to prod her with pencils.

No need to argue or fight, or jump on my case for using towels for situations other than nail clipping/wing/beak trims. I had to come back and defend myself here, as it's obvious you must have misunderstood what I meant-- but that can be easy to do on forums, I suppose.