Stepping up advice/pep talk needed

[sunnysmom]

Okay, this is my embarrassing confession. Elvis still doesn't step up. We've had him for probably close to 6 months now. So, I should have taught him how by now. The thing is - he just doesn't want to. He's at least 25 years old and apparently was never taught to step up. My understanding is that the couple who had him before he was turned into the rescue (who had him for about a year) taught him to hop onto your shoulder. Before that he didn't 'step up' at all. The shoulder thing is a two part problem- 1) he still only does it when he wants to; 2) although I'm okay with him hopping on my shoulder- I trust him- I know a lot of people will be uncomfortable with it. So, I'd like him to step up like normal so other people can handle him.

I've watched training videos. So I know how it's supposed to be done. I even attended a class taught by trainers at the Aviary. I bought a stick and perch for target training (he's terrified of the perch). He is completely unfood motivated. So treats don't do it for him. And he pretty much just doesn't want to do it.

I would like to find him a pet sitter like I had for Sunny, but if he doesn't step up and you have to coerce him into his cage to go to bed every night (which I do), no one is going to want to pet sit him. And he really is a very sweet and fun bird and I'd love him to be around more people. But I am starting to feel like a bird mom failure that he still doesn't do it. (He now actually says 'step up'. That's how often I've said it to him in my attempts to get him to do it. LOL)

So advise? Thoughts? Comments? Do others have birds that don't step up?

 

[DQTimnehs]

That's a tough one! Have you tried different perches - wood, rope, etc?
When I got Darwin he was recovering from a broken wing and he would try to fly and hurt himself. Then I'd have to try to get him back in the cage but he would try to fly away from me. The only thing I could get him to step on was the bottom of a rope boing and then I would carefully carry him on it to his cage. He did know how to step up though so it is a different issue.
Quack was also challenging when I got her. I would try a wooden perch to avoid getting bit but she was afraid of it and would fly away. But she was ok with rope perches.

What does Elvis like, if not food? Can you lure him with a toy he likes? Lots of praise for little steps - touching the perch, etc. Praise can be as good as a treat.

 

[Familyof12]

Do you have ladders? Does he climb ladders ever? Maybe you can use the word "step up" for every time he climbs a ladder with a small part of his favorite treat with a huge one when he accomplishes it? Then slowly use your step up stick to take the place of one of the ladder rungs with extra treats for when Elvis steps up on the stick? Hopefully, even though he doesn't like stepping up, maybe if you change the perspective of the way he does it, more like a game, will Elvis be interested?

 

[Clueless]

MC just bit a hunk out of his wood step up perch last night. He only steps up when he wants to also.... He moves from cage to tree stand by himself, only by himself. We generally can step him up from the stand.

We had cage moved to back for remodeling issues. Hubby was surprised he was so vicious last night when he tried to remove him from cage with the perch. Poor man.

 

[Familyof12]

I've got and had no clue other than what I've read and my experiences as a young child. I've never been afraid but I've got huge respect for animals. All of them. I can't stand going to zoos because of it. I've been very lucky and didn't even know it.

 

[Hankmacaw]

Aww Michelle, don't feel bad. I've had Jasper for 17 years and her stepup is still very spotty. She is the most stubborn living organism I've ever seen. She's perfectly gentle, never bites, but rarely steps up without a battle. AAAARGH.

Except when she knows she's going somewhere she wants to go.

 

[sunnysmom]

Elvis is actually even more afraid of rope perches than the T-stand I got him. His reaction to the rope perch is so severe I actually wonder if he was somehow mistreated using a rope perch or something that looks like it. He has 2 ladders. One was in his cage and one went from the floor to his cage, because when his wings were clipped he couldn't fly back to his cage. So I thought he could climb up the ladder if he needed to. He never used either. So after several months, I took them away. He can now fly back to his cage when he wants to. He is still a bit of a mystery to me. He plays a lot. And climbs up and down his cage, swings on the door, flaps, destroys his toys, etc. He'll call when he wants you to come and get him- even though he could fly to you but only likes to stay with you for short period of time. Then he flies back to his cage. It makes me wonder if he never really had much out of the cage time previously. Maybe I just need to try a regular dowel perch to see if he'd step up on that. I'd like him to step up on hands but he will beak me- not bite- or just walk away. He's not afraid of hands. He just doesn't want to step on them.

But I think all of you are right, I just have to get more creative about it and turn it into a game somehow. He loves games and playing. Way more than food. I guess maybe that's maybe his motivation. Thanks everyone.

 

[Tiel Feathers]

When I had my cockatoo, he didn't care for treats much either. His favorite thing was over the top praise. We are talking goofy, loud, silly praise. I taught him how to target train with praise and a chop stick. Maybe target training would work? It doesn't have to be a chopstick, anything at all will do. I also found out that cashews were a treat he actually liked, so every time he went back in his cage he got a bit of cashew and tons of praise. It go so that when he saw the bag of cashews he was happy to go in. After Elvis does go in the cage, praise him, act silly, and play with him for a bit, so it's a fun time for him. Also, it might help to take him out of his cage right after you put him in it once in a while.

 

[Familyof12]

Elvis sounds very active and too smart! Sounds like he loves "thinking" and most likely he has had bad experiences with others doing the "step up" as I've seen people force (brutal force) to make them do this. Carmen was one. What made me decide to buy her right then and there, no matter the $$ as he was "forcing" her to do what he wanted through fear and intimidation. You could tell she totally resented it.

Once we got home. I never asked her to step up. I just treated her as if she had never been trained. I started from scratch to see if she would even eat from my hand. I started hanging with her at first for 15 minutes three times a day. Then I slowly extended it. If she played with me, I would do it and then walk away at the time I was supposed to. Eventually she understood I respect her dignity and want her love not her obedience only. Now we're slowly coming along. She doesn't like hands. She will step up and down happily now. Diablo will never allow hands. He will do so on a stick but never our hands, arms, nothing. The weird thing is when he is in his cage, and we "scritch" Carmen, he comes over for one too. I'll just do what I'm doing until he comes along and if he doesn't, that's fine too.

 

[sunnysmom]

Aww Michelle, don't feel bad. I've had Jasper for 17 years and her stepup is still very spotty. She is the most stubborn living organism I've ever seen. She's perfectly gentle, never bites, but rarely steps up without a battle. AAAARGH.

Except when she knows she's going somewhere she wants to go.

That makes me feel better. That's pretty much Elvis. LOL. He's a little clown. And has never bitten and for a too, I think is gentle. But really doesn't want to step up. And I'm pretty sure he knows what I want him to do. He just only wants to come to you when he wants to.

 

[Clueless]

That makes me feel better. That's pretty much Elvis. LOL. He's a little clown. And has never bitten and for a too, I think is gentle. But really doesn't want to step up. And I'm pretty sure he knows what I want him to do. He just only wants to come to you when he wants to.

As does MC. And there's nothing wrong with that...... (just deleted a mini rant, realized I'm speaking to the choir here)

I always give the zons a bit of a treat when I put them back in their cage. Always want that to be a happy place. Right now it's half a pumpkin seed. It started with Cheerios because that's what they wanted. Secrets never fail recovery system is a piece of shredded cheese. In the early stalking days (the bird stalked us) that piece of shredded cheese put on a perch guaranteed that bird would go inside her cage.

If yours doesn't like treats, make it a fun toy. Take a favorite foot toy out of the cage WHEN HE CAN'T SEE YOU DO IT and give it to him when he returns to the cage. You don't want him to see you rob the cage though.

 

[sunnysmom]

As does MC. And there's nothing wrong with that...... (just deleted a mini rant, realized I'm speaking to the choir here)

I always give the zons a bit of a treat when I put them back in their cage. Always want that to be a happy place. Right now it's half a pumpkin seed. It started with Cheerios because that's what they wanted. Secrets never fail recovery system is a piece of shredded cheese. In the early stalking days (the bird stalked us) that piece of shredded cheese put on a perch guaranteed that bird would go inside her cage.

If yours doesn't like treats, make it a fun toy. Take a favorite foot toy out of the cage WHEN HE CAN'T SEE YOU DO IT and give it to him when he returns to the cage. You don't want him to see you rob the cage though.

Good ideas. Thank you. And I'm okay with Elvis being an independent bird. I never want to force him to come to hang out with me just for the sake of hanging out with me. I respect what he wants. He wants me with him in the same room, just not with me as in on me. And that's fine. But for the somewhat challenging bedtime. Any other time he's fine with going back in his cage. However, his not stepping up creates issues for like vet visits or I would like to take him to some of the parrot rescue events, etc. I think he would enjoy them and enjoying seeing/being around the people who cared for him before he came to us. So I feel like my inability to get him to step up is limiting his ability to get out more and interact with more people. (And then the whole pet sitter issue.)

 

[DQTimnehs]

I would worry about getting nails done, getting them to the vet, beak trims (if necessary) and emergency evacuations if ever needed. I am certainly far from prepared for the latter as I am afraid how it would got to even practice an escape drill but really, we should all be able to get everyone out quickly. I suppose you can go in with a towel and grab the more difficult ones if necessary but I would hate to traumatize them and lose trust as well.

 

[sunnysmom]

I would worry about getting nails done, getting them to the vet, beak trims (if necessary) and emergency evacuations if ever needed. I am certainly far from prepared for the latter as I am afraid how it would got to even practice an escape drill but really, we should all be able to get everyone out quickly. I suppose you can go in with a towel and grab the more difficult ones if necessary but I would hate to traumatize them and lose trust as well.

I agree. And I have thought about in case of an emergency what would I do. For his vet check up, I did have to pick him up and put him his carrier (with my hands, not a towel- he really doesn't bite). And the vet did the same when the appointment was over. He didn't seem to mind a lot actually. I suspect this was how he was handled before. But I would prefer not to have to do it that way. He actually was really good during his nail and beak trim. Unlike, my sweet Sunny who would scream the entire time his nails were being trimmed. My vet even commented on what a good bird Elvis was. I suspect that I'm perhaps just battling years of mishandling or no handling. And when I think about that and how good he actually is, I feel really fortunate- and then guilty because I feel like my inability to train him better is restricting him. Sigh. We'll get there somehow..........

 

[Clueless]

MC screamed bloody murder during the second nail trim. All other birds were great and quiet that day......they had to convince me that no, it doesn't hurt him.

Now a days, Secret screams "help me, help me" while MC gets his nails done.

I asked hubby to tape it last time but because he was there with him, guess Secret knew they were fine and resisted the monologue that amuses the girls that do the nails.

 

[sunnysmom]

MC screamed bloody murder during the second nail trim. All other birds were great and quiet that day......they had to convince me that no, it doesn't hurt him.

Now a days, Secret screams "help me, help me" while MC gets his nails done.

I asked hubby to tape it last time but because he was there with him, guess Secret knew they were fine and resisted the monologue that amuses the girls that do the nails.

LOL. That's funny. Sunny would start screaming as soon as he saw the clippers. So he wasn't screaming from pain. He was just screaming because he was mad. One time, the vet was showing his tech how to trim nails and trimmed them slower than usual. Sunny was so mad that when it was done, he climbed up on my shoulder and completely told the doctor off. My vet at first was shocked to have this little fluff bird clearly yelling at him and then he started laughing and said - "I guess Sunny has a lot to say today- and none of it's good." LOL.

 

[DQTimnehs]

Don't feel bad! Elvis has a long back story and some baggage and he is still a very good bird! Do you mean you picked him up with your hands on the sides (his wings)? And he's ok with that? Does he have any foot issues that could make him unwilling to step up?
Sometimes (not too often) if Tiki doesn't step up and is on the floor I will scoop her up with my hand from underneath. She is like a little ball though with no tail and no flight feathers so it is pretty easy to do and I can't say she loves it but doesn't complain too much and I right her ASAP and let her step on my finger once she's up.
And Quack when she resists, I will gently hold the tip of her beak with one hand and she will then step on the other hand more willingly. It also prevents me from getting bit if she were in the biting mood.

 

[sunnysmom]

Don't feel bad! Elvis has a long back story and some baggage and he is still a very good bird! Do you mean you picked him up with your hands on the sides (his wings)? And he's ok with that? Does he have any foot issues that could make him unwilling to step up?
Sometimes (not too often) if Tiki doesn't step up and is on the floor I will scoop her up with my hand from underneath. She is like a little ball though with no tail and no flight feathers so it is pretty easy to do and I can't say she loves it but doesn't complain too much and I right her ASAP and let her step on my finger once she's up.
And Quack when she resists, I will gently hold the tip of her beak with one hand and she will then step on the other hand more willingly. It also prevents me from getting bit if she were in the biting mood.

Yes, I pick him up with my hands/thumbs over his wings and under his body. He's not upside down though. He doesn't love it but he also doesn't bite me when I do it. I look at his feet all the time and they seem fine. He climbs, jumps, hangs, and grabs my fingers with his feet. He just doesn't want to step up. When he wants to come to me, he jumps on my shoulder. And his new favorite game is: call to me, jump on my shoulder, let me walk to the couch and fly back to his cage. And repeat. Again and again. LOL. But I do it because it's exercise for him and he needs to build up his wing muscles I think from his wings being clipped before.

 

[Monica]

Cockatiels can be quirky birds. I've used seed and pellets to work with cockatiels, and later on, millet, too.

"Self-Tamed" Cockatiels | Avian Avenue Parrot Forum


When I was using a double flight cage, I taught Casey to station on the door for head scritches. I didn't use treats at all! Just head scritches! I wasn't even intentionally trying to teach her to station there when the door was open, it just happened. Rather than her out flying around the room when I needed to get out of the house for work in the mornings, she learned to sit at the door and wait for her head to be scratched.

 

[Mizzely]

So Bobber has been here 2 years and still doesn't step up LOL

Can you teach him to go back home instead of having to step up? All of my birds have learned "Go home" rather easily so even if they don't want to step up, I can still wrangle them fairly easily