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How often do your parrots refuse/decline a step up request?
- Thread starter Saemma
- Start date
Mine all have their moments. I have learned who is the most likely to cause trouble and have them out when I don't need to be anywhere.
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Twister always steps up.She might refuse to get off my finger occasionally when she knows Im putting her up though.
Nacho and Pikachu dont step up at all .Peaches steps up most the time but occasionally in her cage she gets a bit fussy so I just let her alone.
My son is teaching Biskit to step up and he does about half the time now.But he hates me since I trimmed his wings.
Nacho and Pikachu dont step up at all .Peaches steps up most the time but occasionally in her cage she gets a bit fussy so I just let her alone.
My son is teaching Biskit to step up and he does about half the time now.But he hates me since I trimmed his wings.
Pikachu is a great name.
that.
All my big birds step up for me darn near 100% of the time. All except for Moby, occasionally. But all my other guys step up perfectly. I cannot recall a time when one of my big guys (other than Moby) refused a step up command.
As I said in another thread, Moby gets shy of my boyfriend if my boyfriend stands anywhere within 6ft of Mobys cage. Moby will run back and forth ontop of his double macaw cage. I have to use the T perch or chair or just climb his cage to get him to come to me. Silly boy.
Now that's for the Stepup COMMAND. And command it is. I tend to ask my birds "Come'here?" Or "Wanna come'ere?". And 50% they refuse. Maybe 80%. LOL. Except when its bed time. My guys except Moby, are good about willingly coming to me when I ask them if they wanna Come'ere for Bedtime.
I can live with it
As I said in another thread, Moby gets shy of my boyfriend if my boyfriend stands anywhere within 6ft of Mobys cage. Moby will run back and forth ontop of his double macaw cage. I have to use the T perch or chair or just climb his cage to get him to come to me. Silly boy.
Now that's for the Stepup COMMAND. And command it is. I tend to ask my birds "Come'here?" Or "Wanna come'ere?". And 50% they refuse. Maybe 80%. LOL. Except when its bed time. My guys except Moby, are good about willingly coming to me when I ask them if they wanna Come'ere for Bedtime.
I can live with it
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Momto3boys
Rollerblading along the road
Cosmo will 99% of the time, onto my hand or a perch, Nyka will 80% of the time but lately shes been a bit bratty and we've had to work a little harder.
Now Elliot, he will step up 100% of the time if we do it right, if hes in his cage, I open the door, he comes out and up to the top to look out the window in the bird room, I let him look out for 10 seconds or so then I tap onhis cage door and say "okay, come here" and he will, once hes on the cage door he will generally step up without any problems.
On his play gym I have to call him over to a certain perch (java tree). he will not step up (or down) from his atom or boings (generally).....as soon as I say step up he will run to that branch and put his foot up so now I just put my fingers on the perch and say "come here" and then once he gets there I tell him him to step up and he will.
Tiko will only step up for me if hes on the floor and Im rescuing him.
Now Elliot, he will step up 100% of the time if we do it right, if hes in his cage, I open the door, he comes out and up to the top to look out the window in the bird room, I let him look out for 10 seconds or so then I tap onhis cage door and say "okay, come here" and he will, once hes on the cage door he will generally step up without any problems.
On his play gym I have to call him over to a certain perch (java tree). he will not step up (or down) from his atom or boings (generally).....as soon as I say step up he will run to that branch and put his foot up so now I just put my fingers on the perch and say "come here" and then once he gets there I tell him him to step up and he will.
Tiko will only step up for me if hes on the floor and Im rescuing him.
i havent had the chance to read everyone's responses yet but i wanted to throw my two cents in before i finish getting ready for work....
my marley will OFTEN refuse to step up. i got him without the foggiest idea of what i was doing and didnt teach him properly. its 100% my fault. of course, marley is only 147 grams so when he refuses i scoop him up. an indignant bite from him is less than impressive to me, tho.
skittles refuses a step up on occasion. he is not a candidate for scooping. i will encourage him to come to me with either a towel or with my 'lance' (4 foot dowel rod with coke bottle taped to it) that i use for ollie. skittles wont step on the lance most of the time, but he will come to me when i put it near him.
ollie very very rarely refuses to step up but he only steps on the lance. he NEVER steps on my arm/hand. like skittles, i use a towel to encourage him if there is no choice in the matter.
caleb has refused a step up on occasion (tho more often he refuses to step off). with him, i can scoop... surprisingly. even tho he's a large bird, i can scoop him up when he wont step for me.
twiggy will ALWAYS step up for me. she has never refused it. unfortunately, this makes it difficult to tell if she's coming to me cause she wants my attention or if she's simply obeying orders.
my marley will OFTEN refuse to step up. i got him without the foggiest idea of what i was doing and didnt teach him properly. its 100% my fault. of course, marley is only 147 grams so when he refuses i scoop him up. an indignant bite from him is less than impressive to me, tho.
skittles refuses a step up on occasion. he is not a candidate for scooping.
i will encourage him to come to me with either a towel or with my 'lance' (4 foot dowel rod with coke bottle taped to it) that i use for ollie. skittles wont step on the lance most of the time, but he will come to me when i put it near him. ollie very very rarely refuses to step up but he only steps on the lance. he NEVER steps on my arm/hand. like skittles, i use a towel to encourage him if there is no choice in the matter.
caleb has refused a step up on occasion (tho more often he refuses to step off). with him, i can scoop... surprisingly. even tho he's a large bird, i can scoop him up when he wont step for me.
twiggy will ALWAYS step up for me. she has never refused it. unfortunately, this makes it difficult to tell if she's coming to me cause she wants my attention or if she's simply obeying orders.
Ziya has mastered the art of the step-over. She's a good bird, usually, and she knows what I want... it's just that she has such a one-track mind and she's so stubborn. It usually happens when she's doing something she's not supposed to and I try to move her - I'll put my hand out and tell her to step up, and she lifts her little foot up... and steps right OVER my hand and continues what she's doing. 
But if she's not focused on something else, I'd say she steps up a good 90-99% of the time.
But if she's not focused on something else, I'd say she steps up a good 90-99% of the time.
Kiwimommy
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Only Shoji and Sillybird step up. Sillybird will only step up if she's not on her cage and needs my "rescuing"
Shoji steps up almost all the time unless he's just in a grumpy mood. Then he pretends he doesn't hear me or see me..
Shoji steps up almost all the time unless he's just in a grumpy mood. Then he pretends he doesn't hear me or see me..
Clueless
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What an interesting question.
Secret will step up on the T stick I use - but sometimes will put one foot there and one foot on the food dish and hang on to both for dear life. If I drop the handle of the stick it usually makes the parrot realize that like teenagers "either in or out".
MC? Only in the evening - not during the morning. He's a stinker. He knows that morning is his shower time and although he loves a bath, he wants to dictate when he comes out. Nothing like an amazon to behave like a 2 year old.
Secret will step up on the T stick I use - but sometimes will put one foot there and one foot on the food dish and hang on to both for dear life. If I drop the handle of the stick it usually makes the parrot realize that like teenagers "either in or out".
MC? Only in the evening - not during the morning. He's a stinker. He knows that morning is his shower time and although he loves a bath, he wants to dictate when he comes out. Nothing like an amazon to behave like a 2 year old.
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- Bichlien
Mr Bubbles always wants to step up for some reason....I can always get him off really high places easily.
Chaucer will refuse 1 out of 5 times to step up...then I have to either coax him or ignore him by leaving the room or say hi to Mr. Bubbles...then he steps up with no problems.
Chaucer will refuse 1 out of 5 times to step up...then I have to either coax him or ignore him by leaving the room or say hi to Mr. Bubbles...then he steps up with no problems.
solo
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- jess
None of mine know "step up" as a command so I get refused many times a day 
I never wanted it it be a command so I just offer and if they want they can come and if they don't ... Oh well at least they are happy entertaining themselves
so I get refused many times a day I never wanted it it be a command so I just offer and if they want they can come and if they don't ... Oh well at least they are happy entertaining themselves 
Ralphie always steps up (FOR ME ONLY)
Dexter steps up about 50% of the time without a bite.
Bubbles steps up about 50% of the time other 50% he flies away in a panic, he's still afraid of hands from his previous owner.
Twitch I maybe get 10% of the time a step up, but he's still trying to figure out how to step up with his foot.
Dexter steps up about 50% of the time without a bite.
Bubbles steps up about 50% of the time other 50% he flies away in a panic, he's still afraid of hands from his previous owner.
Twitch I maybe get 10% of the time a step up, but he's still trying to figure out how to step up with his foot.
I am having the same problem with my GCC that you are having with your new Hahns... she used to step up, but now runs across my shoulder, down my back, on my head...wherever she can get away from the hand!
What's the best way to thwart this behaviour??
My male eckie always steps up actually he prefers to fly to me on command instead of me walking to him. My female eckie will step up 60% of the time the rest she will give me a look I step away and ask her a few minutes later and she will do it... with her it is respecting when she wants to be handled and when she wants space. My GW always steps up or I stand there until he does since he is a baby.
Only two of my current eight cockatiels step up as most of them are rescues from people who did not want them any more and they were never handled. About half of them are now trained to step up on a dowel, but that can be hit and miss as well. Both lovebirds do step ups, but you have to put up with the nip after they do step up. None of the three budgies step up, again, rescued unhandled birds. Neither of the GCCs like to step up. I am trying to dowel train them currently. Emmie CAG will only step up if he feels he would be safer if he did; otherwise it is bites! Everyone is learning, but it takes time when you get a new influx of birds to form new flocks.
Sunshine Senegal steps up almost every time I ask. Right before bedtime she tries to get me to scritch her instead of step her up, but that is par for the course!
Sunshine Senegal steps up almost every time I ask. Right before bedtime she tries to get me to scritch her instead of step her up, but that is par for the course!
When Pita was a baby he was great...stepped up all the time. Now he only steps up in different places. If he's in or on his cage, no way.
In fact I had a really bad week with him around 2 weeks ago. He was flying to me and biting me. Got my lip really really bad, still healing, much as I hated it, I got him clipped. A minor clip, he can still fly but not get alot of height. I started stick training him, and now where ever he goes he's on a perch, and he fights with it for about a second, then steps up.
I had no choice with the clip. For 7 years I swore I wouldn't clip him, but things were so bad with him, I was ready to rehome him, and that would have killed me. Now he's much more quiet, gets alot of out of cage time, and on the occasion he does end up on my shoulder, he isn't bitey.
In fact I had a really bad week with him around 2 weeks ago. He was flying to me and biting me. Got my lip really really bad, still healing, much as I hated it, I got him clipped. A minor clip, he can still fly but not get alot of height. I started stick training him, and now where ever he goes he's on a perch, and he fights with it for about a second, then steps up.
I had no choice with the clip. For 7 years I swore I wouldn't clip him, but things were so bad with him, I was ready to rehome him, and that would have killed me. Now he's much more quiet, gets alot of out of cage time, and on the occasion he does end up on my shoulder, he isn't bitey.
itzmered
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Jasper pretty much always steps up for me. Tango it depends on what he wants to do, if I use a firm voice with him then he knows I mean business and will. Kind if reminds me of my kids
Elvis will step up most of the time, the only exception being sometimes at night, to go back to her cage. If that happens, I go get Mr. Stick and a treat, and she steps up
Zoe is the same way--night time is the only issue. But, she's really good about coming to me when there's a kerfuffle or something. I can always count on her to come to me then, so she's the one I'll try to extract from a conflict.
Liam steps up onto his stick 100% of the time But, hands are another matter entirely, ha.
Patrick thinks stepping up is for sissies, and he'll only do it once in a while. Luckily, he'll usually go where I ask him to go (for a treat), which makes it not worth fighting over. We get along fine overall--he just uses his own steam.
Jewel will step up if she was going that direction anyway (say, coming out of her cage or going to see Patrick), or, otherwise, if she can *see* the treat. Not a problem. I'm in a habit of saying, "Jewel, look *show*, step up." I respect her requirement of there being something in it for her.
The Hahnsies are just like the large macs and will step up for anything except night time. I use treats to get them into their cages every night. Luckily, they're very food motivated.
Keene has her moments when she wants to be stubborn about going back to her cage, but is pretty good overall. I'd say 80%.
Zoe is the same way--night time is the only issue. But, she's really good about coming to me when there's a kerfuffle or something. I can always count on her to come to me then, so she's the one I'll try to extract from a conflict.
Liam steps up onto his stick 100% of the time
But, hands are another matter entirely, ha. Patrick thinks stepping up is for sissies
, and he'll only do it once in a while. Luckily, he'll usually go where I ask him to go (for a treat), which makes it not worth fighting over. We get along fine overall--he just uses his own steam. Jewel will step up if she was going that direction anyway (say, coming out of her cage or going to see Patrick), or, otherwise, if she can *see* the treat. Not a problem. I'm in a habit of saying, "Jewel, look *show*, step up." I respect her requirement of there being something in it for her.
The Hahnsies are just like the large macs and will step up for anything except night time. I use treats to get them into their cages every night. Luckily, they're very food motivated.
Keene has her moments when she wants to be stubborn about going back to her cage, but is pretty good overall. I'd say 80%.
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