How do you get a parrot to step onto your hand when you put it next to him?

Some dude: How do you get a parrot to step onto your hand when you put it next to him?
I’ve had a princess of wales parrot and two budgies for nearly three months and they still bounce around in the cage like ping pong balls when I get close to them. (except the parrot) I’m trying to get them to perch on my hand when I place it next to them. How do I do that? Also, how can I tell that I can take all of the birds out of the cage without letting them fly away?

Answers and Views:

Answer by Alma B
my daughter has a parrot she just says step up and the parrot do step up on her hand or shoulder

Answer by audrey_halley2004
getting a little bird treat to the bird to train him/her to go on your hand. Get only one bird at a time so the rest doesn’t escape.

Answer by Casey W
i was at the pet store once and i said to a bird ”here birdy” and sure enough it steped on my hand.

Answer by redrancherogirl
My mom’s bird is trained to “step up” as well. It just takes patience. You should try getting one out at a time to get them used to being handled, and that way they’ll also know you’re not trying to hurt them when reaching in the cage.

Answer by starletta
Hello I know that if you take a piece of cracker break it off and put it between your fingers and hold tight not releasing until the bird steps onto your hand it works a lot better but if the bird isn’t use to being around people you may have to work with him.Try crumbling crackers in the palm of your hand and letting him step into your palm,then try the finger trick.Let the birds get use to the room you have them in for about a month,then make sure it is secure,try taking a bowl of crackers,fruit,mainly berries and put them on the floor a plate may work better.After doing this for about a month they should be OK ,as long as no open doors to outside or windows.

Answer by Minerva
I had a lorikeet that used to do the same thing. It really just took patience, getting them used to you. Keep persisting as they will get used to you in the end. Try hand feeding them treats that they will like. My bird used to like cut up grapes or toast as treats. When they associate your hand with food, they will be more likely to perch on your hands. Once they have done that, you can teach them to step by placing your finger slightly higher than the one they are on. They will naturally want to go to the higher perch. Make sure you say “step” or something similar so that they associate the word with the action.

Answer by medicalkat
Teaching a parrot to perch, means teaching the parrot to trust you first.Treats do help with the process.If he is not afraid of your hand.If this is the case,,teaching him to perch on a hand held perch,not normally in the cage, is the first step.A parrot will use his beak to see if something is safe before he steps onto it.He may even bite it first.This is very normal.It takes alot of daily practice.You need to gently put the stick(extra perch) up to his chest area if he will stand still.apply small amount of pressure,,but do not push him over backwards.They will step onto the stick, to keep their balance.When at this level,,repeat over and over for days.Do not try to remove him from his cage until he seems comfortable doing this.Once again,,it can be a long process, but eventually your hand is replaced by the stick.And remember he will test your hand for stability before standing on it.

Answer by Mac
If you are persistent enough, you can train a parrot to do just about anything. One thing I’d like to point out: No gloves. It might be tempting, but don’t use them. Most parrots freak out when their owners try to get them to do a trick with gloves on. Think about it:
Parrots are caught and stuffed into cages by people wearing gloves. they will not be happy to see gloves again. So do not wear gloves. Also, don’t use crackers to try to lure them onto your hand. get a soft baby spoon and put peanut butter or apple sauce on it. That way the bird can’t run away with the food, it has to stay and try to lick it off. Introduce it to PB before trying to get it out, though, so it knows what it’s trying to get from you. if the birds are afraid of you for now, they won’t try to escape, because you are standing at the opening, but when they learn to trust you, if they are comfortable with their living conditions then they won’t have a reason to fly away. But if you’re worried about it, get their wing tips clipped and keep the door to the room they’re in shut, so they can’t get very far. Hope this helps!

Answer by inconsolate61
I raised several birds from parakeets to as large as cockatiels, although nothing as large a a parrot. Still, the principles are the same.

1 Make sure the Vet had pulled the pilot feathers or trimmed the wings. It is important for the birds safety that this be done. The birds are not outside now, and unlimited flight will simply have them crashing into things and hurting themselves. Properly trimmed wings allow the bird limited flight, and soft landings.

2 Keep the birds in cages large enough to allow them to spread their wings without touching the sides. If the birds get rattled. which they will from time to time, they can flutter their wings without damaging themselves. Also birds nead to streach from time to time , just a we do.

3 Place the cage in a quiet area with an open view of the room,no drafts and no sudden or percussive noises, please. It is best for training, and training will be faster, if the birds are separated out of sight of each other so they cannot see each other or keep company. Otherwise they will spend Most of their time with each other and pay little atttention to your efforts.

4 Leave them be for a few days to get used to their new home and environment.

5. At this point, you have the birds undivided attention. It sees you when you feed it, and ascociates you with its care and well being. Talk to the birds. They should exhibit curiosity about you, and approach the cage side you confront. Watch for signs of easing tension. You should be able to tell when the birds are ready to train.

6. Begin by hand feeding the birds, talking to them as you feed them. Use their pet names. If the birds are very Obdurate about being hand fed, remove the seed feeder from the cage, and present that to them only by hand to get their feed. You must be carefull to see they are not underfed if you choose to try this. You might watch how much they eat in a day and provide only 2/3 of this amount freely available in the cage, and supply the remainter daily in a hand feeding session,. You are limiting the things the birds can pay attention to by this, which is a very important part of initial training.
Something to remember. Birds are used to seeing non-bird things fall from up to down, but not from down to up. Move slowly around them and always move your hands from high to low -never approach whiping your hands UPwards to them. Use no fast movements.

The birds will associate your voice, and your hands with being fed and will come to accept them, and you, fairly quickly. At this point you may even have problems keeping them from jumping on your hands to feed.

7 Once the bird seems unaffected (perhaps even distainfull) by the presence of your hand and intregued with your voice: Garner the birds interest with your voice and slowly bring your hand down to press up against the lower breast of the bird, pushing up slightly. This makes the bird naturally try to step up on your finger
If it is used to your hand, and unthreatened by it, it will step up on your finger. Always let the bird step up by itself. Think about how you prepare to step up on a ladder. Do you want the ladder smashing up against your legs and disrupting your balance , perhaps moving around and “soft” to your footing? Neither does the bird, who has his own balance to maintain.
Once trained to repetivively step onto your finger, and used to your companionship, they can be rejoined to the larger community cage if you wish, and fed normaly. Just see that daily attention is paid to them, and they will not forget their training.

Most bird training requires these three things.
1.The attention of the bird. Birds train poorly or not at all when distracted. Thus separating the birds for training when possible is a good idea.
2. A goal that the bird wants. Initially , this is almost always food.
Once it comes to depend on you for company and play, scritches on the back of its head or other behaviors become rewards too.
3.consistency, Use the same training vehicle, or method all the time, and be sure to reward the correct behavior often.

Answer by warn_terr
I know this will sound crazy but it works.

You need to either rent or buy a pirate costume, but not just any costume. Make absolutely sure it has the optional pegleg and eye patch features.

Parrots are attracted to this particular ensemble which is why you always see pirates arrayed like this with a parrot on their shoulder. The tri-hat is an added bonus, and if you say “ARRRRRRGGGGGHH! POLLY WANT A CRACKER?” you’ll win your parrot’s heart.

Answer by me
well, first you need to get him use to you. try spending more time around his cage. put your hand in the cage and once they get more use to you slowly start inching your hand closer every time. then you will get to the point that you can put your hand right next to him. after that it is time for the next step, touch your hand to your bird’s chest and say “step up.” when he steps on your hand tell him “good boy” in a soft tone. he might not trust you right away so don’t take him out of his cage just yet. do the same thing that you did when you were trying to get him use to your hand, but this time do the opposite, slowly start inching him out or his cage.