How to Teach Your Parrot to Step up
Training your parrot is an important part of parrot ownership. As with other pets, an untrained pet parrot can never fulfill its full potential as a companion. Unlike other pets, parrots are not domesticated and can quickly revert to a wild state without regular interaction. It is vital your parrot steps up for you dependably. Stepping up onto perch arm or finger is a part of his socialization process. It’s also an issue of safety for your parrot. Should an emergency happen such as a fire your bird’s life may depend on a reliable step up behavior.
Stepping up is a skill that needs to be practiced daily. Without daily practice your bird can quickly revert to untrained behavior. To begin teaching this skill to your bird, place your arm, finger, or a perch of the appropriate size in front of your bird. Gently, slowly but with steadiness press against your birds’ lower abdomen.
He should step up onto the perch immediately. If your bird steps up praise him lavishly saying “good step up”. Use the same command each time and practice this daily. When returning your bird to his stand or other perch, say the word perch each time. Your bird will begin to understand what you want him to do with repetition.
If you bird refuses to step up, try enticing him with his favorite treat in the beginning. Possible treats your bird will work for include grapes and sunflower seeds. Save these foods for training purposes and do not include in your birds regular diet. This will encourage him to work with you. When you’re not training, these foods can be returned to your parrots’ diet. Eventually he will associate stepping up with good things and should do this for praise alone.
Be aware your parrot uses his beak as a third hand and may “beak” your arm or finger to check for the “steadiness” of his perch. This is normal and it’s vital you be a very steady perch or your bird may develop a fear response. Practice this skill daily. Have your bird step up from different places, onto different perches and for varying people, Daily practice in stepping up will help keep your bird socialized.
Remember to be consistent with the command word you use and reward even small movements towards cooperation. If your bird tends to nip you can substitute a perch for your hand or arm. Just be sure you hold it steady.
Before you know it, your parrot will be stepping up reliably.
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