Hey guys! Tehillah here.

Welcome to part two of Teaching Your Bird The ‘Step Up‘ Command.

Last week we covered the area of getting your bird used to you. That step is really the most important, because if your bird doesn’t feel comfortable with you around, the chances that it’ll learn what you’re trying to teach it, are very low.

Ok, so, following on from last week.

Sit down on the floor and take the cloth off your bird. It might be a little ruffled, so left it relax and become used to it’s new surroundings.
Remember, your bird may try to escape from you, if it does, gently pick it up and bring it back. Never chase your bird around, you’ll only make it frightened of you.

Gently push your hand against your bird’s belly and say the words “step up” or “hop up” even just the word “up”. Most birds will step up as soon as they feel something press against their belly. The moment your bird steps onto your hand, praise it. Say things like “good boy/girl” or “good bird” or even “good [bird's name]“. Make sure your voice reflects that you’re happy. If you yell “good bird” angrily, your bird won’t interpret this as a praise.

Continue to do this until your bird gets the hang of it. This can take quite a while, or your bird may catch on very quickly. In any event, make sure you’re going at your bird’s pace, and not your own. Don’t try to rush things, as this will only stress you and your bird out.

After each training session, when you put your bird back in it’s cage, put some millet or fresh fruit or vegetables in the cage as a treat. Most birds love to nibble at pieces of carrot or apple.
This way your bird will be more than happy to come out of the cage to play, as it expects a nice reward afterwards.

The more time you spend with your bird, the more of a bond you and the bird will have. Teaching your bird to step up onto your hand is just the beginning. There’s virtually no limit to the things you can teach him/her.

Be creative, be patient and of course, have fun! Training your bird doesn’t have to be a chore, it can be fun for all those involved.

Til next time,

Tehillah Poole.

Hey guys, Tehillah here.

For those of you out there who have pet birds, this command might come in handy. Many people have birds that simply sit in the cage all day. There may be one of several reasons for this, such as an aggressive bird, or the owner doesn’t have time to spare to get the bird out. But the most common reason is simply that the bird is not trained, it constantly flies up into hard to get places, just out of reach, and the owner just doesn’t know how to train it.
Keep in mind that any bird can be trained, with a certain amount of patience.

The ‘step up‘ command is a big step in the right direction when training a bird. The aim of this command is to teach your bird to step up onto your hand, or long thin object such as a broom handle [in situations where the bird is out of reach, eg: up on top of a closet or curtain rod] when it’s told to.

Firstly, regardless of whether you’re dealing with a new bird, or a bird that has spent years in a cage on your verandah, you need to get the bird used to your presence before you even think about getting it out of the cage.
To do this, simply spend some time by the cage each day, talking to your bird in a relaxed voice. The more time you spend around your bird, the more accustomed it will become to seeing you around, and less likely to see you as a threat.

Once your bird is used to you being close to the outside of the cage, it’s time for you to get it used to you being inside the cage with it.
Of course by this I don’t mean try cramming yourself inside the cage with your bird, I simply mean it’s time to put your hand in the cage.
Place some millet, or just some of your bird’s food in the palm of your hand, slowly open the cage door just enough to get your hand inside, and hold your hand towards your bird. The first few times you do this, your bird will more than likely back into a corner or flap around in the cage. What ever you do, never chase the bird around the cage, let it come to you.
After some time, and the time varies a lot depending on the bird’s personality [some are much shyer than others], the bird will eventually creep closer to your hand, and may even hop up onto your hand to eat some seed.
Remember, it will take a lot of patience, but having a bird that isn’t afraid of you is the first step to training it, and it really is worth it.

It’s time to get your bird out of it’s cage. During training, it’s always a good idea to have your bird’s wings clipped. It doesn’t hurt the bird in any way, but it does save a lot of time getting your bird down from tricky places. Remember, only the long flight feathers should be cut, and wings should, if possible, be clipped by someone who has some experience with birds.
Ok, so back to getting the bird out of it’s cage. using a soft cloth, remove your bird from the cage, keeping it in the cloth until you’re in the room you plan to train your bird in. A room with few distractions is best, such as the bathroom. Make sure the window is closed and the toilet seat down, we don’t want Birdy taking a surprise bath.

That’s all we have time for this week! Sorry to leave you guys on a cliffhanger.
Hang around and read part two next week!

Til then,

Tehillah Poole.