A wooden dowel rod is custom fit inside the aquarium and set about one inch from the floor of the aquarium.  The baby is placed inside the small aquarium with weaning pellets and a water dish.  I physically place the bird on top of the perch so it can begin to use its unique feet that parrots have,  (2 toes forward, 2 toes backward)  They are very curious as to what they have in front of them.  They usually will wrap their claws around the perch.  In less than a day, the baby has mastered how to perch.

After one day of playing on its new perch, I raise the perch one more inch higher.  The baby is not worked with for 2 or 3 days.

I observe the baby's behaviour daily, and in 2 days, the baby parrot prefers to perch on the dowel rod, rather than stand on the floor of the aquarium.  This is when the baby will learn on command to "step up".

For young parrots, the method is different.  You see, we don't reward the baby with a treat, because they trust us fully.  Why is that?  Because we handfeed our babies and they rely on us for everything.

Once the baby has mastered its perch, I simply offer my index finger to the baby.  If it's a baby Macaw, I will offer my wrist.  At this point, the baby doesn't know what to do, so I slowly move my finger (or wrist) under the baby's belly just above its feet.

In my experience, most babies will place one foot on top of my finger very cautiously.  Patience is key here.  I make sure I have time to work with them, so it is not rushed.  They are used to their perch which is stationary and not a moving object. 

Because we handfeed, they trust me and therefore they naturally take a step onto me.  If they don't, I gently coax them, or sometimes I need to place them on me the first few times.  They are quick learners.

I work with them for about 15 minutes each time saying "up" when I am offering my finger or wrist.  When they step onto me, I reward them with a "good bird" - very enthusiastically.  Within about 10 seconds of them being on my finger, I place them back to the dowel with a "down" command.  When they step back onto the dowel they get rewarded with a "good bird".

Repeating this daily ensures a good bond and the baby has learned to step up. 

In the next article, I will reveal my techniques to train an older bird how to step up.

Mike VanKirk

Michigan Parrots