Training Your Bird the Easy Way

When training you parrot, the "Up" command is the very first behavior you should train your bird. Whether you have a tame parrot that is just weaned or have an older, untamed parrot, the process is still important. It's a question of good manners to teach this parrot training method!

The process for training your parrot behaviors is much easier when training a hand-fed parrot than training a parrot that is not tame. When you work with an untamed parrot, you'll find it works best to use a spare perch or untreated wooden dowel which is rather long. This will allow the parrot training session to begin without the parrot being asked to step onto your hand at first.

I suggest training your bird outside his or her cage. Sometimes that is impossible and in those cases, you can train your parrot inside its cage. It helps if the cage has a big door so you can move the dowel inside the cage easily. Of course, you should choose a dowel or perch sized properly for the species of parrot you're teaching.

The second step to watch for when training your parrot, during that very first session; simply place the perch below the bird's breast and above its feet. Say the word "Up" clearly but not loud or your parrot might be startled or scared. As you say the word, move the wooden dowel slightly forward so that your parrot will place a foot on the perch and step onto it.

Once your parrot has successfully stepped onto the perch, or even placed one foot on the perch at first, offer praise. Let your parrot know how pleased you are with love and treats. These steps should be repeated for approximately 10 minutes per session you spend training your bird. If possible, 2 parrot training sessions every day are best. It is not effective to hold one long session. If you can only train your parrot once per day, limit the session to 10 minutes.

Consistency is the key to training your bird! It is important that you do not allow your parrot to refuse to perform the behavior after it has stepped up the first time. You want your parrot to understand that this is something it must do when requested.

When training your parrot let your bird know that you will provide treats, love and attention when the bird steps up. Each time the parrot does the behavior, let it know you are pleased. Treats can be used, but never rely entirely on treats; praise is the greatest reward, especially for tame parrots.

As your bird gets comfortable stepping on the perch, you can slowly shorten the distance from your hand to the parrot. When training untamed parrots, do not shorten the perch more than one each week or you could stress the parrot, causing loss of trust. Progress slowly but surely toward your parrot training goals.

As training your bird progresses, a point will be reached where the distance from the parrot to you hand is quite small. Then next step is to ask the parrot to step directly onto your hand or arm. This parrot training step is a big move for your bird, so be patient and loving.

How long training your parrot this behavior requires depends on you, your consistency and your parrot. If the parrot has been stressed or made afraid through abuse or trauma, it can take a long time. If your parrot is simply unfamiliar with you, you must prove to it that you won't hurt it and the process can occur quite quickly.

When training your parrot that was hand-fed, you can count on the entire process taking a short time - in fact, you'll probably start at the final step with the parrot stepping right onto your hand. I recently brought a just-weaned budgie home. He was not hand-fed but very young and trusting; he was learned the "up" command within a week and consistently performs the behavior whenever requested.

Be sure to watch your parrot's body language for clues to the level of trust and level of comfort with the parrot training activities you are doing. Your parrot will generally communicate its comfort level using body language. You simply have to pay attention to the clues.

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