My parrot won't step up. How can I train it to stand on my hand?

Be patient with him and always move slowly. Try having a treat you know he likes close at hand and ask him to step up by putting your finger under his chest in front of his feet like a ladder rung and push back gently. This will encourage him to step onto your hand rather than have to step back. Use the treat to reward him or, if he's still very flighty, distract him with it when you offer your hand to step up. If he likes being petted, use that as a reward for him too, always moving slowly to avoid startling him. Make sure his cage is located in a quiet, draft-free area so he feels secure and hopefully less nervous.

You are doing fine. Do not rush him or force him to step up. Use other high value treats. This can include grapes, scrambled egg, a bit of a peanut or sunflower seeds. Move slowly and talk softly around him. Be patient. Eventually, he will step up on your finger. When he does, praise and reward him. When he is doing it regularly, you can slowly remove him from the cage. Be sure all windows and doors are closed, fans are off and nobody is cooking.

The best way to encourage this is to break the trick down into smaller steps. First, get the budgies used to you by offering a treat every time you visit them. Then, get them to eat from your hand every time. Next, start petting them every time you offer a treat. Then, you can start putting your finger to their chest right above their legs while giving a treat- most birds will naturally step up from this behavior. You can then start tying a command such as "step up" every time you do this and give them a treat. Any time they seem stressed, frustrated, or scared, returning to the previous step that worked, and trying again from there is best. You may also want to take a break for a bit to let them both calm down and relax before trying again. Also, finding a favorite treat and only offering it during training can help them associate you with good, fun things!

Try starting by getting him to step up with the millet, then removed the millet a few inches away. If stays put, bring millet closer and allow a treat. Gradually you can move the millet further away or for longer periods.

Thanks for reaching out about Tweety. Training is all about persistence and positive reinforcement. Pick her up and place her on your finger and give praise. Offer to step up, if does not, then pick her up and place her on your finger, give her praise. Repeat until successful. Good luck.

Keep at it! Some birds may always be slightly scared, or take a lot more time to get used to it. In some cases, it may be that this is the most your bird enjoys. Some birds may also be fearful while in the cage, but more open to handling outside of it, so if Pebbles has a playstand or something he enjoys outside of his cage you can work with handling there as well.

Hand-feeding treats is actually the major way you can help to tame her. You /do/ want her to expect treats from you every time, because this teaches her that you are a positive thing to be around, instead of scary by chasing her with your hand or finger. So I highly recommend starting to hand-treat her or tossing a favorite treat every time you come by to visit. This can certainly help with bonding and positive experiences. In some cases, a bird may not bond very well with its owners, or may bond in other ways (singing, talking to you, dancing for you, etc). Even if she never decides to sit on your hand or cuddle, you can spend other ways bonding by playing with a toy, talking to her, offering treats, etc to let her know you enjoy being together.