Tausi's stepping up progress

[Quito's Qage]

We're still working on stepping up. Using the T-stand and hand held perch in the bathroom has been really helpful. He's getting really good with that. As before, the handheld perch works fine. Stepping up to my finger has proven to be a lot harder for him though. He just doesn't feel comfortable with that at all. If pressed, he'll hang on to the perch with all his might, flap wildly, and nip (no broken skin though). Keep trying and he'll fly to the floor rather than step up.

Today I thought to try something a little different, and offered the back of my hand or wrist instead of finger. Never thought to try it before, since it's not like he's a very big bird. But hey, that seems to work a lot better! He'll investigate with his beak but doesn't nip (not as easy to get your beak around as a finger is!) and steps on with minimal fuss. Just may be on to something here!

[Dustin]

Glad to hear there is some progress!

My budgie prefers to jump on the back of my hand rather than a finger also.

I hope, when Tausi flies to the floor, that you take the chance to "save" him. Maybe that would be a time to try to get him to step up to your finger!

[Quito's Qage]

Save him with the perch, yes. Finger = run away, even when he's on the floor. He hasn't flown down since I tried the hand, so haven't had a chance to try that yet. Oh yeah, we're making progress, and I'm not going to sweat it if he never learns to step up to my finger. As long as he's cool with the perch, that'll do for transporting him around. Anything else is gravy. I'll bet eventually he'll get it though.

[poi_lover]

Maybe since he's a baby he's still a little unsteady At least you've found a way to get him to step up on the back of your hand.

[Quito's Qage]

Good point Donna, I believe he is still a bit unsteady. Even with the handheld perch, he often seems unsure of his balance though I'm careful about keeping the ride smooth, and he'll sometimes resort to vigorous flapping. I can see that this is improving though, as he slowly gains confidence. You can notice it in his behavior while in the cage as well. He's getting much more acrobatic with his maneuvers.