what age to train step up?

[Guest candismalli]

How old do Greys learn step up? My 8wk CAG is all of a sudden fearful when being picked up and will have a death grip on me, drilling his claws into my skin, lol. I was wondering when they can understand step up?

[Kimijean]

At only 8 weeks I'm guessing he doesn't perch real well yet? I wonder if the fear comes from now understanding the concept of falling? I have no experience with greys, but the birds I have hand fed step up well by the time they are perching well. And all these birds would do it sooner than a grey just because they grow/mature/wean faster/sooner.

 

Kim

[Life is Greyt]

I agree with KimJean. I'm no expert since I watched from the sidelines as my breeder expertly raised my baby,but when Chickie was still little, before she could perch, my breeder recommended that I sit in a chair with a towel over my lap and hold her in my lap. She would offer get nervous and I would just cuddle her close or cover her with the towel, as coached by my breeder to do, and that would help her calm down. I dont remember what age she started perching at, but even then I was taught to offer my whole hand flattened out and perpendicular to the ground, if that makes sense, because it would look like a more stable base to Chickie. We still pick her up this way when we ask her to step up. Hopefully someone with more experience in raising greys will have more info.

[Guest candismalli]

thank you both. I do have Charlie on my lap in a towel, and he does love having me cover him & cuddle him. whenever my kids want to hold him I bring Charlie to them while they are sitting and he stays in their lap. He keeps climbing up to my shoulder, but I just keep bringing him back down to at least my neck where he likes to cuddle too.

[pikachu]

We got to visit with our CAG until she was ready to come home.

At first, we held her on our lap on a towel.

After she could perch well, we started working with her on "step up".

Be consistent. Say 'step up' each and every time you want her to step up.

Practice step ups from hand to hand, person to person & then finally perch to hand, etc.

 

When you want to put her down, say 'step down'.

[Luvparrots]

At first, we held her on our lap on a towel.

After she could perch well, we started working with her on "step up".

Be consistent. Say 'step up' each and every time you want her to step up.

When you want to put her down, say 'step down'.

 

Great answer pikachu.

[snoepgoed123]

once your guy will start to perch is when to start training step up, start by having him on your hand over the couch, like an inch off the couch... remember that this is a new sensation for him because his first perch is a solid stick that doesn't move while your hand is incredibly unsteady

[kins2321@yahoo.com]

YAY! Stepup training, is the day your baby comes home! It is an ongoing process, from the moment they walk in the door.Sophie greets me at the door, with her foot in the up position. So do pups. They kinow I will pick her up first, then they go outside. They are ok with this. Nancy