- Hey everybody, Jamie Leigh here from BirdTricks.
BirdTricks, BirdTricks, BirdTricks.
If you can't tell, I'm from BirdTricks.
And I have with me my Camelot Macaw, Comet.
Today, he's gonna help me demo
the techniques that I am about to talk about.
And I'm gonna be talking about stepping up today,
stepping down, stepping back,
all the different variations of step up
that I think you guys are kind of either underutilizing
or not really understanding
or maybe actually misusing altogether.
So we're gonna talk about the different types of step ups,
step downs, all the things,
and dial in on what's best for you and your bird.
(upbeat music)
So I think what gets really confusing about all of this
is what do we mean by step down versus step off?
To me, stepping down is legitimately stepping down.
To some of you, stepping down might mean stepping off of you
and stepping down from you because you asked for a step up.
Now a step down is when they come off of you.
So don't get too confused by the lingo.
Just look at the technique.
I'm gonna zoom in
so you guys can really see what's going on with Comet
where he might be more hesitant based on my actions,
and just kind of really dial it in for you guys
so you can see what birds are more naturally inclined to do.
Just so you know, as a disclaimer,
birds like to step up onto a surface
versus reaching down to a surface.
So if you're asking your bird
to legitimately step down to a lower surface,
usually you might get quite a bit of hesitation
versus being able to step up,
especially birds who maybe have balance issues,
want to use their beak, maybe they wanna lean,
just all of that is more possible and easier
when they can step up onto something.
Would you like to come here?
Okay, so I'm going to zoom the camera in
so you guys can really understand what I'm talking about
when I show you all of these step up, step down,
step off behaviors.
Mwah.
You're so cute.
(Jamie kissing)
Okay, anytime I ask my bird
to go off of me and onto something else
I want the something else
to be higher than where my bird is.
So, for example, if I'm going to ask him
to step up onto this,
I am gonna have him lower.
My hand was lower than that perch
so that he gets to go up onto this.
You're getting paid, buddy.
Don't worry.
You're definitely getting paid for this.
So same thing when I'm asking him to come to me.
It's much easier for him to step up onto something
versus step down.
So I am gonna show you guys what it looks like
for him to try to reach for me if I'm lower.
Do you see how off balance he is?
He's not quite sure.
It's taken him a little bit of regripping.
It didn't look pretty, right?
It's not as easy.
And this is with a bird who's very willing to come to me
but is kind of like, what the heck is that, man?
So again, higher, much easier for them.
I'm gonna show you again
what that lower stepping down onto me looks like.
Oh, sorry bud.
I confused you.
So stepping down.
And Comet, now he's kind of getting into a rhythm,
but you can see where the hesitancy would be.
He's like, man, this is awkward.
Bring it closer and bring it higher (laughing).
Oh boy.
(Jamie kissing)
You're being so awesome.
So I know a lot of you might say
that you might have a hard time getting your bird
to step back onto something.
So I'm gonna show you what it looks like
to use a little bit of luring.
So I want Comet to go onto here.
I'm gonna show him the treat
and he's going to go onto that perch
so that he can gain access to that treat.
That's luring.
Luring is when the animal can see the food in view.
They understand that they're going to get the food.
So if I was gonna use luring for the step up
I would show it to him and offer my hand.
And he knows that he's gonna get the food.
Not using luring would be no treats in sight,
offering the queue,
and he just knows that eventually he's gonna get the treat
because he knows that this is a trained behavior.
So again, to use luring to get them to go onto something,
you're gonna show them the food the whole time,
position them where they step up onto something
so that they can then reach the food.
Luring is a great training tool,
and sometimes it's really necessary
to get that initial behavior,
but it shouldn't be something that you use long-term
because the bird isn't technically learning anything.
So you wanna make sure that you transition from luring
to training at some point.
The other tool that you can use
if your bird is hesitant to go to the surface
that you want them to
is targeting.
It just means that your bird touches the end of the stick.
So I'm gonna show you what it looks like to use targeting.
You can use it for both stepping up onto you
or onto another surface.
So again, it's much like luring
where they just have to step up onto that platform
to be able to touch the target,
which means they get a treat.
So same thing with stepping up.
You're gonna show the target
and offer your hand
so that your hand is a way
that they can then touch that target to earn that reward.
You get a big one for that, bud.
You're being so good.
So one of the questions I get a lot is like,
hey, what if my bird doesn't wanna do it
for the treat that I have,
or my bird's not willing to do it for the treat that I have.
Your treat probably sucks, you guys.
So number one is always diet.
It always comes back to diet.
If your bird is on a healthy diet
of my seasonal feeding system and my organic pellets,
it ups the treat value immensely.
Now suddenly that nut or that seed
that was maybe like a 5 out of 10
is a 9 out of 10 in treat value.
So always look at treat value
and make sure that the treat you're offering is enough.
So, for example, if you're scared of heights
and I say, well, I'll pay you a dollar
to jump off that building
or go on that roller coaster that you're so scared of.
You'd be like, yeah right.
Not worth it.
But if I offered you $100 grand
to go on that roller coaster,
and I said it's only 45 seconds of your life.
You'd be considering it.
You'd be like, hmm.
So think about what you're offering
and if it's worth it enough
for your bird to do that behavior.
All right, so I am gonna switch to using this flat surface
to just kind of show you guys what this looks like
a little bit differently.
Except you pooped on it.
So now I need a baby wipe.
(beeping) Hold for the cleaning crew.
(beeping) That's me.
(beeping) Okay,
so I'm gonna zoom in on this
so you guys can really see what this looks like.
And we'll see if Comet's hesitant about any of this.
So from a flat surface
he's stepping up onto this.
Now flat surfaces that are slippery,
like this one could be,
I'm going to ask for the bird to step down onto the surface
because if I ask for a step up, I'm not gonna get it.
Even if I'm pretending to lure
he doesn't wanna do it because it can be slippery.
He's just not gonna, okay?
So this is where you do need an actual step down
and you're on top of the surface
and you're just setting them down onto it.
And that's because it's a slippery, slippery surface
and they just don't trust it otherwise.
However, the step up is still the same
because if you ask for a step down off the surface
I probably won't get it.
(Comet scraping)
Right?
He just can't do it, you guys.
It's just mean.
He can't reach.
He can't do it.
A step down is ridiculous right now.
It's not cool.
Okay?
So step up.
Good job, buddy.
You're the best model ever.
And going down, again,
I'm gonna show that to you guys a little bit more.
We got a step up
and then the actual step down.
(Comet stepping)
And I actually prefer to rest my hand sometimes
on this surface
just to make it really stable
'cause this is so slippery.
Again, step up, rest my hand,
and it's a step down.
And all I'm doing is opening my hand
so that he knows my intention is to let him
go down onto the surface.
If your bird does not wanna step down or step off of you,
it probably means that you're more reinforcing
than the surface that you're asking them to go on.
So that's where you might need to use luring
or just make this
highly awesome.
As you can see, I was showing him the treat there.
You just need to make this more reinforcing.
So whatever you can do.
If you need to put the treat on the table,
that's another thing that'll work.
I'll show you what it looks like.
So if I put the treat on the table,
then of course he's a lot more likely to go
'cause he's just looking at that like yeah, of course.
Good job, buddy.
And again, going back down.
(Comet stepping)
So that's the time I use the step down.
I don't really use it on a perch,
although with my birds, I definitely can.
But with most birds I work with...
He's already like get me onto a perch, man.
This surface is way too unnerving.
I will show you guys what this looks like.
And I'm going to cut off Comet so you can really see.
So if I'm gonna ask him to step down
it's gonna look like that.
Good job.
So you definitely can ask for the step down.
The whole point of this video
is just for you guys to be mindful
about when your bird can do it successfully
and when it can't.
And it's really the step up that matters.
So asking them to go up instead of down is really important.
I feel like a lot of people get to their level
and they wanna come in here and ask for this,
or even at the same level or down,
and it's just very awkward for the bird, you guys.
It's so awkward.
And you don't know what their intention is.
So it's really important
when you're asking for these step-ups
to ask the bird to actually go up.
And you can even use a treat
so all the posturing is up
and the attention is not on your hand
because what I see a lot of people do
is they'll hold the treat right by the hand
and then they're scared because the bird wants the treat
and all the attention's down by the hand
and they aren't sure if the bird's gonna bite them
or actually step up.
So again, super important to have the treat upwards
so that the bird's attention is up.
But I'm gonna show you what the wrong posturing looks like.
See how his head is down by my hand
and I wouldn't really be able to tell
if he wants to bite my hand or if he wants the treat?
That's why you wanna hold it up
so that it isolates the head from the foot.
You guys can dictate a lot of the posturing of your bird
by where you hold the treat
because that's where the attention goes.
Dave talks about this a lot
because in magic you use a lot of misdirection
and a lot of direction,
like where do you want the people to be looking,
at what time?
And so this is really important
for being able to tell your bird
where you want the attention,
and it creates this really nice posturing
of a tall bird instead of a hunched over bird
when they go to step up.
So again, treat is up,
that way it's just a really clear step up,
you know the bird's intention.
You're good to go.
So again, if you are getting hesitation
on either the step up or the step down
or going back to a spot,
just know that one of those is more reinforcing
than the other.
So if Comet didn't wanna step off of me,
I would start needing to place a lot of reinforcement
for him stepping off and going off of me.
I would need to probably use bigger treats or more treats,
whatever that looks like.
And vice versa if he's hesitant
about actually stepping up onto me
but is very excited to get down.
So just understanding where to place the reinforcement,
how much reinforcement to place there
to get the behavior you want
is extremely important.
The other thing that I hear people struggle with
is like, yeah, this is all great and dandy
but when I go to put my bird back in the cage
is when I get the real struggle.
Again, that means that you're probably utilizing the cage
moreso as punishment than a place of utter enrichment,
which is what a cage should be.
It should be like their bedroom so to speak.
It should be a place that they really enjoy being.
And they equally enjoy coming out to spend time with you.
So there should be a healthy balance to all of it.
Thank you for being so patient.
So some of the things that you can do
is structure meal times
around when you know you need to put your bird in.
If you can't do the two meals a day like I recommend,
maybe you have a smaller bird,
break it into four meals.
And that way, that morning meal,
instead of just being one meal
has two halves that are served at different times
so that your bird more easily
looks forward to going inside its cage.
You can do it with the pellets.
You can do it with seasonal feeding.
You can do it with a jackpot reward.
You can do it with treats, a foraging toy,
anything that your bird deems worthy enough
to get him to go into the cage.
So, whatever that is for your bird, use that.
Okay, one last tip that I'm gonna go over.
Comet is obviously already trained
for the handling that I prefer,
which is staying on my hand.
However, if you have a bird who likes to travel,
who gets onto your hand...
I'm gonna try to set Comet up to do this actually.
I know he's been really good.
He's gonna wonder what I'm doing.
So normally I would pick him up and hold his feet.
I'm gonna try to get him to travel.
There we go.
So say you have a bird that just naturally does this.
As soon as you step them up, they just travel
and wanna go close to your arm, close to your shoulder,
even maybe shoulder rush.
The important thing is that you just condition your bird
that like, hey, the treat comes from being over here,
and get them as close to your hand as possible.
Can you move over?
Good boy.
So that was a really small approximation.
It was a single step.
But I want him to understand that that's what I want.
Can you come over here?
You gotta take a step.
Good boy.
So that was this foot
went over and closer to my hand.
So
just remember that instead of having them step up,
immediately wander, and delivering the treat over here,
make sure that you're delivering the treat over here
and get them to just come as far as they're willing.
Don't wait for a perfect
like you better be on my hand,
I need to be able to hold your feet.
Yes, that's what I do with my bird,
but that's the goal.
You don't get there in a single repetition
of working on this.
It's really something that you condition your bird
to accepting.
So as far as you can get them over.
You saw that Comet took a single step with each foot.
That was good enough for me to just say good
and give a treat
so that he knew that he was going in the right direction.
And then from that point on,
I don't actually have a treat in my hand
which I think he knows,
but you will just lure more and more and more
until they realize that every time I step up
I don't receive that treat unless I'm on the hand.
And you can always reset if you're just like,
oh, this has gotten all out of whack.
Just put your bird down and try to reset
and try to have them on your hand.
And again, reinforcement comes really far.
I'm not holding his feet,
but I am directing his attention
over here
so that he's staying on my hand
even without me holding his feet
so that he understands like this is where I want you.
I don't want you to move past this.
And if he seems like he's going to,
just remember to deliver the treats out here
and eventually you'll get to the point
where you can hold your bird on your hand
and you can hold his feet
and you can flip him over
and you can kiss him.
(Jamie kissing)
Okay, but that's a different video.
Oh yeah, you scored today.
That was easy stuff for you, huh?
(Jamie kissing)
All right, guys.
Well, I hope this video helped you in some basic handling,
step up, step down, step-offs
with your bird
and how to better utilize these
and set yourself and your bird up for success.
A big shoutout to Kim on my customer service team
for sending me this topic video
because a lot of you have been asking about it in email
and I just wanted to show a demo
because sometimes it's much easier to see the concept
than it is to read it or hear it from somebody.
It's just a little bit easier
when you actually get some examples, some visual examples,
especially from somebody so cute and handsome and yellow.
(Comet grunting) Whoa.
(Jamie laughing)
I squeeze you too hard?
(Jamie kissing)
I just love you.
You did such a good job.
Thank you, Comet.
Don't forget to like and subscribe
for more parrot-related videos
and leave a comment down below
on the next topic you want me to do a video on,
and maybe I'll do it.
(upbeat music)