Budgie Training: What comes next?

Hi ! I started to train them to go on my finger in the door with millet, and now they don't have to see the millet to know they are getting some, they just hop on my finger! I tried the stick training technique but they weren't motivated enough...they go crazy for millet! the one day I guess I pushed one of them just a little to far from their comfort zone because she was eating millet, and I was going to make her climb to the top of her cage to get it because she was facing my hand in the door by hanging up side down and she flew out (wings clipped but still startled me a little) and we had to get her back in, I gave her some millet apologizing for the miss hap, I tried ending it on a positive note that way, and today shes making greater progress... also, that one day, she got a little exercise.. :) I was wondering, what should I do next with out pushing the birds to far out of their comfort zone? I would like to get to the point to taking them out of the cage without them fluttering off, can you give me some advice?

Neptune2012-07-27T18:10:53Z

Favorite Answer

It's great you progressed that far! Most people give up -.-

Anyways why were you trying to get her to go ontop of the cage to get it? I would reccomend clicker training. Buy a clicker at a near by pet store and look up how to use them for birds. The idea is that whenever an animal does something positive, you click them and reward. (in your case with millet)

That way you can progress. For example, the first few days you can click whenever they get on your hand. Next you can click for being on your arm, then your shoulder, then staying there... you get it :)

Also clicker training is very useful for tricks. Once they do a trick you click and they know exactly what they did correctly.