Starting from scratch

[cheri1970]

My P'let is about 10 weeks old and I just got her home about 2 days ago. I need all the help and information I can get on how to train her properly. She has had no prior training at all, not even any handling. I have noticed that in the evening, I can put my hand in her cage and she will sit on my finger briefly, (not so easy during the day). I go to her cage several times a day, talk softly to her, using her name trying to familiarize her with me. Am I on the right track? What is the best way to gain her trust so that I can take her out of the cage for some quality time in the near future? Lots of questions but one step at a time :D

[Dave]

Sounds good. If she's already stepping on your finger, that's a big step. Just keep having her get on your finger, and eventually she'll get more comfortable with it. So far it sounds like things are going well.

[musicjan]

A suggestion I read on another board - some birds really like either safflower or hemp seeds. Safflower is available through Drs. Foster and Smith (online) - not sure about hemp. One person really gained the trust of her plet by offering a single safflower seed through the bars of the cage. She later taught that same bird several tricks using a single safflower seed! Since she will let you put your hand in her cage, maybe she would take the seed from your hand -- I understand that mainly it's a matter of building trust.

Jan