Training to fly to finger?

[rae]

Has anyone managed to do this?

I'll admit I don't have much experience beyond observing behavioral training at the zoo, but that wasn't with birds as small as budgies.

I would be amazed if I could pull it off, but it would be very useful to recall them from places I have trouble retrieving them from. I only thought about it after seeing a slow motion video from The Animal Behavior Center on facebook. It was just a demonstration, not a training video.

[OP]

Not to my finger, but certainly to my arm or back of the hand. Whiskers will not step up on to the finger. The trick is to get budgie to know what you want. Start from say the top of the cage for just a short distance. Use which ever command you want, just use it always. Plenty of praise so the budgie knows what is wanted. Gradually move away using the same command. If the budgie fails move a little closer and try again.
I don't need a command now I just offer my arm and on most occasions Whiskers will fly to it. He is the only one out of the four that does it. If the budgie trusts you then you will have no problem.

[rae]

Funny enough I can get Basal to fly away from me with a slight command. I'll try it in reverse.

[OP]

Well yes, you could say it backwards.