Training your parakeet works to build trust. And training him to sit on your finger gives you a way to remove your parakeet from its cage for exercise or cage cleaning. Talk or sing to your bird softly to help him get comfortable with you. Allow him to check out your hand as you drape it in the cage. Never grab at your bird. To start training, press a spare perch against your bird’s abdomen. Say the UP command. Press hard enough so your bird steps up on the perch. Practice this often. Move your bird on the perch around the cage to get him comfortable. Follow the same procedure but with your finger on top of the perch. Eventually you’ll be able to use just your finger. Take your bird out of the cage while on your finger for a few seconds. Increase this interval over time. For more information, contact your Oshawa, ON veterinarian.