Teaching my quaker?

It could be that Iris just needs some time to learn to trust you. Her age and history could be a factor, but most parrots need some time to observe their new environment and flock. Some need a lot of time. If your parents are not making any demands on her, that could be why she seems to respond to them better. Patience is the key with parrots. The link in the first post to this thread might be helpful to you: quakerparrotforum.com/thread/429/good-read-rescues

As for learning her name, it's a matter of repetition. Use it when giving her something good, and she'll get it. My advice is to give her some more time to observe and get used to you. Give her lots of healthy treats, and be calm and positive. I would probably not let her out of her cage a whole lot for now. You don't want to establish flying away from you as a habit. Let her get to know you as you go about your routine, or while sitting next to her cage and talking or reading to her, or whatever.

When you think she's ready, let her come out of her cage, and take her somewhere that will be new to her, like a spare bedroom or a bathroom. Have it already set up for training, with a T-stand or a perch, or whatever you use, and lots of treats. Don't start by thinking "I'm going to teach her to step up." Break it down into tiny increments, start at the beginning, reward lavishly, and don't go to the next step until she has mastered the earlier one. Go only a few minutes at a time, but you can have multiple sessions in a day. Don't get discouraged if you have to teach a step over and over. Always be upbeat with her so she will learn to look forward to training. It's a great way to bond with a parrot.

Hi nizzeh, Iris looks adorable in her photo! Easttex's advice is really good. Bear in mind that quakers can take up to two or three weeks to settle into their new homes, and birds (like all animals) will feel more comfortable around people that are comfortable with them. Do you still find yourself a bit nervous or worried when you handle Iris? If so, this could explain her nervousness around you. The most important thing is that the bird learns that hands are trustworthy. So I agree whole heartedly with Easttex, let her come to you. Establishing a strong training routine can also help; teach Iris to step up in small segments. Maya is clicker trained and it has worked wonders. There's a really good book called 'Clicker Training for Birds' and I also learned a lot from Rebecca O'connor's 'The Perfectly Trained Parrot', which contains a segment on teaching birds to step up.

If she moves towards your hand, reward her, if she puts a foot on your hand, reward her, and eventually, she will learn that stepping onto your hand is a positive thing because she gets a) treats and b) affection. Eventually stepping up will be its own reward.

Patience and compassion are key here. From a bird's perspective, it is surrounded by huge alien creatures with bony tentacles that keep poking and prodding it. The aliens are really strong and seem to control everything, so it is natural for a bird to be a little nervous of new hands. Being out of her cage, or having the option to exit her cage, will be really important and you are doing the right thing. When I first brought Maya home, I opened her cage, sat in a chair beside her and read to her. It didn't take long for her to climb out of her cage to come and see what I was doing, and we still sit in our chair, Maya on shoulder, at the end of the day and read a story sometimes. It sounds a little ridiculous, but the rhythmic tone of my voice taught her that the sight and sound of me is safe and she can trust me. Try some of these tactics before you move straight into stepping up. Good luck!

That's one of their strategies: you fall head over heels before they start giving you trouble.