Please help.

Hello,

On the 28th of October I got an untamed, aviary cockatiel. I have been told it is a female and around 3 months old. It has now been eating from my hand for about a week, but is still quite scared of my hand. It has not been out of the cage and has not been on my finger as a perch. When I go to hand-feed it, it is quite alert and very slowly comes to it.

Could someone please give me some advice? I am not sure what to do and when to let it out of the cage. She has stepped on the opening of the cage twice now, but decided to not come out and went back into the cage.

Thank you.

If she's eating out of your hand, guess what, you actually ahead of the curve.....

don't put a clock on this....talk to the bird, birds are very auditory, like dogs are into smells.


1) always be calm, if your already feeding from your hand you've got a HUGE head start.

2) open the door to the cage and put your hand on the edge with food, Don't ever go into the cage after the bird.....in a few months she probably won't care less, but for the cage is a force field even from you....

3) anyway food on hand, hand resting near door...make bird come to you then heres the hard part, don't respond, other than good bird and your so smart and all that....sitting on your hand needs to be encouraged but also just everyday life....no movement.....

I think you will pick up the routine from here....just do baby steps

I'm dealing with similar thing. I've had my budgie for 10 months and I'm still trying to tame her. Although, I'm happy to let her be herself.

Since you haven't had the bird for that long, you've made great progress already if she eats your from your hand. It will take time for her to come around and open up to you.

I leave my cage doors open when I'm home, and let them come out whenever they want, and they go back in whenever they want.

Sent from my Galaxy s8

Hello and welcome to you and your new cockatiel.

Your cockatiel has likely not had very much human contact (being in an aviary and all) and that is why it is scared. Getting it tame (able to step up on your hand) is certainly possible but it will simply take time. Where is her cage being kept? She should be in a quiet room for the time-being to help her adjust. It is probably safer now for her to be in her cage as it can be quite frightening to them to be chased around a room when you want her to go back in. So for now I would not let her out.

Continue to offer food with your hands. You can even feed her through the cage bars. It will be a process, mind you, and will take several weeks to months, but if you are consistent and committed, it will pay off in the end.

Here is a thread you should check out: Tips for Bonding and Building Trust Hopefully it will help you. At this time work slow and go at her pace. Always end every interaction on a positive note. Try to move slow around her, as aviary birds can get spooked easily by fast, unpredictable movements. Tell her where you intend to go before you go there, and keep your hands still and always try to be very calm while working with her.

Hi!

I had a very similar experience with my cockatiel. She was hand-reared, but was not handled for a couple of months and had become quite afraid of hands as her breeder mishandled her instead of asking her to step-up onto his finger. You can read my little story here if you are interested!

Do you have a play stand? It is very important for your birdie to know that it is safe both in and out of its cage. This sense of security will greatly improve your bond with your cockatiel, as she will know that your space (i.e. out of the cage) is also her space. Try to coax her out when she is a bit more settled, but do not chase her or force her to come out. You can put the play stand nearby with lots of toys to attract her to leave the cage. However, I think you shouldn't do this too soon, as you don't want her to get stressed easily. At the right time though, this will be a good option.

You are on the right track hand-feeding her - really, this will just take a lot of patience. It took about a month for my baby to feel comfortable around me, and it really depends on the individual bird. You can start to vocalise "step-up" every time your bird puts a foot on your hand to eat, which will begin the process of teaching your bird how to step onto your finger.

Here are some general steps you can follow to familiarise your bird with your hand and voice:

1) You could spend about 2 weeks sitting next to or near the cage talking to her for about 1 hour a day, and if you can, even longer. You can keep the cage door open. You can talk about anything really - it will help for her to adjust to the sound of your voice. Keep your tone friendly and upbeat - parrots love animated emotions - just don't be so enthusiastic that you scare them.

2) After this period, I recommend familiarising your bird with the idea of your hand OUTSIDE the cage. Touch and hold your hand on the left side of the cage for a few minutes every day for a week, and then repeat this process for the right, front, back and top of the cage (so right side for a week, top for a week, etc).. See why this will take a lot of patience and time.

3) Next, you should be able to familiarise your bird with your hand INSIDE the cage. Similar to the above, you can start by placing your hand on the left side of the inside of the cage for a few minutes every day for a week, and then repeat the process with the right, front, back and top of the cage. Your bird may at first shy away from you, but as she realises that your hand is non-threatening through this repetition, she will become less afraid of you.

4) Once your bird appears fairly comfortable with your hand in and out of the cage, you can offer them seed, millet, spinach, apple or any other treat/food that they like using your hand, like you have been doing. This is a great step. food=trust, and it is very important for you to let your bird know that they can trust you in this way.

The hope is that your bird will eventually feel comfortable enough to actually step onto your hand and eat seed and/or other food from your hand. This, coupled with a smooth transition into out of cage time, will help to strengthen your trust bond. This takes a lot of patience - every bird is different. It could take only a few weeks, or a couple of months - persist and persevere though! It will be so worth it in the end. As I said, I relate - Berry was timid and afraid, and now she loves cuddles and scratches far more than my other two birds who I never had to tame!

Good luck, feel free to update us or ask any other questions!

reeb now your just showing off

clark_conure said:

reeb now your just showing off

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just trying my best haha... I love helping people where and when I can!

Thank you for the help guys. I will surely take this in mind, and try my best to tame Polly. She has also recently started singing, whereas in the first 2 weeks all she did was scream in one pitch all the time. I have noticed big improvements, and am hoping for more. Again, thank you for the help and I will try keep you updated on how Polly is doing.

Great advice... and great support and camaraderie.
I'm glad you're here, Karol... gee what's her name? Can we get a photo of our new co-member, please?

Her name is Polly, and I will post a picture tomorrow.

Yes please! Would love to see!

Here she is

Polly, you are gorgeous!! Love all her pearling along the back of her head. What a doll. Thanks for sharing!

Very pretty...and VERY alert! Hat way up in the air,looking right at the camera.

I was very fortunate when I got my little BB from a breeder..He was 4.5 months old,and he picked me. Out of the four Normal Grey's that were ready to go to home's that day,BB was the only one who paid attention to me and hopped right onto my fingers when offered.
The very first day he was sitting on my shoulder comfortably.
It took him a few weeks to start to vocalize..little chirps and a whistle or two.

Now,not quite two years later,he talks well,has learned the andy griffith/addams family themes..wolf whistles and loves his uncle dj and uncle joe.
Just give your little Polly a little time to settle,show her love and affection,talk to her,and you will be sooo surprised and happy the love and affection a little 88 gram of fluff will give back!
I'd be lost without the Beebs and my Amy!




Jim

KarolF said:

Here she is

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She is GORGEOUS!

nice mellow accents on the cheeks typical of a female....and nice crest!

UPDATE:

Polly is now basically fully tamed. She goes on my hand, loves head scratches and is really funny. She even turns her head around and makes me scratch her neck/under her beak.

Awesome news Karol Just a little time and TLC will do it. I never thought of being "owned" by a little Cockatiel in the 50+ years I have been in love with birds (wild and companion)..
If I had any idea on what a little 'teil could be like,I would have had one ions ago It doesn't take much to make one very happy and loving and charming lol.




Jim