Please tell me where you live.
If it's late what country.
This way I will know what time it is for you.
And just so you know we will be getting your parrot use to you going in his cage. Have a good night.

If/When you get him a bigger cage try and get one where you can access the bowls fr the outside so you don't have to put your hands inside.

Of course you don't want your bird to bird you when you need to care for them in their cage, but as well as training you can just try and minimise the behaviour without stopping it. I have never tried getting my Alexandrine out of his cage, but I'm confident I would get bitten.

I also wonder whether he might feel a bit exposed, it looks like a person could walk all the way round that cage? Apologies if I'm just interpreting the photo wrong. He might feel he needs to really protect his "space" because it's the only safe space he can guarantee for himself.

A bird liking their cage is no bad thing though! Don't work on changing things so much that he loses this security.

As someone here advised, I bought my bird an outside perch to sit on and he absolutely loves it + he isnt so stubborn and defensive when I try to make him step up. I also tried rearranging the perches inside of his cage and threw out the mirror.
(This is what it looks like)
It pretty much helped me when I was struggling to get him out of his cage, so thank you for that!

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Hello and welcome-


I'd move him off the ground and put him on a stand (as that looks very vulnerable).

I would keep him in the part of the house with most activity (not the kitchen though-- even though one shouldn't use teflon/ptfe/pfoa/non-stick ANYWHERE in the same house as a parrot period, but there are many other hazards in the kitchen as well if up-close, which is why I say not to keep him there).They need exposure and socialization-- even if not hands-on, just getting familiar with everything/everyone.


I would get a bigger cage when you are able (look up flight cages).

****Make sure you have him on a sleep routine of 10 hours nightly (bare minimum), as this impacts behavior significantly, as well as immune health (you will have to time your wake-ups/his bedtimes to make sure he is not staying up too late because of your noise by his cage, or waking up too early or too late etc). His cage should be fully uncovered for the whole day, until it is bedtime (this should fairly consistent) --- you don't have to cover the cage if you have a dark room for him to sleep, but consider a night light if he is prone to night frights, because when startled in the dark, some smaller birds will fly into their cage bars..The sleep room doesn't have to be perfectly silent, but it needs to be fairly quiet, or mostly just white noise. Sudden sounds or walking by the cage etc (inconsistent sounds at night= sounds that will wake them/startle them). They may not scream etc, but if you guys are living life like normal with the bird in the room with a cover over it, it's highly unlikely that your bird is actually sleeping under there.

Think of him as a kid with a routine--- solid sleep and light cycles impact mood and immune health a ton. You need to make sure you plan his bedtime and wake-up so that you are still able to schedule 3-4 hours of out of cage time, with at least one being highly interactive (not just petting-- that shouldn't be a constant..think enrichment, dancing etc--at your bird's speed of course-- don't want to scare them).

Do not buy him any huts, tents, hammocks, tee-pees or provide boxes or any even remotely shadowy space (like in your shirt, under a blanket, under furniture)---bad news for hormones.

Also- avoid mirrors, as they can become objects of obsession/hormones. Parrots who like them, like them for the wrong reasons.

If you can get him a larger cage (because that one is honestly too small), then you could also get him more toys/space and he might feel less cornered/protective (assuming you avoid hormonal triggers and build trust etc). Remember, these birds are meant to fly for miles a day and they would normally have a whole flock, plus, they are as smart as a human toddler (3 ish). If you do get new toys, never just shove them in with them because they need to get used to them/be taught what they are first.

This is unrelated to behavior, but I would also switch out those dowel perches for those with more variety in texture (manzanita, dragon-wood or custom from parrotwizard.com etc).Those can lead to a disease called bumble-foot which you want to avoid.

What a beautiful cockatiel!
You can add more outside perches, maybe a rope one, turn the outside of the cage into an play area.
I hope your friendship deepens.
Do offer fresh veggies, greens leafy greens. Bell pepper is usually a big hit.
Will pay off in a healthy bird with a long life.
Keep your story going we would love to hear more!

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" A Smooth Sea,
Never Made A Skillfull Sailor "
Franklin B. Roosevelt
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