Need help from all bird owners!!

Hello, my name is Riya, and im 13 years old. The reason that I am on this forum, is because im struggling with taming my pet Cocktails, Kiwi and Rio.
I have two Cocktails, one normal grey one, and one white faced.
They are about a year old and I bought them from the same pet shop, how - ever, the pet shop could not tell us the sex of the birds so that's still unknown but i assume that they are both boys.
Also, I have them for about 6 months now.

The problem is that I cannot tame them. I have tried everything. They are very scared, and when I try to touch them they fly away. Kiwi, can step up on my finger when out of the cage, but still runs or flies away when I try to stroke him, and when he is on my finger he looks very scared and immediately jumps off. Rio hisses, bites and runs away when I get near him. Sometimes, when I hold out a piece of lettuce Kiwi would slowly edge towards it and start eating, but would get scared by any movement I make. Rio is also very aggressive with Kiwi, and would hiss and bite him every time Kiwi got too close. Once I tried touching them in the cage but all they did is go to the other side of the cage or flutter around. The are calm when I am in the same room as them and they are ok with me being half a meter away.

I don't want to give them away because they are very nice birds. They love too sing and I always let them out of their cage so they can stretch their wings. I feed them, and give them water and clean their cage and I don't know what i'm doing wrong to make them scared of me.

What i'm thinking of doing, is buying another cage and moving Kiwi up to my room so I can regularly train him and be by his side, and sometime letting him go to Rios room and play with him. And when he is tamed I can bring him back and then do the same with Rio. Is this a good or bad idea? All I need is some help and tips for taming them, and making them not be scared of my hands.

Thanks,
Riya

Hello to you Riya and to your cockatiels!

If you upload a picture or video of them, I can help give you an idea of gender. If they are a year old that means hey have been gone through a molt and pictures can sometimes help figure it out easily.

Here is a great thread I recommend you read through. You are not the first nor the last one to want to tame your bird. Tips for Bonding and Building Trust


Understand that birds are not going to be like cats and dogs, who usually love attention and love to be cuddled and stroked. Birds are prey animals and really have no reason to trust people. It is good that you can get Kiwi on your finger, but you moved much too fast to expect him to allow petting. Birds don't usually like being cuddled unless they are very close with their owners. In the parrot world this is referred to as a trust bond, and it sounds like you are moving too quickly with your birds.

Try to make every single interaction a positive one. For now I would NOT separate them. Instead, focus on building your trust OUTSIDE the cage they are in. Sit near them and talk softly. Do crafts. Read to them. Move slowly so they don't get spooked. Once they relax in your presence, you can offer a treat through the bars of the cage. If they are still cowering away from you, they still need more time. The key is to work slowly, (may take days, weeks) and eventually you work your way up to having your hand in the cage with treats in it. That should only be attempted once they are very cal with you around.

Once birds no longer try to get away from you and they climb on you to get to the treats in your hand, then you can begin work outside the cage.

Thanks so much!! Im not sure how to post a picture tho.

Mariam said:

Thanks so much!! Im not sure how to post a picture tho.

Click to expand...

You'll have to use a website like Flickr or Imgur to upload an image to from your phone or computer and then you can use the link for it to post the picture here.

Can we also see a set up of the cage and such?

I just upload my pics to the forum album. Go to user CP and select albums and it should let you upload pics.

Welcome to the forums, Riya! The "Tips for bonding and building trust" link is a great place to begin. Though I am not experienced with cockatiels, Kiwi and Rio's rivalries may be interfering with your efforts.

As others have suggested, an outside hosting service such as Imgur is most helpful to post images. This link from our Technical forum gives great explanation: http://www.parrotforums.com/technical-support/6287-how-post-pictures-6.html#post718293

Good luck, let us know how things are going!

Beautiful flock YumGrinder

I'm glad you're here, Riya!
I really like your attitude and energy.
Stick with us and you'll be a real PARRONT (parrot parent) before you know it!!

Three cheers for Riya!!!!! HOORAY!!! You are awesome for trying to work with them and even more awesome for coming here to learn more. Sadly, most people don't try or they give up quickly and blame the birds. YOU have just taken the first and more important step towards Happy Parronting. (Parront = Parrot Parent, Fid = Feathered Kid)

First off, I want to reassure you that your little fids aren't scared of you because they are bad birds or because you are a bad parront. This is just how it is with parrots in the beginning for nearly all parrots. These little guys don't yet know how wonderful you are, but they can learn. You are getting excellent advise here. Please do check out that thread about building trust.

Second, I also want to reassure you that your patience and your efforts WILL be worth it. Once you gain their trust and form a bond with a parrot, it's the most wonderful thing. I still feel so lucky and so happy when my little conure flies TO me and snuggles up to me. The incredible love a parrot can show to their Parront is such a precious, deep, and happy happy thing. So, don't get frustrated, don't get impatient, and DON'T GIVE UP!!! Also, the harder something is to earn, and the longer it takes, the more rewarding and satisfying it is once you have earned it. Trust me.

Good luck Riya!!! Post pictures and keep us updated please. I would love to hear more about how it goes and offer any help and advice that I can.

Good going! At your age this is how you learn. I can only offer advice on how my GWM reacts to people your age..

Riya, I have 2 boys who are now in their mid twenties. I remember their personality as they were growing up. They are different now than they were then.

Right off the top, my suggestion, or first thought is to be as calm and subdued as you feel you can possibly be, or think you will be, as you get older. Your parrots can and will grow with you. however, any furtive motions or loud sounds may attract their attention .. not in a positive way. You may grow out of that if you have it now..

I am well into my 50's and I know, that if I am not acting in a calm subtle friendly manner, he will pick up on it right away. So I have to put myself in a self imposed time-out, then try again..

My point to the above is, that small humans who Rudy (my GWM) has never seen or met, small adults who are scurrying around, who are loud, thats when I need to separate all of us... I have great success with explaining to parents that Rudy has only ever known adults and I think over time, he will adapt. The parents then ask the children to uh.. relax... the interaction continues on a positive note.. Id guess 95% of the time!

In one years time, Rudy and I have interacted with thousands of people. Rudy sees 10x more dogs than small people..

I dont know if I have gotten too technical with you. I just thought I would throw out my own personal experience.

I'll end with, I know that there are others on here who have likely had a different experience with the aforementioned.

Perseverance pays off. Dont give up! Try every thing once, the things you like, try them twice!

Hi Riya! Welcome to the Forums! One thing you might try is to gradually teach the birds not to be afraid. What you do, is walk just one step into their room, and see how they act. If they seem ok, not afraid, take one more step toward the cage. Keep moving forward one step at a time until you see them react nervously. At that instant, take two steps back. Wait to see if they calm down. If they don’t, walk back out of the room and wait until they are relaxed again, then start over. Take a step into the room. Then another. As long as they stay relaxed, keep walking forward one step at a time. Any time they get nervous, stop, take two steps back, and wait for them to relax. When they relax, take another step forward. You get the idea. You are letting them get used to your approach, so they learn that they don’t have anything to fear from your approach.when you can regularly walk up to the cage, start walking up and sitting next to it. Don’t look at them or try to touch them, just sit at first. You can read out loud to them in a calm voice, too. Eventually they should be relaxed with you sitting there. Now is the time to bring a treat, something they like and something you like, and slowly eat it while they watch. Maybe they will come over and ask for some, too, and you can give them a bit. It may take while. There is an old Latin saying I love: “Festina Lente” which means “make haste slowly”. If you rush the birds, and push them into a situation where they are nervous and fearful, it will take a long time to tame them. If you go very slowly, you may find they learn to trust you faster in the long run. Good luck!

Treats and bribery help a lot! Just saying!


http://www.parrotforums.com/questio...-birds-hinder-taming-progress.html#post721640

Hi Riya. Can I ask how you get them back into their cage? If they always fly back on their own thats great, but if you have to chase them back in, or towel them ( cornering them and wrapping with a towel) those are BIG BIG trust breaking actions, and must stop.

Thanks everyone! I will be posting pics soon

With Kiwi, I put him back in the cage on my finger, but most of the time they will go back in themselves

How are your parents with the birds? do they behave around your parents? The reason I ask is sometimes people can be a little timid and afraid and the bird (or any animal really) picks up on that. If they do stuff for your parents, you might just need to relax before you go to handle them. Meditation and mindfulness.

If they aren't tame for your parents either then the birds...yeah still wild children but they can come around no problem. Some people are just gifted with it, sometimes it takes a lot of work, think about ceasar Milan the dog whisperer. Just be very calm, know you're in charge, loving, talkative...and they will come around. Read the tips on bonding and also...

You came to the right place, everyone here will do anything to help.

update on Kiwi and Rio

Thanks to everyone who replied! Its been a lot of help. During the past week, I have taken some people advice about taking a step further to their cage every day, and just sitting in the room and talking to them. I have seen a lot of improvement! Now I can come very close to their cage without them running away, and they don't get scared when I come in the room. Also people have said to go slowly, and be patient, and I think it is working!

Some people asked how I get them back in their cage. They mostly go in by themselves and I close the cage door, or when im leaving the house and they are not in their cage I take Kiwi on my finger and put him in the cage, and Rio later comes in. Also, some people asked if they were scared around my parents or other people. My parrots scared of any other people like my brother of friends, but they are ok with me and my dad, because we spend the most time in their room and we look after them.

Also, I ordered a clicker and a training stand, But im not sure were to put it. Shall I put it on top of they cage? or on the table?

I have also uploaded some pics of Kiwi and Rio on my album, and if you want to see anymore just ask!

Thanks for all the support! Will post my progress with Rio and Kiwi every week.
Riya

YAY!!! That's GREAT news!!! I'm so happy to hear you are making progress. Your patience and devotion is truly wonderful. Keep us posted.