Hand underneath

I’ve been trying to train my cockatiel, Atlas to step up, but she screams at my hand, finger, forearm, perch or anything that goes under her head. Is there anyway to help her get over this fear and trust my hand underneath her?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

my bird sometimes does that sometimes but with biting instead of screaming.
i slowly pet my birds head, and then neck, slowly moving down so they do not worry. if this does not work, then i would recommend trying to train them by putting treats or food they like (i would recommend sunflower seeds maybe?) under them, but just barley under their head not all the way to their belly. also, when u pet them stroke them softly. tell me if it works!

yuko said:

my bird sometimes does that sometimes but with biting instead of screaming.
i slowly pet my birds head, and then neck, slowly moving down so they do not worry. if this does not work, then i would recommend trying to train them by putting treats or food they like (i would recommend sunflower seeds maybe?) under them, but just barley under their head not all the way to their belly. also, when u pet them stroke them softly. tell me if it works!

Click to expand...

I have definitely been trying the whole food under her things. She’ll eat millet and other things right out of the palm of my hand but will stretch her neck out to do that. She’ll eat the food if I had food under her as well, but if I try and touch she’ll get angry. She’s still a baby so she doesn’t really know how to bite, but she will touch me with her beak as a warning. As for the petting. She likes her chin and cheeks to be scratched but, when I do this she manages to flip her chin to the top so I won’t be near her chest, but I’ll definitely keep trying both of these things and working with her!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

You can lure her to step up for treats or scritches. Don't force the behavior! Teach it!


I had to "teach" my first cockatiel how to step up. It wasn't that she didn't know how to step up, she just figured that each time I asked her to step up, she was getting scritches! So I had to teach her that stepping up equals scritches!

And I've worked with budgies and cockaitels using food and treats as rewards, to teach them to step up and trust me without using force.

MonicaMc said:

You can lure her to step up for treats or scritches. Don't force the behavior! Teach it!


I had to "teach" my first cockatiel how to step up. It wasn't that she didn't know how to step up, she just figured that each time I asked her to step up, she was getting scritches! So I had to teach her that stepping up equals scritches!

And I've worked with budgies and cockaitels using food and treats as rewards, to teach them to step up and trust me without using force.

Click to expand...

Oh no! I would never use force. I have heard of doing that to train her, but what ends up happening is she pecks my finger when it gets in her way and then leaves ;^^ she lets me give her scritches and feed her in any which way, but if my hand or finger or forearm has nothing to offer she gets angry ;^-^


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

If it helps


[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUx81WHTUwk"]1 Bird in hand Leads to Many - YouTube[/ame]


[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlSm4uFZzVU"]More Budgies!!!! - YouTube[/ame]


[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9w9w8nMRmw"]Hesitant Faye - YouTube[/ame]


[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rH9ZWxhCSAE"]Not So Hesitant Faye - YouTube[/ame]



[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjKmHswgiHs"]Cockatiel Feeding - April 24th - YouTube[/ame]

MonicaMc said:

If it helps


1 Bird in hand Leads to Many - YouTube


More Budgies!!!! - YouTube


Hesitant Faye - YouTube


Not So Hesitant Faye - YouTube



Cockatiel Feeding - April 24th - YouTube

Click to expand...

Oh thank you! I’ll definitely watch these!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk