taming help

Hi guys,

i need some advice on how to get my cockatiel to trust and like me...

Background Information:
Xena is a 5 month old cockatiel she was already tamed by the breeder and sold to a bird lover who got a job promotion and couldn't work with her and give her time, so he returned her to the breeder. her wings are clipped.

i got her 4 days ago and this is how she reacts

1-she takes millet from my hand if i bring the millet to her, otherwise she doesn't approach.

2-she runs away or peck at my finger when they are near her

3- in the cage she sometimes steps up and then immediately wants to get off, other times she refuses to step up and flees.

3-when i place her on the cage top with some toys to play, sometimes she plays other times she just sits depends if she's in the living room or kitchen (kitchen she plays) but once outside she runs away from my hand when i want to return her to the cage. but she still takes millet.

4-today when i was giving her millet i could brush her chest with my fingers, she would eat and peck me gently. if i try to touch her more, she shakes her head angrily and peck gently.

when i was at the breeder, she would step up, he then would bring her towards his chest and pet her head and back. when i tried it she turned and flew off.

sorry if this was a long post, i just wanted to give as much info as i can, to see if im doing anything wrong and the steps i need to take.

Xena looks to potentially be a young male... that, or a poorly marked hen.


From the sounds of it, you are new to pet birds. With many dogs and cats, they are often eager to meet new people and check them out. Heck, my cats give almost every new person a complimentary cat scan! And Kodi (dog) has to go say hi to just about everyone!

Birds however are different. Parrots are prey, unlike cats and dogs which are predators. To them, new things can be scary. It's been 4 days and Xena may still be getting used to her new surroundings. She trusts the breeder because the breeder raised her. You didn't. You are a stranger. Strange things are scary. It's ok if you can't do what the breeder was doing with her right now. Give her time.




As far as taming her and trying to earn her trust, an easy way to do that is to feed her enough food to last one day - or remove her food dish at night when she goes to sleep. First thing in the morning, offer her millet or food by hand. Allow her to come to you. If she doesn't, that's ok! If she doesn't come to eat from your hand, then replace her food in her cage and try again the next day.


Here is a video of Faye, one of my tiels. She watched me feeding another hen by hand (who watched me feeding 5 untame, flighted, adult budgies by hand!) so she wanted the same behavior. She had food available to her, but she chose to eat from my hand instead. If you watch her body language, you can tell that she's on edge. She's ready to flea at a moments notice, but she keeps coming back for more.


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



In this next video, you can tell that her behavior has changed. She's confident and not on edge. She rather enjoyed this interaction between us.


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

Clipping its wings could definitely help you tame it (so it's a good thing it has been done).

If you only got it four days ago, it still might be a little wary of you. Even though it had a previous owner, you're completely new to it, and it might be a little afraid. I know a guy who had his bird for many months before it even let him pet its head.

1. Giving it millet is a good sign (although you shouldn't keep it on millet for too long. By five months, it should probably be mostly off millet. I understand why you want to give it some though, since you're new to her).

2. That's a defense mechanism. My bird still does that, even though I've had it for over two months now (although it's more irritated with me than defensive, now). Your bird runs because it's almost like fight-or-flight, and it's choosing fight. Your hands are still foreign to your bird.

3. That's something you can work on as you build trust. Praise it immensely when it does get up, even if it wants to get off after. Some people use a chair or something to get it to constantly step up. That way, the bird can't just run away (although, then again, how would you get the bird to a chair in the first place?).

3, part two. Birds, especially young or new ones, are sometimes moody. It probably sometimes feels like playing, and sometimes it doesn't. Maybe it feels more comfortable in the kitchen, or maybe you stand a little farther away when you bring it to the kitchen (they don't always like being watched). Running from your hands... it'll get better over time.

4. Again, it's still wary of you. It's only been four days. I know I wouldn't trust someone much bigger than I am if I only stayed with that person for a few days. It's good that you can even touch it, though.

And about the breeder, this bird has been living with the breeder for a while (when it was young, and again a little later). It's just naturally being defensive and wary of you. Give it a little more time, and try some trust-building things (giving good food, making sure it's healthy, giving it space, letting it roam around if it wants to go, etc.). Don't constantly hover over it, though, because that will make it wary as well.

Good luck (and sorry about the huge outpour of text).

Hello,
I have a sun conure and an african grey. I got the sun conure (chico) from a breeder who did not give the bird any attention, therefore he was really aggressive, didn't even want to come out of his cage and even less let me touch him. I decided to give him some time to trust me without forcing him to do anything he didn't want to do.

I used to get home from work and sit on a stool next to his cage for hours with the cage door open since his wings were clipped, he would stay away from me and didn't come anywhere close to the door until one day after a week or so, he decided to come out and stepped on my hand. From that day on, he doesn't want to be away from me for a second!!

Just give her some time and she will get attached to you. Good luck!

thank you guys immensely . i have only raised canaries, dogs, cats and turtles. so i was not sure how to approach and deal with a hookbill.
The breeder did tell me he suspected once that she might be a male because he heard her sing once. anw i attached some more pics maybe they will give an indication.


After reading your advice

im going to open the cage door for her and let her decide if she wants to go out and play, from now on. i wont take her out myself so she will be comfortable.

im going to take it easy with the step up and trying to pet her, i will let her get used to eating from my hand first, then coming to me to eat from my hand. and eventually i will start petting.

everyone in my family talks to her when they pass by the cage, i will ask everyone to keep doing that.

i was afraid that if i take it easy and leave her to settle first, she might go wild again. its stupid now that im thinking of it


Any other thing i should do?

I think this video can help you overcome your parrot.Here is one good way to tame
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUQHhQD3IQ0"]How to train a parrot: Training my Indian Ringneck with negative reinforcement. Day 2. - YouTube[/ame]
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzJqEu75Zfw"]How to train a parrot: Training my indian ringneck with negative reinforcement - YouTube[/ame]

adoumski, sometimes birds need space. When I got Jayde (red throated conure), she was completely terrified of being on people, but at the same time, she so badly wanted interaction. At first, when I was close to her, she would scramble away in fear but when I walked away she would try to follow me from the top of her cage. It took a few months to get her comfortable getting onto hands, which started from the shoulder! She wasn't comfortable with hands or arms at first but she was ok coming to my shoulder. I had to get her comfortable coming to my shoulder, then I worked on her coming to my arms, then to my hands. Each time she despised the 'new area' I was trying to get her to touch so much that she would stretch as far as she could to avoid it. Now she steps up onto my hand or flies to me. She's no longer terrified of being interacted with.

When Jayde came here, I didn't force her away from her cage. Instead, I moved the cage around the home so she could be with me without leaving her safety net.



Here are some blog posts by Barbara Heidenreich.

Good Bird Inc Parrot Training Talk: Respecting the Bite
Good Bird Inc Parrot Training Talk: Training a Scared or Aggressive Parrot To Step Up
Good Bird Inc Parrot Training Talk: Help! My Parrot Wont Step Up!

hey guys, so after almost 3 weeks there has been huge progress.

1-she doesnt run away from me as often, only when she is busy and doesn't want me to bother her hehe
2-she steps up now
3-yesterday she allowed me to give her a head scratch and seems to love them now.
4-she is more at ease and will puff up and doses off while sitting next to me
5-she still doesn't like the living room much and sits quietly. she prefers the kitchen balcony with all the canaries, she plays and explores in that area. unfortunately in winter i cant keep her there, temp can go down to 8 celsius.

now i need to get here used to veggies and fruits, i do a mixed plate daily but she isn't interested (even when i sprinkle millet, she picks the millet out) today she ate fresh peas though.

Sounds like you are making good progress!


As far as fresh foods, try hanging them up like a toy, or finely chopping the fresh foods then mixing them together. That may peak her interest more if she can easily chew it up! Large pieces of food may be a little terrifying for her!