aggressive cockatiel...

[loa]

So I have got my new cockatiel, His name is Yoshi. He’s already here a week, i talk to him and give him some alone time. He tried to bite me at first but it wasn’t that bad, then day after day he became even more aggressive. i did not reach out to him or anything i just talked and changed his food bowls, which was difficult to do since he kept attacking me. Now it has gotten this bad that i can’t even change my clothes in my room because he keeps trying to attack me. yes you read it right i’m just changing my clothes or whatever i do he tries to attack me even if i’m not even close to the cage. if he can’t attack me then he attacks either the cage bars or his toys including mirrors. I can’t change the food bowls anymore, i need to be very careful and i need to watch out that he’s on the other side of the cage or else i will lose my fingers.. it’s starting to scare me and I cannot figure out why is he like this.

 

[Laurasea]

Hi Loa,
Sorry to hear you are having a rough start with your new cockatiel. While a cocktail bite might hurt they aren't string enough to remove a finger, even if it might feel like it could..do you live with your parrents is that why the cage is in your room? It's usually recommended to have the cage in the mane living are if the house so they can be involved and be part of the flock. How big is the cage? Sometimes a small cage makes them feel trapped and fearful.. We have sticky threads on bonding , I don't know how to link threads sorry. You can try opening the cage and have a perch attached on the outside on the side if the cage let him come out on his own then try working with him that way. It can take time to earn the trust. Where did you get the bird? How old is it? Do you know if it was hand raised? Others will have more ideas. You can do this!

 

[LaManuka]

How old is Yoshi? Do you know his background, did he have a previous owner or did he spend some time in a pet shop with lots of strangers poking and prodding at him? Either way if you’ve only had him a week he will need time to adjust to his new home. Maybe try to minimise situations that clearly stress him out, like changing clothes around him etc, you may need to make some changes in your own routine until he settles in and understands these actions are no threat to him. You don’t know what happened to him before he came into your home so you’ll need to give him time and patience and treats if you can!

 

[Sunnyclover]

Think of your cockatiel as like an abused 2 year old child rather than a pet who is supposed to automatically love you. Who on Earth knows what happened to this poor baby before you aquired him. Even if he's still a baby he could have still been severely traumatized his short life on this planet. Look up some videos on taming a cockatiel and go from there. He will learn to trust you as long as you don't give him a reason not to. Don't yell at him or ever never hit or physically punish him. Treats help to earn trust...if you're the only one to give him treats that can help the bond grow and will show him not to be afraid of hands which is a common parrot fear. I have a Nanday Conure who although trained out of his fear of hands(with hours of training a day everyday) can still have days where he shutters in fear everytime I go to pick him up or bites. I have to say one thing ... Birds remember everything. Hope this help good luck!

 

[ChristaNL]

Birds may or may not remember everything, but I find them also very forgiving ...
(I make many mistakes and they still like me, a lot )

Maybe your tiel is really, really fed up with being in his cage and wants to fly.
Most parrots will get restless in small cages anyway- and tiels are a species that love to fly (in the wild they cover *huge* distances each day).

Just keep a towel (old one) at hand when you let him out- it sounds you are a bit intimidated by the beak-- that is nothing to be ashamed of or worried about, in a year you won't even notice it being that big anymore
But if you are afraid of being bitten badly and you absolutely *need* to move the bird -> there is always the last resort of throwing a towel over him and picking him up that way.
(Only do this if nothing else works! But you have that to fall back on)


We usually do not want to force the parrot to do anyhting (medical emergencies expected of course) he does not want to, but if this gives you the confidence and helps you to let him out so he can work off some of that energy ... I think it is a win-situation.
(You will let him get back to his cage on his own of course, but if there is an emergency -> you can grab him with the towel)


How big is his cage?

 

[loa]

I got Yoshi in a pet store, just a small little pet store since my hometown in Iceland is very small. so usually no one goes there. there were three tiels including him. The pet store owner didn’t really know their age but he is around 1-2 years old. I do not think he was hand raised. I also have tried watching a lot of videos and tips since i did not buy him on a whim. i have tried putting a perch in slowly and carefully but he tried to attack it.

i did talk to him once an hour a day, also on the first day he came i was listening to some songs and he started whistling along but then he’s just all aggressive. i wanted to try with opening the cage and talking to him like that but instead he tried to make his way out which worried me what was he planning to do so i haven’t tried that ever since.

the cage is also the right size for a cockatiel. And the cage is in my room upstairs because my parents smoke a lot and the smoke doesn’t reach my room so it’s the best place he can be in. I cannot move him downstairs for many other reasons. i still haven’t used treats though. i haven’t found any yet, i am going to go to one last pet store that is in my hometown, if i don’t find anything there, that could be a little bit of a problem.

 

[Laurasea]

If you have the door closed you can open the cage and let him out, take the time be patient, if gets out and flaps around wait and see if he can make it back to the cage on his own. If not wait till he calms down then you can scoop him up and place him on top of the cage. The little white safflower seeds are usually great to try training with. Stick a stick in his face is scary to him right now. You need think of him as a scared little baby trying to keep himself safe. He us not evil or bad or mean, he is just scared and doesn't know what to do. It takes time, you might try an hour sitting next to him reading out loud, then oppen the door if the cage and still sit there reading outloud. When ever you come in the room place a treat in a little treat dish , then try giving it to him through the cage bars. You can play music and sing whistle with him, we usually recommended spending 3 to 4 hours a day interacting with your bird. You vmcan try setting up a little t stand perch just outside the open cage door close enough he can hop to it, sometimes birds are scared to intereact in their home the cage because it's their place and they feel like they need to protect themselves. It's good to have the back of the cage against a wall or covered on the back side only do they feel safer. You can make toys from cardboard that you cut into shapes or strips and weave through the bars, you can crumple up a piece of paper really tight to make a little ball he can play with, popsicle sticks make good toys and they like chewing on them, you can get little plastic tous for kids for him to play with too. At first new things are scary so you can start by having it next to the cage for a day or two then afux it on the outside of the cage for a few days before moving the toy into the cage. Lots of time and patience pays off, lots if sitting and whistles and talking to him. Don't stare right st him as this can scare the bird, keep your eyes soft, do slow blinks, show you mean no harm.

 

[Laurasea]

A link to reading cockatiel behavior body language.
Avian Behavior Guide

 

[Laurasea]

A reading the crest
How to Understand a Cockatiel by His Crest
Updated on May 16, 2016
Taylor Peca profile imageTaylor Peca moreContact Author
My excuse to show you Rocky, my youngest cockatiel
My excuse to show you Rocky, my youngest cockatiel

The 7 Main Emotions
There are seven different things (for the most part) that cockatiels do with their crests to tell us how they are feeling, and perhaps even what they want. Sometimes it can be hard to tell what they mean when they move their crests back and forth, but this simple and easy guide will make sure your and your bird-friend have the best possible relationship! The seven main emotions/feelings are: curiosity, anger, sleepiness, cautiousness, happiness, contentedness, and excitement.

1) Curiosity
When a bird is curious about something or someone, or maybe even just feels like exploring, the crest will go up as straight as possible, and usually there is an outstretched neck that follows this behavior. Though usually curiosity is positive, this is not always the case, and can sometimes be confused with cautiousness.

Pearl Pied Whitefaced Cockatiel trying to figure out what the heck that thing is on the floor.
Pearl Pied Whitefaced Cockatiel trying to figure out what the heck that thing is on the floor.
2) Anger
When a bird is angry, usually the tell-tale sign is the lunging or open beak that goes along with the crest. When upset, the crest goes as flat against the head as possible, and even the curly point at the end (that not all cockatiels have) is as straight as possible. In this case, you or another pet are really making the bird upset and it's best to back off before you get bit. A bird who is always upset like this is probably not living the best possible life it could be.

A Normal male cockatiel and a male Whiteface cockatiel who are quite upset with each other.
A Normal male cockatiel and a male Whiteface cockatiel who are quite upset with each other.

3) Sleepiness
When a cockatiel is tired, the crest goes midway up in a relaxed position. The end of the crest will usually be curled upward. The bird might be grooming before bed or having a little shut-eye during the day. When it is night-time, the bird should have it's head tucked under its wing.

A napping male Pearl cockatiel.
A napping male Pearl cockatiel.
4) Cautiousness
A cautious bird's crest is up all the way, but not tensed. Usually, the crest is curved upward and not exactly straight. A cautious bird might be frightened, but this is not necessarily the case. It could just be that it sees something outside, or is meeting a larger bird/animal for the first time.

Normal male cockatiel who's a little cautious
Normal male cockatiel who's a little cautious

5) Happiness
When a cockatiel is happy, they are always the cutest. Their crest is flat on the back of their heads, but relaxed, and strongly curled upward. Happy birds tend to sing or chirp with a calm, content demeanor. Happiness it probably the easiest to identify, because they're in such a darn happy little mood!

A cute little birdy singing for his owner
A cute little birdy singing for his owner
6) Contentedness
When a bird is content, you might be fooled. Not to be confused with fear or hissing, a content cockatiel's crest will be straight up; as straight as it can be. Usually it is identifiable by the calm attitude the bird has, rather than hissing or biting like an upset bird might.

A normal male cockatiel (left) and a pearl male cockatiel (right)
A normal male cockatiel (left) and a pearl male cockatiel (right)

7) Excitement
Excitement, in this case, is a positive attitude. Along with a raised but relaxed crest, an excited bird may fly around, raise their wings, chirp (or sing), and dance. This emotion may easily be confused with curiosity or cautiousness, but indeed it is very different. Usually, in a beginners eye, it is easier to detect excitement by other movements such as the ones mentioned earlier.

Normal male cockatiel, excited to come out of his cage
Normal male cockatiel, excited to come out of his cage
This article is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge. It is not meant to substitute for diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, prescription, or formal and individualized advice from a veterinary medical professional. Animals exhibiting signs and symptoms of distress should be seen by a veterinarian

 

[EllenD]

You've gotten excellent information and advice from Laura, so you'd be wise to take the time to read all of it...

***I have read through this entire thread, and I think the main issue that you're having is that you're not quite understanding that you've only had this Cockatiel for a week, and even if you bring-home a hand-raised bird into a new home with new people, a week is no time at all when it comes to a bird settling-in, let alone you earning his trust. You need to take a step back and realize that this is going to be a Marathon, it's not at all a Sprint...This process is going to take great-patience from you, and right now you're very frustrated, and your bird knows that you're frustrated, as birds pick-up on all of our emotions, that's how intelligent parrots are. They know when we are happy,
sad, angry, frustrated, etc. So the more frustrated and angry you get, the less progress you're going to make.

The main thing you need to keep in-mind here is that the process of earning the trust of a bird can take months and months to even well over a year, especially with an adult bird who has had prior owners and that was not hand-raised, because you are not only going to have to "earn his trust" BEFORE he's going to step-up for you or you're going to be able to pet him/handle him, but you're also going to have to "hand-tame"
him AFTER you "earn his trust".[/B ] And as Laura already mentioned, your Cockatiel is not at all "mean" or "evil", he's simply a Cockatiel who has been moved into yet another new home, has only been there for a week with more new people, and he's just scared and nervous (at 1-2 years old he's probably already had a couple of homes, in-addition to the pet shop he was in with people poking and prodding at him every day)...Again, this is going to be a Marathon, not a Sprint, and it absolutely must go at HIS PACE,
not yours, if you want to earn his trust and then eventually form a close bond with him.

What you've been doing so-far is actually the right idea, it's just going to take a lot more time, and you need to go a slower as far as your expectations and trying to get him to "step-up" already and such. Unfortunately I agree that you cannot locate his cage anywhere but in your own bedroom if your parents smoke in your house (please make sure that you keep your bedroom door shut at all times, and that the smoke isn't getting into your room under the door, as that is horribly dangerous for a bird due to their unique Respiratory System/Air-Sacs). This is not at all an ideal set-up for trying to tame and socialize a 1-2 year-old parrot that was parent-raised and who has never been tamed, and who likely hasn't had much human-interaction at all in it's short life. Ideally the bird would be located in the "main room" of your house, where he would be constantly exposed to multiple people, sights, sounds, people walking past his cage constantly, people talking around him constantly, etc. However that isn't at all possible in your house, so you're going to have to do your best to spend as much time as you possibly can every single day with him in your room, because the more he is simply "around" you, the more and more comfortable he's going to be with you and people in-general. I do hope that his cage is large, as Cockatiels not only need a very large cage to begin with to hold lots and lots of different types of toys at all times, but because he's going to spending more time inside of his cage than is ideal (6-10 different types of toys are needed at all times, no less, and new toys and foraging activities need to be rotated in each month)...You need to simply start-out by sitting next to his cage as often as you can, no matter what you're doing, whether it be watching TV, playing Video Games, Reading, talking on the phone, on the computer, etc., try to stay near his cage. Try to talk to him as often as you can...And I'm not just talking about spending a specific amount of time each day directly talking to him, yes you need to do this every day as well, however, you need to simply talk to him every single time you simply walk in and out of your room. Every time you walk in your room you need to address him by name, and the same on your way out of his room. Just act like you've known him forever, and you're just talking to him like you would anyone. And the best DIRECT interaction that you can have with him right now is by sitting right next to his cage and reading to him. The more he can sit next to you, hear your voice, and realize that you're not a threat, the more and more he's going to trust you. So reading books or magazines to him every day is a great way, eating your meals in your bedroom next to him, while he eats his meals, or giving him fresh veggies and fruit to eat while you eat your meals next to his cage is a great way to spend time with him.

 

[noodles123]

1- remove the mirrors! These can lead to hormonal/territorial/mate-defending behaviors in some birds.

2- Give it time....One week is nothing. My adopted Umbrella Cockatoo wouldn't step up for 3 months...and she wouldn't consistently let me touch her until after at least 1...even then, sometimes she would bite. My bird ALREADY KNEW how to step up when I got her but she wouldn't...Take whatever time you think something is going to take, and multiply it by 10...That is just how birds are..

3- Put the cage in the area of the house with the most activity-- do you have it in your room right now?

4. Does your bird have a bedtime routine? If so, do you cover the cage, is the room quiet and how many hours of sleep does he/she get nightly?

5. How much sunlight is your bird getting?

6. How old is your bird ?- EDIT- Just saw the answer to this in a reply.

7. If you are reacting in a way that reinforces the biting, your bird will keep biting. For instance, if your bird wants you to leave, it may bight. If you jerk away and leave, then you have just shown it that by biting, it can manipulate the situation. You must respond differently to bites depending on the cause/function of the behavior. I am guessing yours is scared, but just so you know, without knowing the function, it is difficult to plan your reaction/response.

Your bird is likely VERY SCARED. It has been no time at all. You need to step back and just get it familiar with your presence...show that you aren't a threat..That having been said, you WILL be bitten if you have a bird, so you have to just accept that and try not to react if/when it happens. At the same time, do not give your bird lots of practice biting---get familiar with your birds signals and in doing so, you will prevent the need for a bite in the first place. A love-bird's bite, while uncomfortable, is not going to take off your finger lol. It sounds like the behavior is getting worse, which means that your bird is getting something out of it. You have to stop being so twitchy and afraid. Birds are also a bit "psychic" and if you are nervous, he will know and react accordingly. Once your bird is more comfortable with your presence, you may want to drink a few glasses of wine before attempting to interact lol. It sounds like you very scared and that is only going to make it worse if your bird is using this behavior as a means or escaping your presence.

8. Have you had a bird before? This question is actually very important...I am not being snarky- I legitimately need to know in order to help.

9. Have you taken it to a Certified Avian Vet (CAV)?

10. Are you letting your bird out of the cage ever?

 

[EllenD]

****As far as giving him "Out Of Cage Time" every single day, which he does need to have every single day, not only to bond with you, but also for his physical and psychological health (sitting in a cage all day long, every single day is not at all good, and it's probably what he's been doing his entire life up until this point)...I'm assuming that his wings are not clipped, is that correct?

If his wings are not clipped right now and he can fly, you need to know that the quickest way to LOSE ANY TRUST that you may have gained and set yourself way-back is by chasing him around your room with a towel, trying to catch him to get him back in his cage. This is a big no-no. ****Honestly, I think for you and for your specific parrot, the best thing that you could do to not only provide him with ample Out-Of-Cage-Time every single day and have it not be traumatic and stressful for him (or for you), and for you to start earning his trust and forming a bond with him, would be to have his wings clipped...And I really think this is almost a necessity for you at this particular point, because you're getting very frustrated, and he's not getting the out-of-cage-time every day that he needs, and when he does it's very stressful for both of you...

There is nothing at all wrong with having your bird's wings clipped. First of all, it's completely pain-free, it won't hurt him at all. Second, it's completely temporary and if done properly by someone who knows what they're doing, they will grow back in completely and he'll be able to fly again within 1 and a half to 2 months. The idea is that you make the most of every single day with him during that 1 and a half to 2 months of having him be able to be out of his cage without flying away from you...I've hand-tamed many, many birds, mostly Budgies and Cockatiels who were parent-raised and scared to death of people, and the quickest and most-effective way I've used is by-far clipping their wings once or twice and then making sure that they have a "perch" or a "stand" outside of their cage, or their own little "safe-place/space/area" outside of their cage, so in your case this would be located in your bedroom at all times...Just like his cage right now is his only "safe-space/area", as birds are extremely territorial and with a new bird that cage is the only thing that is "his", he also needs to have a "safe-space/area" outside of his cage in your room, which will be the place that he automatically goes each time you open up his cage and he comes out. The easiest and cheapest thing would be either buying or making him a "T-Stand" or "standing perch" for him that you will keep in your room, preferably right next to his cage, and this will be the place that he will automatically go when you let him out of his cage (once he becomes comfortable going out and back in on his own, and once you introduce him to his new T-Stand or standing perch). It could also be a table-top stand/perch if you have a piece of furniture in your room that you can set it up on, or one of those tabletop "play gyms", etc. I made several standing T-Stands out of PVC piping (and you have to wrap the part of the PVC piping that the bird stands on, because otherwise he'll slip right off, so the best thing to use is Vet-Wrap/Tape, or the athletic tape we use to wrap our ankles and such). PVC piping here in the US is extremely cheap at any hardware store, and you can buy it in different diameters for the size of bird...Or, if you can simply buy a standing or tabletop perch for him at a pet shop, then that's easiest...Either way, he must have a "safe-space" that is "his" for him to go outside of his cage.

***The other thing that clipping his wings does is it basically makes him rely upon you for everything...Birds hate to be on the floor, as they are the lowest thing in the room and they have no dominance at all when on the floor...So if his wings are clipped, you open up his cage, and he comes out and glides to the floor of your bedroom, this presents an entirely different dynamic with him than what you have now. You would likely be able to reach down slowly with one finger outstretched and he may very well step right up onto it, because he needs help getting off of the floor and back to his cage. These are the types of trust-building exercises you're able to do if his wings are clipped. If they aren't clipped, all he's going to do is keep continually flying away from you, and this only moves you backwards, as you try to get him back in his cage or get him down to interact with him, and then you start chasing him with a towel, etc. , and this just distances him further from you in his trust...

****VERY IMPORTANT*****
If you do decide to have his wings clipped, which I really think you should, you need to find someone to do it for you that knows what they are doing, such as an Avian Vet, a Bird Breeder, or a Bird Shop owner/employee who knows what they are doing and has done it before...And even more important is that YOU make sure that YOU DEMAND,
absolutely DEMAND that whomever is clipping your bird's wings "Only clip the outermost 4-5 Primary Flight-Feathers on EACH WING, that's it, NO MORE THAN THAT,
AND IT MUST BE DONE ON BOTH WINGS!!! This is so important that you need to WRITE THAT DOWN AND TAKE IT WITH YOU WHEN YOU TAKE YOUR BIRD TO BE CLIPPED AND READ IT TO THE PERSON BEFORE THEY DO IT!!! "Only clip the outermost 4-5 Primary Flight-Feathers on BOTH wings!!!" Right it down!!! The reason you need it done this way is #1) It will still allow him to have enough flight-feathers left so that he can glide to the ground and not drop like a stone to the ground and hurt himself, and it will allow him to glide in a controlled way, such as with direction, #2) They ALWAYS must clip BOTH WINGS EQUALLY because if they don't it will cause severe balance issues, as well as damage to his Spine (it used to be common for them to clip only one wing, and some old-fashioned bird breeders/Vets will still want to only clip a single wing, and it's a horrible no-no), and then #3) Only clipping the outermost 4-5 Primary Flight-Feathers will ensure that they will grow back in and he'll be able to fly again within about 2 months max, if they clip into the Secondary Flight-Feathers it can take up to a year or longer for them to grow back in (sometimes they must do up to 6 Primary Flight-Feathers to keep them from getting altitude, which is fine, just as long as they only cut the Primary Flight-Feathers and do NOT go into the Secondaries).

I think this is probably the best move for you, just in my own experience training and hand-taming birds who were parent-raised or who were kept in cages and passed from owner to owner, and who never formed a bond with a person before. There will probably be people who respond to me telling you to clip your bird's wings in a very angry, negative way, as there are a lot of bird owners who are strictly against EVER clipping a bird's wings for one reason or another, which is fine for them and their birds,
it's every bird owner's personal choice. There are many excellent and very experienced, life-long bird owners who keep their bird's wings clipped full-time, because it's what is best for their household/lifestyle for one reason or another. And that is totally THEIR CHOICE. What is important to keep in-mind is that clipping a bird's wings does not hurt them one bit, it's no different feeling-wise than getting a hair-cut as long as it's done by someone who knows what they are doing, and they first check for any Blood-Feathers before they clip. Their feathers have no nerves or feeling. And they grow right back in just like hair as well. And keep in-mind that I am no suggesting or recommending that you KEEP your bird's wings clipped forever, I'm only suggesting that you clip him now, and then maybe once more once they start getting long again, just so you can make some progress with him and it will be a bit easier and less stressful for you and for the bird. I too believe that birds need to fly, and all of my birds are fully-flighted and not clipped,,,however, that's my choice, and everyone has their own choice...And if you have your bird's wings clipped in just the way I'm suggesting, it will be painless, completely temporary and actually very temporary, at most 2 months or so per clipping, and it will only serve to help both you and him...

 

[Allee]

loa, congrats on your new friend, I agree with several of our members who have offered advice on bonding with your bird, a little patience and understanding will go a long way toward your new buddy building trust and a bond with you.

Just a few friendly words of caution if I may. Before you spend your college tuition or life's savings to pay a professor of ornithology to clip your new friend's wings correctly I think you should give your new relationship more time. There are in fact sound reasons for and against wing clipping, that's why the subject is so controversial. Yes, of course the choice is yours but please take the time to research before making a decision your bird will be forced to live with. I think, given time your bird will calm and the need for a clip will be a non issue.

 

[Terry57]

loa, congrats on your new friend, I agree with several of our members who have offered advice on bonding with your bird, a little patience and understanding will go a long way toward your new buddy building trust and a bond with you.

Just a few friendly words of caution if I may. Before you spend your college tuition or life's savings to pay a professor of ornithology to clip your new friend's wings correctly I think you should give your new relationship more time. There are in fact sound reasons for and against wing clipping, that's why the subject is so controversial. Yes, of course the choice is yours but please take the time to research before making a decision your bird will be forced to live with. I think, given time your bird will calm and the need for a clip will be a non issue.

I agree about holding off on clipping his wings. I think it is better to build a bond based on mutual respect. I have had wild ones, and I was able to bribe them back into their cage with their favourite treat. Millet has worked like a charm for my cockatiels

This is a wonderful thread about building trust:

http://www.parrotforums.com/general-parrot-information/49144-tips-bonding-building-trust.html

It does take time and patience, but the result is well worth it!

 

[loa]

alright. thank you for all the help. I know very well that i need to be very patient and it’s going to take a lot of time. but it just worried me rather than getting better he just went worse.

But i decided to let him out this weekend, 2 days. So the first day he was just chilling on his cage and then flying around. we needed to go shopping so i needed to somehow lure him back in the cage, he didn’t want to cooperate so dad needed to help me. He was alright, my dads hands were good too, haha. When he was trying to get him into the cage Yoshi decided to land on the top of my head. hurt a little because of his claws.

so then the same day i let him out again and he landed on my desk, i have a mirror on my desk so he just sat there for about 2 hours with me then he was angry at me and dad needed to bring him in the cage because he became aggressive. I know this is not good but we had no choice. And so the next day when i was changing his food bowls he did not try to attack me, he was calm.

After that i let him out he sat on his cage and flied around a little bit (my room is quite big and we still don’t have the money to go to the avian vet to trim his wings and such but that will need to wait because i want to build the trust first) but then he decided to land on my head. he started exploring my hair.. yes he kept pulling strands of my hair, which was quite painful but it was fun. He landed on my head twice or thrice.

that kind of made me confused, since he tries to bite when someone is close to him but then lands on my head and enjoys his rebellious action.

I also tried to look for some treats for him but none of our pet stores had any treats except prestige sticks.. they aren’t really any help to me since you just hang them on the cage bars.. i will still not give up and continue my search on bird treats.

 

[loa]

and there he is ripping my hair out, and as i am typing here he’s on my head once again..

 

[noodles123]

Loa- I am re-posting part of what I posted above. You said you are worried that he is getting worse, not better. Birds are complicated, which is why I asked all of those questions. That having been said, here is the excerpt that refers to your concerns specifically:


"If you are reacting in a way that reinforces the biting, your bird will keep biting. For instance, if your bird wants you to leave, it may bight. If you jerk away and leave, then you have just shown it that by biting, it can manipulate the situation. You must respond differently to bites depending on the cause/function of the behavior. I am guessing yours is scared, but just so you know, without knowing the function, it is difficult to plan your reaction/response.

Your bird is likely VERY SCARED. It has been no time at all. You need to step back and just get it familiar with your presence...show that you aren't a threat..That having been said, you WILL be bitten if you have a bird, so you have to just accept that and try not to react if/when it happens. At the same time, do not give your bird lots of practice biting---get familiar with your birds signals and in doing so, you will prevent the need for a bite in the first place. A love-bird's bite, while uncomfortable, is not going to take off your finger lol. It sounds like the behavior is getting worse, which means that your bird is getting something out of it. You have to stop being so twitchy and afraid. Birds are also a bit "psychic" and if you are nervous, he will know and react accordingly. Once your bird is more comfortable with your presence, you may want to drink a few glasses of wine before attempting to interact lol. It sounds like you very scared and that is only going to make it worse if your bird is using this behavior as a means or escaping your presence."

 

[AmyMyBlueFront]

Yoshi is a very handsome guy. I'm sorry you are having such a hard time with him My BB is also a normal grey teil like your Yoshi but I got him from a breeder when he was just 4.5 months old and he was/is very tame. I didn't even put him in his house when we got home,he climbed my arm and sat on my shoulder chirping in my ear for a couple hours before he even saw is new house lol.
Yes Yoshi is still a little frightened but that will pass,just try and be calm with him and TRY to show you are not scared of him! Birds can and DO pick up on our emotions!

As far as treats and toys..have you tried to order things on line? It is easy and a lot of times things are less expensive then going to a store.


Jim

 

[loa]

Yoshi is a very handsome guy. I'm sorry you are having such a hard time with him My BB is also a normal grey teil like your Yoshi but I got him from a breeder when he was just 4.5 months old and he was/is very tame. I didn't even put him in his house when we got home,he climbed my arm and sat on my shoulder chirping in my ear for a couple hours before he even saw is new house lol.
Yes Yoshi is still a little frightened but that will pass,just try and be calm with him and TRY to show you are not scared of him! Birds can and DO pick up on our emotions!

As far as treats and toys..have you tried to order things on line? It is easy and a lot of times things are less expensive then going to a store.


Jim

Yes i have tried searching online on the sites of our local pet stores but they dont have anything except prestige sticks. My parents wont let me order online from abroad since they consider it a waste of money, and we are indeed low on budget since we moved from an apartment to a house and bought new windows and then theres christmas coming.

I never acted scared nor acted in a way that could reinforce the bird to bite.

But yes Yoshi is a very handsome and complicated boy

 

[YUMgrinder]

Everyone said everything that needed to be said, I want to just add that time is the most valuable asset, but you have to remain patient. My male cockatiel came from the pet store and he was very young. It took him about 2 or 3 months to figure out he has a voice, then another 6 months before he would say his first word, and a year to show affection.

To show how each individual bird is different, I have a female pearl tiel and we got her from the animal shelter. She was found living outside. She's the quietest bird I own, barely makes a peep. She loves to pick out my individual hairs on my neck and ear. Surgical precision. Sometimes she acts like she wants to have my eggs, and my male is in love with my feet. Strange creatures, but they will settle in at some point. Talk talk talk to him, let him explore by leaving the cage open when you are in the room. Let him come around in his own time.