Scared Cockatiel male

[Mauradangelo]

Hello everybody I m new this is Maura and I ask you help for Vice’ my cockatiel I think he’s around a year old.we got him almost a month ago but I don’t see any improvement,anything positive comparing when he first came in our house.I would like go
Know how can I help him .he doesn’t care about us or either our cockatiel female almost 2 years old ..she fly’s free at home and she loves cuddles and she loves me .I m trying to do the same with him but after a month and any improvements I feel very frustrated cause I want to help him . I hope some of you will helP
Me cause I don’t know what else I can do for him😞

 

[zERo]

Welcome to the forums!

Firstly! A month is far too short amount of time to tame a parrot. Certainly don’t be ready to give up on him already!

I would feed him treats like millet everyday, and sit with him in the same room so he will get used to you and your presence.

 

[Mauradangelo]

Welcome to the forums!

Firstly! A month is far too short amount of time to tame a parrot. Certainly don’t be ready to give up on him already!

I would feed him treats like millet everyday, and sit with him in the same room so he will get used to you and your presence.

Thank you for answer me but the problem is that my cockatiel goes tp
The opposite way of where I am .he gets panic anytime if I seat close to
Him if I speak to him ,he attack our female and he seems to want go far away from us .we tryed to give him millet but he went out from the cage and he hitted the window so now I m so scared to give him food,I want to
Let him understand that nothing wrong with will happen to him.I m trying to deal with him but he’s still scared like a month ago

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Hello everybody I m new this is Maura and I ask you help for Vice’ my cockatiel I think he’s around a year old.we got him almost a month ago but I don’t see any improvement,anything positive comparing when he first came in our house.I would like go
Know how can I help him .he doesn’t care about us or either our cockatiel female almost 2 years old ..she fly’s free at home and she loves cuddles and she loves me .I m trying to do the same with him but after a month and any improvements I feel very frustrated cause I want to help him . I hope some of you will helP
Me cause I don’t know what else I can do for him😞

What is the male's history? Was he living in a bad situation? It would be helpful to know more about his past.

 

[onamom]

.we tryed to give him millet but he went out from the cage and he hitted the window

I would try giving him the millet through the cage bars instead of letting him out. If he is scared and doesn't trust you yet I can see why he might panic when letting him out.

Here is a video that has some good tips for bonding with a new bird that may help you:

 

[Mauradangelo]

What is the male's history? Was he living in a bad situation? It would be helpful to know more about his past.

I don’t know the male history we were looking for a male for our female and we went to a store ,he was with others at least 20 birds on the same cage ,he was so scared and other birds was bothering him so we decided to take him.the owners took it so badly and we brought him home .he is so weird ,he was shaking a lot night and day he doesn’t like any of us ,either our female, bit because he try to open tha cage and fly away I take him everyday and speaking him slowly and I try to calming him,but if I don’t force him he won’t never come to me,he goes to kill him self running out by the opposite side of the cage

 

[Mauradangelo]

I would try giving him the millet through the cage bars instead of letting him out. If he is scared and doesn't trust you yet I can see why he might panic when letting him out.

Here is a video that has some good tips for bonding with a new bird that may help you:

I m gonna watch the video thank you for your help all
Of you ,but I also tryed what you told me but he goes to kill him self he hit the cage and he hurt himself for me it’s not easy I feel bad for him and I won’t bring him back to that store ,I just want help him as I did with our female.and now she loves us .

 

[DonnaBudgie]

I m gonna watch the video thank you for your help all
Of you ,but I also tryed what you told me but he goes to kill him self he hit the cage and he hurt himself for me it’s not easy I feel bad for him and I won’t bring him back to that store ,I just want help him as I did with our female.and now she loves us .

All you can do is keep trying. Some birds take longer than others but eventually they understand that you aren't a threat. If you have tame birds and he watches them interact with you he should relax. I just watched the video and its an excellent guide to taming small birds like budgies and cockatiels. In your case your male has already met your female. I assume she is tame. If so, it will help your male to relax if he watches your female interact with you. He will learn that you are not a threat from watching her interact with you. Eventually he will grow to love you too.

 

[Mauradangelo]

All you can do is keep trying. Some birds take longer than others but eventually they understand that you aren't a threat. If you have tame birds and he watches them interact with you he should relax. I just watched the video and its an excellent guide to taming small birds like budgies and cockatiels. In your case your male has already met your female. I assume she is tame. If so, it will help your male to relax if he watches your female interact with you. He will learn that you are not a threat from watching her interact with you. Eventually he will grow to love you too.

I hope as you saying he needs more time otherwise I ll let him fly away cause it’s very sad being closed inside the cage all day everyday.he also watch the female eating millet but he doesn’t get close to her either .he just watch and that’s all.but thank you for all your advice

 

[DonnaBudgie]

I hope as you saying he needs more time otherwise I ll let him fly away cause it’s very sad being closed inside the cage all day everyday.he also watch the female eating millet but he doesn’t get close to her either .he just watch and that’s all.but thank you for all your advice

DON'T DO THAT! Letting him fly away would be a death sentence for an innocent bird! Please don't do that! Its not his fault he's scared!
😳😮😥

 

[onamom]

I hope as you saying he needs more time otherwise I ll let him fly away cause it’s very sad being closed inside the cage all day everyday.he also watch the female eating millet but he doesn’t get close to her either .he just watch and that’s all.but thank you for all your advice

It sounds like he was in a poor situation before you took him and a month is a short amount of time for him to recover from all that stress and trauma. Be patient with him and give him the space and time he needs. If you decide you are unable to keep him please consider working with a rescue to re-home him or placing him up for adoption to find another home. Birds raised in captivity have a very low chance of surviving outdoors on their own if released.

 

[Mauradangelo]

DON'T DO THAT! Letting him fly away would be a death sentence for an innocent bird! Please don't do that! Its not his fault he's scared!
😳😮😥

No I don’t want anything bad for him that’s why I said that cause I feel bad to see him scared anytime during the day he doesn’t eat a lot barely I see him take water from the bowl he doesn’t play nothing at all ,that’s why I feel so bad poor him😞

 

[Mauradangelo]

It sounds like he was in a poor situation before you took him and a month is a short amount of time for him to recover from all that stress and trauma. Be patient with him and give him the space and time he needs. If you decide you are unable to keep him please consider working with a rescue to re-home him or placing him up for adoption to find another home. Birds raised in captivity have a very low chance of surviving outdoors on their own if released.

Yes he had a really bad life that’s what we think and my husband choosed him cause other birds were attacking him while we were there .of course I m patient I talk with him i seat close to him a give him treats and I take him once a day with my female I m trying to let him know that I won’t hurt him and he seems to be a little better …but when he’s inside the cage…he goes crazy 😞and he also try to open the cage’s door.but thank to all of you guys for your help 🥺

 

[TheofficialParakeet]

Please do not let your bird go, also check out birdtricks! If you don't want to keep him , MANY other people will take him, or return him to a mom & pop shop pet store.

 

[Mauradangelo]

Please do not let your bird go, also check out birdtricks! If you don't want to keep him , MANY other people will take him, or return him to a mom & pop shop pet store.

No I just want the best for him,no I won’t bring him back to the store that place is horrible place ,that’s what I personally think about it.we love him and we want to keep him

 

[ravvlet]

If he was attacked by other cockatiels in the store it may be that your other bird’s presence (in addition to yours) is stressing him out.

Can you move him to a quiet, low traffic room (like a bedroom or spare room) away from your other bird and just let him decompress? Like, just keep his cage clean and his food and water changed but give him space. I’d give him a week of that before slowly starting over with introducing yourself.

When I say slow, I mean, grab a chair, walk as far into the room as you can without him panicking (go very slowly, watch his body - you want to stop while he’s calm but starting to get a little alert), sit in the chair, and IGNORE HIM. Don’t look at him, don’t make noise. Read a book or something else quiet. Do this for about 15 minutes and then leave. Mark on the floor with tape where you were. He may become more or less tolerant of how close you are - you may even find yourself starting outside the door! Just make sure he can see you but is NOT panicking, and do it until he seems relaxed (I find using my phone’s camera is a ridiculously handy way to keep an eye on a bird without looking at them directly! But don’t point the camera at them - kind of angle it so they’re just in view).

This is gonna take a good long while. Again, keep him away from your other bird because that sounds like it’s a major stress trigger for him.

Eventually your goal is to be sitting next to his cage. Once you are there, the next thing you want to try is to put your hand on the table/wall/counter where he can see it, below his eye level and far enough away that he’s not freaking out, and just leave it there for a couple minutes. Slowly remove your hand. Repeat until he’s relaxing - grooming himself, doing other things, whatever.

Once you can put your hand next to (BUT NOT ON) his cage, THEN you can begin offering treats. Use millet, below eye level, don’t look at him, and make sure it’s a long piece so your hand is very far away, and close it into a fist so there aren’t visible fingers (no idea why but I have found with older store cockatiels they really hate fingers but can deal with a closed fist). Wait. As long as he’s not panicking, even if he’s on the other side of the cage, he may come over to check it out. Give it about 30 secs then remove, wait a couple minutes, repeat. If he eats some, slowly move your hand back (he will need time to eat and if you move your hand away when he does you’re showing him that he gets a reward and then the scary thing backs off, so it’s a positive experience).

If at any point during this process he panic flies away from you - start over. Go back a step or two, as far as you need to, for him to remain alert but calm. It WILL WORK eventually. It may take a really long time! Cockatiels are ridiculously social though, and his need for socialization will win out against his fear if you are patient and respectful of his boundaries.

Cockatiels are lovely little birds who are often overlooked and I thank and respect you for giving this fellow a chance. It may simply be that he’s old enough that on top of being afraid of cage mates, he’s hit puberty which is making him hormonal and even more stressed.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Yes he had a really bad life that’s what we think and my husband choosed him cause other birds were attacking him while we were there .of course I m patient I talk with him i seat close to him a give him treats and I take him once a day with my female I m trying to let him know that I won’t hurt him and he seems to be a little better …but when he’s inside the cage…he goes crazy 😞and he also try to open the cage’s door.but thank to all of you guys for your help 🥺

Thank you for saving this poor bird. You are his only opportunity to have a good life. He deserves to be given a chance. Keep us updated.

 

[Mauradangelo]

If he was attacked by other cockatiels in the store it may be that your other bird’s presence (in addition to yours) is stressing him out.

Can you move him to a quiet, low traffic room (like a bedroom or spare room) away from your other bird and just let him decompress? Like, just keep his cage clean and his food and water changed but give him space. I’d give him a week of that before slowly starting over with introducing yourself.

When I say slow, I mean, grab a chair, walk as far into the room as you can without him panicking (go very slowly, watch his body - you want to stop while he’s calm but starting to get a little alert), sit in the chair, and IGNORE HIM. Don’t look at him, don’t make noise. Read a book or something else quiet. Do this for about 15 minutes and then leave. Mark on the floor with tape where you were. He may become more or less tolerant of how close you are - you may even find yourself starting outside the door! Just make sure he can see you but is NOT panicking, and do it until he seems relaxed (I find using my phone’s camera is a ridiculously handy way to keep an eye on a bird without looking at them directly! But don’t point the camera at them - kind of angle it so they’re just in view).

This is gonna take a good long while. Again, keep him away from your other bird because that sounds like it’s a major stress trigger for him.

Eventually your goal is to be sitting next to his cage. Once you are there, the next thing you want to try is to put your hand on the table/wall/counter where he can see it, below his eye level and far enough away that he’s not freaking out, and just leave it there for a couple minutes. Slowly remove your hand. Repeat until he’s relaxing - grooming himself, doing other things, whatever.

Once you can put your hand next to (BUT NOT ON) his cage, THEN you can begin offering treats. Use millet, below eye level, don’t look at him, and make sure it’s a long piece so your hand is very far away, and close it into a fist so there aren’t visible fingers (no idea why but I have found with older store cockatiels they really hate fingers but can deal with a closed fist). Wait. As long as he’s not panicking, even if he’s on the other side of the cage, he may come over to check it out. Give it about 30 secs then remove, wait a couple minutes, repeat. If he eats some, slowly move your hand back (he will need time to eat and if you move your hand away when he does you’re showing him that he gets a reward and then the scary thing backs off, so it’s a positive experience).

If at any point during this process he panic flies away from you - start over. Go back a step or two, as far as you need to, for him to remain alert but calm. It WILL WORK eventually. It may take a really long time! Cockatiels are ridiculously social though, and his need for socialization will win out against his fear if you are patient and respectful of his boundaries.

Cockatiels are lovely little birds who are often overlooked and I thank and respect you for giving this fellow a chance. It may simply be that he’s old enough that on top of being afraid of cage mates, he’s hit puberty which is making him hormonal and even more stressed.

Thank you a lot

 

[Mauradangelo]

Thank you a lot

I had a issues with my phone to answer all of you thank you everybody 😊no news yet we try everyday but probably it’s too soon as you guys told me I will keep you update

 

[Vicious]

I have never had a cockatiel but I do have some bird experience.

When introducing to your home do as Ravvlet said, this is good advice. Also I tried to peruse the replies to see if anyone mentioned this but, it is for your birds safety and the new bird to have them separated at least a month before introducing them and to keep them in separate cages until they have bonded. Some people still advise to keep them separated in cages when they are resting to avoid potential territorial fights or breeding which can be difficult for a female who could possibly become eggbound.

The reason to keep them separated for a month is to allow supervision over their health and to make sure they have no viral or bacterial diseases that can be transferred to your other bird and also for an adjustment period for the new bird to the new home and to feel safe. It's good to leave them absolutely alone for about a week, especially a scared bird. Completely ignoring them not even talking to them. Talking to them directly can stress them out more. Let them get used to you talking in your home naturally. You change the water and the food, and let them be alone. Then start sitting by them and watch tv or play on your phone, etc as Ravvlet said to do.

As they calm down around you sitting by the cage then start with putting your hand on the cage. Try 5 second increment increases every few days (for example for a few days only hold your hand against the cage for 5 seconds, when they are good with that, increase to 10 seconds, and so forth, remember to move SLOWLY): 5 seconds , 10 seconds, 15 seconds, until you get to 30 and when they stop panicking at 30 try putting your hand in the cage, again don't look at them directly. Keep a peripheral because you don't want them to bite you and cause you injury. Keep your hand in there for about thirty seconds to a minute to allow them time to come check you out if they want to and then take your hand out. If they immediately start to panic, try just opening the door and placing your hand on the frame instead for 5 second intervals.


Birds take time. I have a pigeon that took around 3-4 months to stop viciously attacking me (just glad he didn't have a parrot beak) every time I reached into his cage to clean, a month later I could pet him as long as his mate was nearby. Now I can get into his cage and put my head near him and he will preen my hair or check out my eyeglasses. Totally okay with my husband and me now. I thought he'd never come around. His mate literally took a couple weeks before she was hanging out and preening , sitting on a shoulder, both were outdoor birds and unsocialized. But I also know how the previous owner prodded the male to show his colors off, so it is no surprise to me that he is extremely handshy.

Like others have said, we don't know what these birds have experienced before us. All we can do is be understanding and have patience. They can read when you are stressed and your energy, so ONLY go into it when you are calm, happy, and not anxious that something bad is going to happen, otherwise they will read this and reflect your anxiety as well.

Best of Luck!