Seems very hard to tame Cockatiel

[coolmen444]

Hi,

I have had my cockatiel for 5 years, and in the last 2 years specifically, I have been trying to train her. I have made progress-she used to be completely afraid of me and avoid me. Now though, after 2 years of work, she eats from my hand and will hop on a wooden perch that I hold. But no matter what I do, she is still terrified of my hands. I've been training her without force and letting her make decisions, but I feel that it requires infinite patience and seems almost impossible to hand tame her. She sometimes even seems a bit afraid of me still.

I got her from a previous family, and I don't know how exactly they treated her, but they said she was hand tamed while they grabbed her whole body pulled her out of the cage (squawking a lot). I assume it's these old owners that made her afraid, but shouldn't she be getting used to my hands after 2 years?

I have given her a very big flight cage, toys, and a constant supply of food and water and she often seems content and comfortable. She will even come out of her cage when I come into the room sometimes. But other times, she acts afraid of me and especially my hands.

What can I do to help tame her? I appreciate the progress I've made with her and that she's not afraid all the time, but I'm starting to lose hope that I'll ever be able to hand tame her after all this time.

Any advice and comments are much appreciated, thanks!

 

[Scott]

Welcome to you and your cockatiel! The path to taming is defined by a bird's pace and comfort. Intense fear of hands seems less a reflection on you and diligent efforts, rather potential horrors experienced in previous home. I do not doubt avians are susceptible to PTSD or similar and you had clue watching unfortunate grab from cage.

Sometimes starting from the beginning is helpful to reinforce basics. Check linked thread with advice for bonding and building trust: http://www.parrotforums.com/general-parrot-information/49144-tips-bonding-building-trust.html

Might have better success with target training as explained by text and video: http://www.parrotforums.com/training/60435-clicker-target-training.html

Using a beloved treat such as bit of almond, walnut, etc helpful to reinforce progress, no matter how minimal. Good luck, let us know if you see any improvement!