Taming a cockatiel

[alyssia]

So I've noticed that lots of you have cockatiels. I have one now and have had others in the past but they were all tame when I got them. I've found a new one that I would LOVE to get but it hasn't been tamed yet (even though it was supposedly hand fed). How hard are they to tame? How long does it take?

 

[leopard_babe]

Just like this hobby, it is different for everyone. Time and patients is the key.
My bird was "hand fed", but she was not friendly at first. I would open her cage door and she would not come out. Eventually she came out. I would put food in my hand, millet seed or cheerios and she eventually realized I was not going to hurt her.
That is all I have for you. I am no expert. HTH

 

[alyssia]

Not only is this bird not friendly-it completely freaks out when someone opens the cage. It doesn't seem mean, just scared. I REALLY want to save it from this pet shop, it is a beautiful bird and has been there for a really long time.

 

[reefraff]

Originally Posted by alyssia
http:///forum/post/2773498
Not only is this bird not friendly-it completely freaks out when someone opens the cage. It doesn't seem mean, just scared. I REALLY want to save it from this pet shop, it is a beautiful bird and has been there for a really long time.
That doesn't sound like a hand fed bird. That doesn't mean that with enough time and patience you can't make a great pet out of it. Realizing its scared and not mean is a good first step so if you have the time to commit to it I would say go for it as long as the bird seems healthy.

 

[stdreb27]

Keep in mind a hand fed bird is a bird that was hand fed by the breeder, typically, when they get sold to distributers (or at least all the distributors I've seen) they just toss em in a case till they get sold to the retailer. And there is no telling how long that is. Or if the bird met some disreputable birds that have taught it "bad" habits.
Every bird I ever had, I'd picked up directly from a breeder, so I'd go into the flights and pick a bird out. And half the time I was hand feeding them to begin with.

 

[geridoc]

Since your cockatiel is reacting so strongly to your opening the cage, just sit by the cage doing nothing but being there. Read, watch TV, whatever, but give the bird some time to become accustomed to your presence. After a few days of that, try quietly speaking to the bird, or offer it some fruit or millet through the bars. Do that for a few days, then open the cage daily for a few days, then a few days of just putting your hand in the cage without approaching the bird...you see how this is going. Take it in very small steps and let the bird become accustomed to each step before moving to the next. By the ay, this advice is offered by a guy who has had budgies, conures, cockatiels, cockatoos and an African Grey. The African Grey stalks me anywhere in the house, and attacks me. I figure I'll need about 100 years of gradual acclimation before she will like me (she loves my wife, and they are one-person birds). Good luck.

 

[hlcroghan]

Originally Posted by GeriDoc
http:///forum/post/2773613
Since your cockatiel is reacting so strongly to your opening the cage, just sit by the cage doing nothing but being there. Read, watch TV, whatever, but give the bird some time to become accustomed to your presence. After a few days of that, try quietly speaking to the bird, or offer it some fruit or millet through the bars. Do that for a few days, then open the cage daily for a few days, then a few days of just putting your hand in the cage without approaching the bird...you see how this is going. Take it in very small steps and let the bird become accustomed to each step before moving to the next. By the ay, this advice is offered by a guy who has had budgies, conures, cockatiels, cockatoos and an African Grey. The African Grey stalks me anywhere in the house, and attacks me. I figure I'll need about 100 years of gradual acclimation before she will like me (she loves my wife, and they are one-person birds). Good luck.
I love african greys. Very intelligent birds!! My mother had one when I was a child and it hated me...lol. I didn't learn how to get birds used to me until I was much older.

 

[keri]

The way to most birds hearts is through their stomachs!
sitting near her cage, with the door open, eating something quietly goes a long way towards them believing you're not going to eat them!
If you can clip her wings you'll have better luck, that way she can't bash into a window and break her neck, your vet can probably clip her wings for you if you don't know anyone who knows how. (i find it helpful not to clip her wings yourself the first time so she doesn't associate you with the experience. I always clip my own birds wings eventually, when they trust me, but not the first time)
cockatiels are very curious birds, it may take a Long time but if you show her you have good things (like treats) and don't try to grab her with your hands she'll come around. Every other person in her life has probably grabbed her with their hands moving her from one place to another, that will take some time to forget.
(If it helps any - we had a 'tiel when I was growing up that was not hand tame, we'd had him for years... so one weekend I decided to work with him. By the end of the weekend he was taking things from my hand....and jumping up on me within a week, I'm not saying that's a reality every time but it shows that even an older bird can learn)

 

[reefraff]

Originally Posted by GeriDoc
http:///forum/post/2773613
Since your cockatiel is reacting so strongly to your opening the cage, just sit by the cage doing nothing but being there. Read, watch TV, whatever, but give the bird some time to become accustomed to your presence. After a few days of that, try quietly speaking to the bird, or offer it some fruit or millet through the bars. Do that for a few days, then open the cage daily for a few days, then a few days of just putting your hand in the cage without approaching the bird...you see how this is going. Take it in very small steps and let the bird become accustomed to each step before moving to the next. By the ay, this advice is offered by a guy who has had budgies, conures, cockatiels, cockatoos and an African Grey. The African Grey stalks me anywhere in the house, and attacks me. I figure I'll need about 100 years of gradual acclimation before she will like me (she loves my wife, and they are one-person birds). Good luck.
My brother's african grey would follow me around trying to bite my feet unless I made an aggressive move on him. I am not sure if it was a dominance thing or what. After my brother died and I took in my "Nephew" he quit doing that. The bird was tame but never people friendly even after 20 years in the family.