Cockatiel help please

[sewchick]

I got a young cockatiel for free on craigs list a couple of months ago. I have have been trying to gain his/her (not sure of the sex) trust since I have had her. She loves being on my shoulder. She would stay there all day if I would let her. We watch tv together, play farmville, sew, and she sits on my shoulder and is very quiet most the time. The problem is she hates hands. She was worse when I first got her. She would bite hard and draw blood. She has not done that since the first week. She will step up but squawks every time I tell her to step up in my softest voice or normal voice. She is not afraid of humans just the hands. I am pretty sure someone was rough with her. Breaks my heart to see her so fearful. Do you have any suggestions how I can gain her trust. She is excellent company for me. She will sing sometimes when she is sitting on my shoulder and she preens then she will snooze. She is very comfortable there. She will let me kiss her and has no fear at all when she is there. But the hands are a problem. I give her treats to try to entice her. No dice. She still hollers in her most shrill voice and is quite indignant. I am very glad she does not bite me anymore. She got me good a couple of times. I know she was scared and maybe abused at some point before I got her. Thanks in advance.

 

[Allears]

Seems like you're on the right track because you've already made progress. With time and patience you may still win him / her over completely. Females usually have bars on their tails and don't talk very well, or sing much, as far as I know....

 

[appps]

I think most animals respond to food. I would work on putting a treat on your hand and her having to climb on to get it. Maybe even go from your shoulder down to the hand along your arm to start with rather than the hand in the cage, ours is much more likely to react to a hand in it's cage, its a bit of a territory thing.

 

[sewchick]

Thank you so much for the help. I am off to petco for some treats. I have been using just her food. I am inclined to think it's a female. The tail is barred and the spot on the cheek is not very dark. It's pale orange/red. Not sure of exact color. She does not talk but will sing sometimes. Not much. She does not like my parakeet so I have to keep Emma (parakeet) in a cage. I really thought they would get along. I found Emmas mate on the bottom of the cage last week. It was so sad. Emma was just sitting there staring at him. Not real sure if birds can feel grief but she sure did look upset and sad. I miss Peedee. He was the best at singing and being goofy.

 

[sewchick]

I wanted to post an update. My cockatiel bugga jumped on to my shoulder for the first time today. She surprised me. I was thrilled. She is still sitting there. I have had let her climb up now she jumps up. She has come a long way. I am working with the treats. It helps a little. She looks at it and still squawks but she kind of slides herself a little closer. I think in another month maybe she will be hand trained. From a biting bird to a happy bird.