tips on taming my cockatiel?

[finneasW]

I know its a little weird to post about parrots on this website but I use it a lot for my ducks so I'd thought it might be helpful for this too. So, I've had my cockatiel Maui for almost 6 months, and he still hates me. when I got him I had done all the research, had a cage ready, had the right food, it's just that I bought him from petco. Ive heard too many stories about them abusing and mistreating their animals and Im sure he was mistreated too. He just looked so depressed with 1 toy in his little cage that I had to get him.

I believe I did everything right when I brought him home. I left him alone, and when I interacted with him it was soft spoken, small interactions. I fed him treats and showered him with toys. He is very comfortable now and flies all around my room, but he still hates me! I've definitely seen improvement, he doesnt cower to the corner of his cage like he used to, but he still hisses when I walk by his cage. He's always exposed to me since his cage is in my room, but he won't let me interact with him at all. He occasionally flies to my bed when I'm eating or just on my phone, but any movement from me and he flies back to his cage. He definitely tolerates me but will never let me near him. Not with a treat, not with a stick.

Anyways, I'm getting a little off topic. I need any tips to show him I'm not a threat and to gain his trust. I know this takes time, especially since he has had a rough past with people. I'm willing to take years to gain his trust, but learning a few tips to make it go faster wouldn't hurt.

 

[finneasW]

I know its a little weird to post about parrots on this website but I use it a lot for my ducks so I'd thought it might be helpful for this too. So, I've had my cockatiel Maui for almost 6 months, and he still hates me. when I got him I had done all the research, had a cage ready, had the right food, it's just that I bought him from petco. Ive heard too many stories about them abusing and mistreating their animals and Im sure he was mistreated too. He just looked so depressed with 1 toy in his little cage that I had to get him.

I believe I did everything right when I brought him home. I left him alone, and when I interacted with him it was soft spoken, small interactions. I fed him treats and showered him with toys. He is very comfortable now and flies all around my room, but he still hates me! I've definitely seen improvement, he doesnt cower to the corner of his cage like he used to, but he still hisses when I walk by his cage. He's always exposed to me since his cage is in my room, but he won't let me interact with him at all. He occasionally flies to my bed when I'm eating or just on my phone, but any movement from me and he flies back to his cage. He definitely tolerates me but will never let me near him. Not with a treat, not with a stick.

Anyways, I'm getting a little off topic. I need any tips to show him I'm not a threat and to gain his trust. I know this takes time, especially since he has had a rough past with people. I'm willing to take years to gain his trust, but learning a few tips to make it go faster wouldn't hurt.

Hi! Thank you everyone who helped me, I really do appreciate it. A little, well BIG update. Maui recently flew onto my bed and climbed onto my leg and sat there grinding his beak for about 5 minutes. It was so hard to contain my excitement! He rarley hisses at me, but still definitely has boundaries. I do believe he trusts me to a certain extent. He still wont let me get too close, especially with hands. But he will tolerate me reaching into his cage or cleaning it. Again, thank you! I'm so excited for my journey with him.

 

[tripletfeb]

First things first. I would trim his feathers so he can't fly high. This would prevent him from flying into walls or windows where he could get hurt. Second, teach him the "step up" command. Every time you want him out of his cage, he has to step up onto your finger. You can then put him where ever you want. Third, consider his age. He will be reaching breeding age soon if he hasn't already. That can make them cranky. I've had my cockatiel, George, for almost 18 years, they are great pets! Good luck!

 

[Dinogrrl]

I've had my cockatiel Lavitz since the end of August. I was told he's about 2 years old, and I'm his third owner in a year. He's perfectly nice, I just don't think he was socialized well when he was young and then bounced around between homes so that undid any training he may have gotten.

Anyway it's been a lot of patience and daily training exercises, but he's becoming more confident and relaxed with me every day. I stick to a routine so he knows when to expect things, and whenever I'm home I leave his cage open so he can come and go from it as he pleases. He wouldn't fly at all when I first got him, now he does at least one lap around my living room every day.
I did not get his wings trimmed because I have cats and Lavitz needs to be able to get away if they get too rambunctious around him. I haven't had any issues with him being able to fly, except the one time he overshot his landing on his cage and ended up behind my fish tank and I had to rescue him.

He's still not a fan of my hands getting too close but he's come a LONG way since I first got him. Now he'll eagerly come over to me and hop up on my legs if I'm sitting on the floor watching tv (he's even taken naps on me a couple times). A few times when he's been flying around I can tell he wanted to land on me but then remembered that he's still timid around people and he'd veer away at the last moment.

Once I got him off the seed mix he came to me with (he's on Zupreem pellets and Nutriberries now, plus some fresh veggies and other snacks), and he wasn't getting sunflower seeds every day any more, I can now use them as treats to encourage desirable behaviors. I also do the normal enrichment things like rotate toys and perches, give him foraging toys, and try to teach him to whistle tunes. (He doesn't have a very musical ear, sadly .) Having mental stimulation like that has also helped him to calm down and see me as a friend rather than just a giant thing that walks around his cage.

I guess what all this is saying is that it takes a lot of patience sometimes to get a bird to trust you. Like, months. Don't get discouraged. Keep trying, use positive reinforcement, make sure all his husbandry needs are met, and you'll get there eventually.

 

[finneasW]

Does he get millet all the time in the cage?

i used to give him it a lot since it’s his favorite treat but i don’t do it so much anymore. when i do it’s from my hand, and he reluctantly takes it after i sit still for 5 minutes. but i do leave it in his cage from time-to-time

 

[ButtonHoarder]

Does he get millet all the time in the cage?

 

[Isadora]

It's not weird at all to post on this site about parrot! Here is a link to the caged birds section of this forum:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forums/caged-birds-parrots-canaries-finches-etc.57/

Have you researched anything about bringing him in the shower with you? That is a trick I heard once, but I have never had any pet birds so I can't verify that it works.

 

[HollowOfWisps]

Was he hand fed as a baby before you got him? Hand fed birds tend to prefer humans and are usually easier to tame. Parent fed birds tend to prefer their own species and can be a little bit more difficult to hand tame.

 

[finneasW]

It's not weird at all to post on this site about parrot! Here is a link to the caged birds section of this forum:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forums/caged-birds-parrots-canaries-finches-etc.57/

Have you researched anything about bringing him in the shower with you? That is a trick I heard once, but I have never had any pet birds so I can't verify that it works.

never heard about that! i’d love to bring him everywhere with me it’s just that he’s not at all hand trained or tamed. wont even get close to me

 

[ButtonHoarder]

i used to give him it a lot since it’s his favorite treat but i don’t do it so much anymore. when i do it’s from my hand, and he reluctantly takes it after i sit still for 5 minutes. but i do leave it in his cage from time-to-time

Maybe stop leaving it in? It's really more like getting candy for them. If he only gets it with you, it might help with taming.