Bird intimidated by my finger it seems!

[Parrotlover20]

I bought a 7 year old Cockatiel 3 days ago. And she is very beautiful and is sweet. She bonded to me already. We have this thing where i whistle and call her "pretty girl" and she chirps back to me. She is very vocal. I held her on my hand in the pet store the night before i bought her and walked with her on my shoulder for a good 10-15mins and i liked her. I Brought her home and i talk to her alot. But she is intimidated by my finger. But i don't know it seems like one minute she will step up without a problem and then another minute she will become defensive about and scream at you or maybe i shouldnt say scream but she make those sounds like she is intimidated. Yesterday she accidently got out of her cage when i was put millet feeder in there and i went over and picked her up and she stepped up no problem, But then when she was on top of my window she didn't want to. Sadly she didnt have a choice because i had to be at work in 10mins. So i was like im gonna have to grab her with a towel . But then i was like im gonna just put the towel over my hand and see if she will step up. And she did without a problem and i put her back in the cage.But she doesnt bite me she either puts her beak near my finger telling me no or she will gently beak my finger.

But it seems like she is ok with my hand and then another time she is intimidated by it!

I learned that she definitely won't step up on my hand if she is in her cage, and i tryed with a towel but she just flys to the top of the cage everytime. I don't chase her though if she doesn't want to then i just let it go!But for the most part she is vocal and loves me being around her and talking to her.

[Eric&Rebecca]

This is what cockatiels do to test the stablility of a object. if she was intimidated she would go flat and hiss with the crest flat down. Probably she doesn't want to step up right now because she's doing something or is interested in something and you're disturbing. She was probably enjoying looking out the window and didn't want to leave. Mine do the same when the are on my head and I take them off, the make this little irritated screeching noise and peck at my finger/hand.

As for not stepping up in the cage, please check Michael's guide on how to get your bird out the cage and also his other training manuals, although just let ehr settle in a few more weeks yet.. There's some very useful tips in there. Its not unusual for a bird to do this when in their cage. Don't use the toweling method unless you ABSOLUTELY have to, toweling is something you have to train not just do. Unless your bird is in immediate danger or is injured don't do it. This could cause her to become scared of hands altogether, also if you don't know how to hold a cockatiel correctly it can be damaging.

Don't worry this is completely normal for the moment. Mine still do it sometimes

[Parrotlover20]

Yeah , i didn't the towel at her i actually just put the towel over my hand so she didn't have to see my hand and she stepped up that way. But if i try to take her out from the cage like that she just flys away.

[Eric&Rebecca]

Well let her come out on her own or try to get her to step on something to come out that's not your hand. That's my method for birds when they don't like hands at first but Michael's guide has some good ideas which are probably better than mine.

viewtopic.php?f=11&t=227

The first part is about training a new bird but there's maybe something's you can adapt and implement from there

Forgive me for sounding like a Michael Groupie- but it works and although some of my taming differs from his methods the ones I have used really do work!

[Parrotlover20]

She came out of the cage this time. She came down to her perch and i open the cage door and put my hand out and she stepped up. And that was without the towel over it! She is sitting on top of her cage right now and she is happy. Although i think i might try to get a new cage soon like that special ones that open from the top.

[Parrotlover20]

I think maybe she doesn't like when i put my finger out, i think she likes it when my fingers are together tight and firm.

[Eric&Rebecca]

Hmmmm she like our George! George would only step up on a flat hand and only recently have I got him to step up on my finger! Try the flat hand and see how that works out