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My Cockatiel will let me feed it but not hand perch?

Discuss the methods and techniques of clicker training, target training and bonding. These are usually the first steps in training a young parrot.

My Cockatiel will let me feed it but not hand perch?

Postby Waffles » Wed Aug 09, 2017 7:35 pm

So I just got a cockatiel almost 2 months ago, and She/he will eat millet from my hand, but whenever I get near her/him without the millet, she/he just runs in the different direction, as if I were a tornado! what do I do to get her/him used to me and for her/him to step up?, also her/his name is waffles and she/he still hisses at me. :greycockatiel: posting.php?mode=smilies&f=11#
Waffles
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Re: My Cockatiel will let me feed it but not hand perch?

Postby liz » Thu Aug 10, 2017 7:23 am

Being prey animals, they are afraid of hands. I have two cockatiels who are still afraid of hands but will come to me to preen me.

Don't push him. He will trust you when he trusts you. You really have not had him long enough to trust your hands. Some of my Cockatiels came from very dark places. It warms my heart to have them fly to me and sit on me. I just have to keep my hands down.
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liz
Macaw
 
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Re: My Cockatiel will let me feed it but not hand perch?

Postby Pajarita » Thu Aug 10, 2017 4:08 pm

Well, two months is not very long but it shouldn't be hissing at you by now... Do you put your hand in its cage to offer the millet? Because, if you do, you are invading its space and should stop immediately. The best thing to do with tiels is to get them a mate [they are miserable and stressed out when by themselves, they find comfort and safety in numbers -it's what nature decreed for them], put them in a large flight cage and, for the first couple of months, simply feed them, talk to them and spend time in the same room without trying to interact in any way with them. This will make them understand that you are no threat to them and, as they have each other's company, they will feel more self-assured which, in turn, enables them to see you in a different light other than a large predator. When you see that neither of them moves away from the side where you are standing or sitting [don't stare at them, either -that's something only a predator does], and that they are relaxed when in your presence [their bodies are not tensed, they preen themselves or eat, drink, etc as if you were not even there], you can start target training them with seeds as rewards BUT in order for this to work, you can't free-feed them seeds or pellets because, if you do, it won't work. The best thing to give them is gloop and greens [they love greens] for breakfast and all day picking and a good quality seed mix for dinner, preferably, one without many sunflower seeds so you can use them for training.

Ahh, one more thing, make sure that the cage is high enough that their roosting perches [which should never be dowels but actual tree branches] are at your eye level when you are standing up [because a large human looming over them is not conducive to trust].
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Re: My Cockatiel will let me feed it but not hand perch?

Postby liz » Fri Aug 11, 2017 5:49 am

I save small lids either plastic or metal. I drill a hole in each end of the branch and through the lid. The lid works like a big washer to secure the branch in place.
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