Concerning biting

[WVUSAE]

I finally got Mr. Crackers to come out. He likes to fly around and will sit on my shoulder very calm and will take treats from my hand. I can sometimes pet him but oftentimes, he will bite. I tried the training on here. Does anyone have any suggestions for how to deal with him? He will not step up, only perch on my shoulder, preen my hair, if he does step up he hops back to my shoulder. I have tried target training for the past month or so and he doesn't really seem interested in it at all. Any suggestions?

[liz]

Try holding something in your fingers that he really likes and don't let go of it. Make him sit on your finger to eat it.

[Naurthon]

Yes, treats work. Nikko had to be bribed with clusters of millet to start stepping up. Hold the treat in the hand opposite the one you want him to step onto so that he can't reach it without stepping onto your offered finger and tell him "step up" when he puts his feet on your finger. He'll eventually get the idea.

[Cage Cleaner]

Also try to establish whether the bird is scared of the the hand or just being uninterested. It sounds that he isn't scared, but it's important before taking new steps with training to make sure. A good way would be to look at the bird and watch its body language. Also, hissing is almost a sure way with cockatiels to determine whether they are frightened or not. Frightened cockatiels tend to hiss.

[WVUSAE]

Thank you all for the help. He's getting used to me a lot and will go from my shoulder to my finger (for some raisin bran of course) and he likes to climb around me and preen my hair, bite my ears, my arm hair etc. He's really shaping up to be a good bird. I may even post pictures. You're all's help and Michael's information has been fantastic. Thank you all! It's good if he's preening me right?

[dohcsvt]

As far as I know, if he preens you that is good. It is definitely better than him biting you LOL!