Toy Problem and I Have No Idea What To Do.

[CrazzMc]

Okay, So I ordered a few things from http://www.mysafebirdstore.com and I had bought toys from them before, but those were in the cage before I got my cockatiel. Simba who is about a year old, (got him about a week ago) has grown quite tame as eating out of my hand, stepped up onto my finger a few times, but mostly still scared of my hand in general. Though he will target train onto anything that isn't moving (perch or hand). In my eyes he isn't too tame.

So I bought him 2 brand new perches one was a Y Perch which is no bigger than 12 inches and one is a comfy perch which I see in many parrots cages. I also got him a really nice 10 inch hanging bridge toy which he seems to be 'less freaked out' about. Whenever I bring them close to him he instantly panics, flaps everywhere, and doesn't stop until the toy/perches are far away from him. Since my cage has 2 doors I tried putting in one of the perches at the bottom of the cage. I almost got it in until he started freaking out. He flew all the way down then back up and then I slowly took it out of the cage.

I don't know what to do, he still doesn't come out of his cage 'fully' so that's not an option and even if he is out I don't think he would want to go back into the cage once he sees the toy/perches. Right now I have a Java Perch that is hanging outside of his cage I basically hung everything onto that for now. He doesn't freak out, but he wont go near that side of the cage.

I need some advice sorry this is long. Someone said leave your toys outside the cage and then he will get used to it, I don't know if this will work :/ I feel bad for him hes got like 2 toys; plays with 1 and I got some new stuff and he's panicking about it. Some help please

Thanks in advance!

[Michael]

This isn't a big problem.

[CrazzMc]

This isn't a big problem.

All the advice could help -.-

[Avialae]

Wow, I didn't know there was a universal scale for how to rate problems.

How big is your cage? How long have you had your tiel?
Most birds that arn't tame freak out when you bring unfamiliar stuff towards them, it can be quite scary, especially when you're in a cage that isn't too big and can't really get away.
I
find the best solution is to simply associate scary stuff with a click and treat. I show it to the bird at a safe distance, then click and treat. I then repeat this process, slowy bringing it closer to the bird using shaping, and constantly keeping an eye out for any sign of fear or anxiosness; you want to avoid that. Once you can place it near the cage, try ty target him into going near the scary stuff.
I've done this many times to boost confidence, and try to associate everything the birds find scary with something positive. Eventually you'll have a calm, confident bird that doesn't think you're trying to smash his face in with whatever you're holding, and that willingly approaches foreign objects.

In the meantime, try providing him with enrichment that isn't scary, or necessarily a toy.
Tiels spend a lot of time foraging for seeds on the ground, poking through dirt, leaves etc.
Try adding some paper, hay or other stuff to his foodbowl to make him work a bit more for the food, give him toilet paper rolls, fresh twigs and other things that might not be as scary to chew on etc.

Good luck

/Steph

[CrazzMc]

Thanks Steph! I started showing him the perch, clicking and giving him a treat. I didn't know if this would work so I only did it for about 5 minutes. I'll do some more now that you confirmed that

Michael doesn't like answering minor problems. I don't think hes dealt with such a bird where they absolutely freak out (so he doesn't really care), he is more or less had all the tameness done for him by the breeder.

For me it was a big problem, I guess for others it didn't matter, but thanks so much again I will try this.

[Avialae]

Well if you don't feel like answering, i'd say it's very simple not to answer at all instead of being rude. But that's just me.

I've actually used different varieties of this method a lot, i find it very powerful if used correctly.
When introducing some very scared birds to the target stick for example, i just hold it far from the cage, and treat them for it. I then slowly move it closer, and it usually takes no time at all to get them to realize it's a pretty neat thing to be around; fun stuff happens whn it's there!

When i started working with my baby jardines (Parent fed, of course) i realized it would take a lot of time to get her to receive treats from my hand, so i actually started to feed her treats with tongs you use for feeding reptiles. That way i quickly made her realize my precense was pretty cool, without having to scare her with my hands.
I then shaped it into being able to hold my hand near the cage, near the bars, in the cage opening, and eventually i started to move my hand closer to the end of the tongs, until i practically gave her the seeds from my hands.
Whe she got here she was freaked out and threw herself screaming at the cage bars as soon as someone approached. Now, only four days later, she runts to my hand when i put it in the cage, sometimes even just to play with my fingers if i don't have any treats.

With that said, you should never underestimate the power of positive reinforcement, and accociating scary stuff to nice things. It can work wonders.

[CrazzMc]

Yea, I didn't expect Simba to be so used to my hand already. After being handled quite poorly at a Pet Store I bought him and he was scared as anything. He wouldn't eat for the first few days (from what I know maybe at night). But only a week or so later he's really quite calm with me and I talk and spend a lot of time so we have a good relationship he doesn't mind if my hand is chilling in the cage he still scatters if I go near him though.

Thank you millet spray w/o that I'd be failing lol.

[HungryBird]

I have two cockatiels, Squeaky and Iggy. Squeaky is always ready to come out of the cage but Iggy usually waits for fifteen or even thirty minutes before she comes out. She's gotten better about it. When I first got her she was very reluctant to come out at all. Lately she's been coming out before Squeaky even gets to the door. I think you just have to be patient and make all of the out-of-cage experiences as positive as you can. Iggy found that she really liked exploring and she especially liked foraging for stray books to shred. I have two budgies too (Romeo and Juliet) and Juliet is the one who always wants to come out of the cage while Romeo will take foreeever.

Good luck! Millet really is very useful. My birds also go crazy for Harrison's Adult Lifetime Fine pellets and the hemp seeds from Avian Organics.