# First time owner with untame bird



## goldenbrown (Jun 25, 2009)

Hi! I am a first-time tiel owner. I got my 3-4 month old pied female a few days ago. The breeder misled me however...she said the bird was hand-tamed when out of the cage, but this is not the case. She screeches and desperately tries to get away from me if I reach in the cage and she shies away from me if I get to close to the cage in general. I think the breeder intended to use her as a breeder bird, and thus didn't interact with her much as a baby. Unfortunately I had to drag her out of the cage to take her to the vet, but now that she's back I want to start off right with her.

I eat my breakfast near her cage every day and talk to her softly. I also sit near the cage and talk quietly, or work at my desk across the room. She is in my bedroom right now...I live in an apartment and that is the quietest place for her to be. She hasn't shown any interest in the toy I put in her cage (I didn't want to load her up with lots of toys right off the bat) but she eats her seeds (I'm mixing in some pellets, too) and seems somewhat active during the day. She will walk around her cage quite actively and chirp, and I whistle or talk back to her when she does this.

What are some other things I can do to start the taming process? When do I start letting her out of the cage on her own/trying to bribe her with treats? Most of all, how much quiet alone time should I be giving her right now? I don't want to stress her out too much, but I want her to get consistent handling. I'm worried about the fact that she hasn't been handled much and I worry that she won't tame down for a long time, if at all. I have no experience with taming a difficult bird (or even an easy one!) so any help or advice offered would be wonderful!


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## Renae (Feb 9, 2008)

First of all. . welcome and congrats on your new fid.

You don't have to stack toys up in the cage for, but to make sure no boredness occurs (which can lead to plucking) at least have 4-5 for her to play with, or even get curious about and she'll eventually go for them - even an assorted/different sorts of toys.

It's a great start so far, talking to her each day, eating next to her cage. On purchasing a new 'tiel - untamed, having their wings clipped is something that is an option, it does make it easier with the taming process. 

Along with working on taming her, using food is one of the best bribes - often it will work, but doesn't for everyone, still doesn't hurt to try, especially with millet which most 'tiels will die for it. (not literally though lol) Working with her for a couple of weeks doing what you're doing right now is what you should continue to do, also feeding/offering millet through the cage bars is a start, just to show her that you aren't going to hurt you, nor are you a big threat. Gaining her trust is an absoloute must. . 

Eventually (after she's accepted you being next to the cage and accepting treats through the cage bars) you can open her cage door, and sit infront of it, and see if she'll accept treat(s) from the palm of your hand, not forcing, if she gets scared and starts thrusting around the cage, leave it and try again the next day. If you successfully get her to take treats from the palm of your hand then excellent, you're going in the right path. Keep doing this each day, note that you should only do this for at least 20-25 mins each day, but only for a week or so - if she's eating fine out of the palm of your hand, it's not problem.

After she's eating out of the palm of your hand you can try and see if she'll step up onto your finger/hand, it's a pretty big step to do this, so she may not like you trying, she may - it depends on her. Some people don't use their finger, personally I'd use a perch for awhile until she's got the hang on stepping up onto that and then see if you're able to replace the perch with your hand. (you can even use millet while doing this as a lure) It could take a fair while, she could surprise you and do this all right away, but time and patience is the two huge keys you need to remember through out the taming process. 

Good luck and if you have any questions just ask - no one here bites!


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