# Taming, training and lifestyle issues :(



## Saberbliss (Mar 19, 2017)

I am very stuck at the minute;

I have these 2 beautiful cockatiels, 1 male, 1 female - i got them on the very same day, as well as a nice cage for them, a toy, bowls etc - and they have settled in fairly well.
They were above my headheight at first but i moved them to a more accessable location as well as for the part of behaviour issues i heard about. I've roughly had them for about a month and a half, they both have a wing clipped and have begun ''training'' - I have multiple questions and problems.

Problems:
1. Whenever i put my hand in the cage, they walk back and forth on the perch avoiding me
2. Whenever i try to feed them with the millet ''branch''? they are really curious of my hand and then don't eat unless held there for ages or they attack it/then randomly eat it.
3. They can't do ''step up'' on my finger, and the female constantly hisses at my hand and has a very painful bite.
4. They fight a fair bit, like open there beaks at eachother and it looks like they nip each other, both squealing; she'll sit on one side of the perch, and he'll move towards her and she's hiss and open her beak at him, and then it happens again.
5. They don't like coming out of the cage and tend to gravitate towards it making taming harder.
6. i feel like all these videos about just pushing your finger onto there breastbone is supposed to make them step up - but my birds just panic and run away.

Questions:

1. What is the best way for me to tame my birds at this very moment, and how often should i interact?
2. What toys are recommended
3. What setting is recommended (should they be seperated?)
4. What is a good diet for them? typical foods to include in every day meals?
5. They don't bathe in the water we give them, so how can i encourage washing?
6. Any tips are welcome!


NOTES:

1. They're both very young, the female is around 4 months, and then male is around 5 months. 
2. They have been in the same cage for there entire time at my house
3. We have 2 cats
4. They share a room with me, and i do not cover them at night, but i toss and turn which i feel wakes them up.
5. I have times where i go to bed at different times for work purposes.
6. I've had them out on the floor to get exercise around 3 or 4 times when there wings were clipped.



THANK YOU <3


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## mlj722 (Feb 19, 2017)

Saberbliss said:


> I am very stuck at the minute;
> 
> I have these 2 beautiful cockatiels, 1 male, 1 female - i got them on the very same day, as well as a nice cage for them, a toy, bowls etc - and they have settled in fairly well.
> They were above my headheight at first but i moved them to a more accessable location as well as for the part of behaviour issues i heard about. I've roughly had them for about a month and a half, they both have a wing clipped and have begun ''training'' - I have multiple questions and problems.
> ...


Questions:
1. I didn't have to tame my 'tiel, but I did have to tame my parakeet, so all that you'll require for this method is time and their favorite treat. (Regarding your millet issue, hang one strip of millet in their cage and allow them to eat some of it and realize that it's a treat before you start). Untamed birds are naturally scared of hands, so that's what you have to get your bird not scared of and to realize that you're not going to hurt them (since they are common prey for other animals). 
This is the method that I followed step for step, and it works so well: http://talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=113153
Just make sure to go slower than faster when it comes to training. Don't force too much at once or you'll lose all the trust you've worked for and will have to start over. 

2. 'Tiels and other birds really like to shred, so make sure to have toys that small things such as paper or even tie straws together that they can chew apart. Wooden toys are also good since they can chew on that as well, and colorful toys with bells seem to attract them the most. Every bird is different though. Some like bottle caps, beads, shredding, etc.

3. From this, I'm going to assume that what you've bought are Pet Store Cockatiels, correct?
You mentioned aggression with them in the cage, did the two birds share a cage where you bought them from?
If they didn't share a cage with one another in the store, the two would have had no relationship with one another, which could be the cause of the aggression. It's likely that if you slowly bond them to one another over time, the aggression will fade (but you'll have to watch out for breeding if you don't want babies, but even without a male or having them fertilized, your female can still lay eggs, so be wary of that). 

4. A good diet for 'tiels (and any other bird) is to have a diet consisting of pellets and fresh fruits and vegetables. (Do NOT give avocados they are toxic) Some 'tiels can be very picky when it comes to eating vegetables, so try to use various methods to try and get them to eat it such as simply hanging it in their cage (but don't leave it in there too long because it'll go bad).

5. Oh boy, I've had bathing problems with my little boy. The thing in bathing is that you have to capture your bird in just the right mood for bathing or they won't want to. And if plain sitting water doesn't work, try other methods such as spraying a spray bottle above their heads so it falls like rain, or even taking them into the shower so they can bathe in your steam or even have the water bounce off the wall or you (the full spray is too strong for them) 

6. If you have any other questions, you can PM me.  :tiel5:


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## mlj722 (Feb 19, 2017)

Problems:
1. Whenever i put my hand in the cage, they walk back and forth on the perch avoiding me.
^ This is because they don't trust your hand yet. They'll stop doing this once they've been tamed and get used to your hand and realize it's not there to hurt them.

2. Whenever i try to feed them with the millet ''branch''? they are really curious of my hand and then don't eat unless held there for ages or they attack it/then randomly eat it.
^ For my petstore Parakeet, I had to allow him to try the millet on his own by placing some in his food bowl so he could realize that it was a treat that he would really like. After they get to try it, you don't and shouldn't put any more in the cage so that way it can be used for training purposes and to keep them from getting fat.

3. They can't do ''step up'' on my finger, and the female constantly hisses at my hand and has a very painful bite.
^ Once again, this is because she doesn't trust you. Once the female hisses, you should honestly pull away at that moment so that way you don't accidentally teach her that if she bites you, you'll go away or it'll make a bird whom likes biting. This bite hurts because it' the only method she's found to get your scary hand to go away, so that's what she does. Just make sure to not have a big reaction when she bites when she's tamed so that way she realizes that biting won't have the same effect anymore if she does become nippy, and try to listen to her hissing and body language more to let you know when she uncomfortable and to stop. That's what their crest it so helpful for! Based upon crest height, that can usually tell you their mood.

4. They fight a fair bit, like open there beaks at eachother and it looks like they nip each other, both squealing; she'll sit on one side of the perch, and he'll move towards her and she's hiss and open her beak at him, and then it happens again.
^ If they haven't been around one another enough, this is their way of warning one another to stay away from one another. Open beak, hissing, and crest down is a warning to go away. Since you say the fighting it frequent, I would separate them for they may be trying to be territorial with one another. You can bond them in their cages by slowly moving them closer to one another and allowing them to play outside with one another where neither of their "territory" is located. You'll just have to watch for violence, although 'tiels are pretty docile, so this isn't likely. Still watch close tho!

5. They don't like coming out of the cage and tend to gravitate towards it making taming harder.
6. i feel like all these videos about just pushing your finger onto there breastbone is supposed to make them step up - but my birds just panic and run away.
^^ Once again, for both of these, this is simply because they do not trust you or your hand yet. The difficultly here is that you've purchased two birds at once, meaning that taming is going to be quite a bit more difficult since they're going to want to more likely gravitate and bond with one another more than with you. Not to say that they won't like you, but the process is going to be a little more difficult for you. However, if you work hard, with time and care, you'll be able to win over any bird.


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