# Too pushy???



## carrielee76 (Nov 19, 2011)

When it comes to taming or rehabilitating a teil who has had little socialization, how do I know if I'm being too pushy? What are the limitations on how to go about it? 
Once out of cage, Sultan is fine. Inside cage, he freaks out and runs from my hands or hisses and warns me with " attack warning bites" that never hurt. I have been trying to keep my hand in the cage and slowly moving closer to him but it's the same thing--runs or hisses. 
I've been reading up on this issue but I may not be going about it the right way. I wonder if I'm just not spending enough time just talking with him-:blush:- my home life is hectic being a single mom to 2 teens and a 4 yr old and the fact I'm a store manager and going to school part time. When I'm in my room (which is where he is) I talk to him and sometimes he will chat back but most of the time he just sits on his perch and listens. (maybe he is a she since I dont get much vocalization and have not been noticing any male behaviors as of yet). Any help is appreciated and thanks in advance!


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

Maybe move him to a more active room where you are most of the time so he can get used to you? Also, you aren't supposed to move your hand closer to him until he stops the pacing/running/hissing. He has to get used to the hand before you can move it.


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## morla (Aug 15, 2011)

Good luck with Sultan!


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## carrielee76 (Nov 19, 2011)

I haven't been on much lately. Been so busy with work, kids and school. (Full time this semester with part time work). Even though I have not been able to be as consistant as I ought to be, I have been working with Sultan. We are slowly making some progress. I was able to get her out of her cage this evening with a llittle bit of fuss and she was fine. She sat on my fingers and then decided my buttons were of intrest and sat on my chest to chew on them  I took her to the bathroom to work on doing a little clicker training (just working on getting her used to the idea that the sounds means a treat) I'm not sure I got much done in the way towards that as I had my 4 yr old wanting to help and then my 13 yr old and her friend had to barge in to see what I was doing..made alot of ruckus :/ Sultan handled all the commotion really well however  I also managed to clip her toenails and she did great being that was the first time I've attempted this (been too afraid to)! She hung out withme for about another 30 minutes while my toddler bathed and played in the tub. When the lights got turned out, she whistled a time or two and then flew straight to her cage but missed it and landed on the old cage on the floor after bumping the wall!
All in all, I'd say we are making great progress considering the inconsistancy(totally my fault for being soooo busy).


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## stevechurch2222 (Sep 25, 2011)

You are doing a great job with Sultan,Carrie Lee.Keep up the good work.


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## meaggiedear (Nov 20, 2011)

Will Sultan get out the cage on his own? Cause Grey does this to me and I just open his door and he climbs out himself and then he is totally fine. About about a week or two of letting him do it- He would step up without a lot of fight because he knows it means he is getting out of cage time... Some days he regresses and goes nuts and those days I just let him get out himself.


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## carrielee76 (Nov 19, 2011)

Meaggiedear, no she will not come out on her own. I leave her door open all the time when I am home and has only once in the 3 months Ive had her come sit on her door.
Thanks stevechurch! I am. My biggest issue is having one on one time without my kids around since they are usually home when I am except for a cpl of days during the week. And on those days Im usually doing homework


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

How long have you had this bird? It often takes a couple of months for a bird to really settle into a new home, so if it's been less time than this Sultan might be a male who just doesn't feel comfortable enough to sing yet.

Food bribery can be helpful. Find a treat that he likes and put it just outside the open cage door to tempt him to come out. Millet spray usually works well for this purpose, assuming that he is already familiar with it.

If this succeeds in luring him out of the cage, you can hold the millet in your hand and encourage him to eat it, to teach him that hands can be a source of good things. You can do this inside the cage too, although it sounds like he's more fearful in there. 

If he's too shy to eat from your hand, you can drop a small clump of millet in his food dish every time you approach the cage, and make sure he sees you do it. He'll start to look forward to your approach, and you can work up to feeding him through the bars and then with no bars between you. The out of cage equivalent would be to set a clump down where he can easily reach it.


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## carrielee76 (Nov 19, 2011)

Teilfan, hey. Thanks for the tips. I think it was Dally who said based on wing spots Sultan is female. I have a thread on her somewhere..lol...
I have had her since sometime in Nov before thanksgiving. Her story is a long one but I basically rescued her from a home where she was in a filthy budgie cage( no paper on floor/ covered in poop) with no food other than saltine crackers and a coffee mug with really nasty water. 
I took her out again this evening and again did the clicker with a millet stick and she's starting to relate the two  She hung out with me for almost an hour or better and we worked on just bonding by allowing her to sit on my hand and shoulder( while on my shoulder I caught her creeping towards my neck abit )and doing "step" training. She's really getting the hang of that! nd one more update.....I put her in her cage and once she had turned around to face me I then immediately did the step and she did it!!!!!!!!!!!! Of course I rewarded her with praise and scritches (she was full from earlier and didnt want anymore!)


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## cinnamonswirl (Jan 22, 2012)

Maybe you're not using enough positive reinforcement when you offer him your hand. He thinks of your hand as something dangerous. Have him eat millet or his favorite treat from your hand for awhile. This will show him that good things come from hands. And I agree that you shouldn't chase him around the cage. If he begins to frantically run around when you want him to perch, tell him he's a good boy for trying and try again the next day. Don't make it a stressful thing.


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

Great, she's getting tamer! Positive reinforcement aka food bribery can really work wonders when combined with acting as nonthreatening as possible. Cockatiels are small prey animals and we're big hulking creatures, so it's natural for them to be afraid of us. But we can overcome this by showing the bird that we're trustworthy and helpful.


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