# tiels only come over when millet is served..run away when isnt



## Amyy (Apr 23, 2011)

i have two untamed grey tiels and i try to bribe them with millet spray.
since they have been with me for 2 yrs now,they know im not going to harm them,but they do avoid my hands.
so i feed them millet spray everyday...small chunks of it...
they dont mind my hand at all while feeding
but once i try to touch them or anything ,even while they are eating,they run away and come back for some more millet spray the next second.
what should be my next move?

PS-i started bribing them last week...


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

Don't try to touch the birds until they have become a lot more comfortable with your hands. Instead, encourage them to touch you. While they're eating millet from your hand, slowly adjust the position of the millet so they have to stretch to reach it, and eventually move the millet so far that they have to put a foot on your hand to reach it. Then both feet. 

Eventually you will reach a point where they will step onto your hand immediately to get the millet, without a lot of slow position changes. At that point you can start offering your hand for step ups without a millet bribe, and they will eventually get used to doing this.


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## Scribbles (Jun 28, 2012)

Just want to say that I'm cheering you on with your desire to have your birdies tamed and interacting with you. We have a darling bird and I know how enjoyable it is to interact with your little feathered friends. So here's hoping it won't be long before your birdies are loving on you.


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## Amyy (Apr 23, 2011)

they come on my hands even but only when ive got the millet spray...when i dont have it,they hiss and move away...what step should i take now?


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## SnackBriber (Aug 28, 2012)

Haha! All my birds have done the same thing.. But only for the first two weeks! I would think that after two years.. That they wouldn't at all be afraid of your hands!

Just remember that tiels and all birds for that matter sometimes perceive humans as many different animals attached to each other rather then one since we are so large to them.
So while they might trust and love your head.. They may be completely scared of your hands!

Instead of holding the millet out, you can break it up in your hand so they eat out of it.
I used safflower seeds when I first got my birds and instead of using my hands, would first put it between my lips and hold my head out to them! They would all come and take it off me every time. I did this for a few days and then started slowly moving my hand out with one which they would again take off. From there, I began using fav foods in the palm of my hand and would make them step up for the food as tielfan said.
After a week of this, I took a drastic step for all of them and took them all individually into the shower for one on one time.
I perched them on my finger away from the water and with the shower enclosed.. They were forced in a way to stay on..  I would whistle the whole time for 10 minutes and then kept that routine every day, same time.
Along with the 'step-up' training technique, my birds have all become quite used to perching on my hand and staying there until they're bored


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## Amyy (Apr 23, 2011)

SnackBriber said:


> Haha! All my birds have done the same thing.. But only for the first two weeks! I would think that after two years.. That they wouldn't at all be afraid of your hands!
> 
> Just remember that tiels and all birds for that matter sometimes perceive humans as many different animals attached to each other rather then one since we are so large to them.
> So while they might trust and love your head.. They may be completely scared of your hands!
> ...


thats amazing...
i think i might try out the shower routine after a month or so...


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## Bird Junky (Jul 24, 2012)

*Hi I think that instead of picking up the odd tip about how to do 
what. You would be better off reading one or two of the Bonding
& Taming posts. Training is an ongoing process where one step 
leads to another & prevents the mistakes creeping in as it would
with a tip here & there situation....B.J. *

Click on bellow for a Bonding post.
http://talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=31981


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## Amyy (Apr 23, 2011)

i read most of the posts and tried some techniques too,but failed.so now im restarting with them slower


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

> so now im restarting with them slower


Slower is good. When a technique doesn't work the first time, it's usually because we were pushing too hard and trying to go at our own speed instead of the bird's speed. Every bird is different, so you have to really watch your bird to see how he is responding to what you're doing. If he's very nervous you need to think about ways to make him more comfortable, and slowing down is usually a good first step.


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## Amyy (Apr 23, 2011)

yeah i am going very slowly with them...im in no hurry at all


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## Seven11 (Feb 25, 2012)

i'm right there with you. i'm sure out birds will come around eventually...they cant hate us for 20+ years can they? haha


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## Ghosth (Jun 25, 2012)

Its been my experience that 2 or more birds are much harder to work with than one.

So you might consider letting them out one at a time for training sessions.

Or if you can get one to sit on a perch/shoulder/hand remove him from where the other bird is for training. 

Anything that you can do to "stack the deck" in your favor can make a difference.

Best of luck

@Bird Junky, well said!


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## redbird2448 (Aug 28, 2012)

I was just going to sugest that you put them in seperate cages for handling.
Even maybe in seperat rooms. 
Its to easy for one to freak out the other. They just feed off each others spookiness.
It would be hard to teach any two animals at the same time.


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

Also working with them away from their cages is a good idea. A lot of birds will only try to get back to their cage during a training session and you want to have their full attention when working with them.


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## Amyy (Apr 23, 2011)

thankyou everyone for your inputs.ill try it out


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