# Charlie still hates me!!!!!!



## Camilla18 (Jul 21, 2013)

My cockatiel still bites me whenever I get close to him. I got his wings trimmed but he still acts the same and still tries to fly away. It's a struggle to get him out of the cage but I've managed to get him out several times. When I do all he ever does is preen himself!! Which is so annoying to me now.

But he WILL NOT let me pet him and when I try to move him to a different spot he hisses at me. SO I back off but I'm getting tired of his constant biting. The vet said he's a nice bird but to me, no. He knows step up and everything but anything else, nope. 

I got a cockatiel because they're supposed to be friendly birds but this one is a pain in my behind. Still wont eat ANYTHING but seeds/ pellets/ millet (but limited) and doesn't play with his friggin toys. He started playing with one but stopped so I rotated, bought similar ones and completely different ones and NOPE. NA DA

He ducks away from my hand every time I get close to him. All he really does is sing, sing, scream, sing, and sing.

Any help??? Please


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## sallymay1991 (Oct 6, 2013)

is this your first cockatiel?


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## Vickitiel (Oct 10, 2012)

How long have you had Charlie? It's not true that he hates you, you just haven't won his trust fully, and being angry about it will make it worse if he gets a sense of your feelings towards him. If he was an untame aviary bird when you bought him, taming him is going to be challenging, long and frustrating at the worst of times, but you will get there with perseverance and a calm attitude. I've done it before, so have many others, so it's not a hopeless situation. He sits on your hand, right? That's a giant leap right there.

http://talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=28661 Have a read through this if you haven't already, it may help you.


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## sallymay1991 (Oct 6, 2013)

I agree, Don't give up. My birdy and I used to be really close until I had split with my boyfriend and he had to go to my moms for a while. He regressed and I've had him back for at least 3 months now and it's still a challenge. When I first got him I tamed him and now I have to start from scratch again. It's very frustrating but If you take your time and have patients youll get there.


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## sunnysmom (Sep 23, 2011)

I think tiels are really good at sensing moods. So if you're upset/frustrated with him, I think he's going to act the same towards you. I'm not a proponent of wing-clipping and that might be part of the problem too. He could be upset that his wings are clipped. I suggest just taking things slow and working at his pace. Will he accept treats from your hands? If not, I would start there. Just be patient with him.


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## KellyLee51 (Apr 27, 2013)

Camilla18 said:


> My cockatiel still bites me whenever I get close to him. I got his wings trimmed but he still acts the same and still tries to fly away. It's a struggle to get him out of the cage but I've managed to get him out several times. When I do all he ever does is preen himself!! Which is so annoying to me now.
> 
> But he WILL NOT let me pet him and when I try to move him to a different spot he hisses at me. SO I back off but I'm getting tired of his constant biting. The vet said he's a nice bird but to me, no. He knows step up and everything but anything else, nope.
> 
> ...



I have a cockatiel named Charlie that looks exactly like yours that hates me too!


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## LaurulCat (Jan 4, 2014)

How long have you had him, how old is he and was he ever happy about being handled or petted?

CharVickie is correct; he does not trust you yet and he is afraid of you. If you force him to be handled and petted, then that is the reason why. Parrots are not domesticated animals, looking to us for a relationship. They are still wild animals and in the wild they are very, very independent creatures. If another bird takes a liberty or bites them, they bite back or fly away. You have to establish trust with a parrot before they will allow you to handle them without nipping or biting.

And it is true they can read your frustration. Before interacting with your bird, do a little calming trick and lower your energy, tell yourself you love your bird and be calm as milk toast. If he bites you and you get angry, go away from him until you can calm yourself again. Birds are flock creatures and if one bird shows emotion, all the birds are aware of it. Think about how one frightened bird will cause an entire flock to take flight enmass.


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## Izzy_Meadows (Jun 6, 2013)

Also some birds just don't like to be pet. I have a very tame, very people friendly bird that you can do anything with...except pet. You have to get to know what he likes and dislikes. 

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## caterpillar (Oct 14, 2013)

Izzy_Meadows said:


> Also some birds just don't like to be pet. I have a very tame, very people friendly bird that you can do anything with...except pet. You have to get to know what he likes and dislikes.


Yup. Ours are hand-tame -- they step up, eat out of our hands, etc. -- but will likely never allow us to pet them. I'd estimate that fully a third of the forum members have tiels who do not like to be touched, and many people who have multiple tiels have some who love scratches and cuddles and some who are very hands-off.

Ours also do not like to play with toys. This is something that I also think is a general yes-or-no cockatiel personality trait, not something that can be trained with trust-building (though some people here disagree with me on that and say that birds will play when they feel comfortable and trusting in their environments).


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## mareeder (Jul 31, 2013)

I feel your pain. Ours is proving to be a real challenge as well. Maybe we can form a support group for "Owners of Meanie Birds?"


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## bobobubu (Dec 12, 2011)

Camilla18 said:


> All he really does is sing, sing, scream, sing, and sing.
> 
> Any help??? Please


That's what most healthy birds do. He's not a puppet and he's probably well aware that you are frustrated and nervous around him.
He is also most possibly angry for having been clipped.
Camilla, I suggest that you take a break from trying to pet him and train him. I know it sounds absurd, but I think that if you let him be for a while, he will react positively to it.
Talk to him without trying to pet him; just do your things around him, birds are curious and interested in what's happening around them; he will choose a way to approach you. 
I know that you have concerns about his diet too; two or three months of seed only diet won't kill him, let him eat what he wants until he has settled a bit more. Once you two are closer, introducing new food will be a bit easier because he will want to eat with you. At least that's how I managed to convince my tiels to eat more varied food.


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