# Bonding using Body Language Cues



## dshiro2012 (Feb 4, 2013)

I'm hoping using visual cues from them will help me effectively bond with them. 

If you have any tips, let me know. Right now every night I let them out of their cage (put them on top) and make them the refrigerated mixture of grains, seeds, fruits and vegetables (it gets boiled for them) and put it up on top. Then I let them eat it and talk with my husband (it's nice and quiet in the house since our son is asleep at the time) and them. Then after about 20-30 minutes, I go over and talk to them and clear the plate away for them. Baby always takes the last 30 minutes to fly over to where I am to "check out the area" while Rajah stays on the cage. Once Baby is on the couch with me, he will fly down and look for her.

Anything else I should do? I've only been doing this the past couple of nights, and don't want to push it. I want them to become very comfortable with me.


----------



## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

We have several stickies on taming:
http://talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=33824
http://talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=22073

And also food bribery is a good way to go. Offering millet from your hand is a great way to work with them and help them associate you with good things.
http://talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=28661


----------



## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

The blinking method is supposed to be a good way to help your bird feel relaxed and calm. While you're up close talking or hanging out with the bird, you don't stare at it steadily because that's what predators do. Instead, you keep your body as relaxed as you can, and you slowly blink your eyes or casually look away from time to time. This is relaxed behavior, the opposite of what an animal would do when it's "on alert", and many people report that it helps their bird feel less nervous.


----------



## Loopy Lou (Jul 26, 2012)

I saw a video on youtube of someone being able to give scritches to an untame cockatiel within a couple of minutes, it was certainly interesting. I tried this with Echo when i first got her and it worked, but it didn't work with Smokey, perhaps because he's a lot older.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yW_PQMCG26w


----------



## dshiro2012 (Feb 4, 2013)

Thanks! I'll try and look that up and try it out. It's always worth a try. =]


----------



## flippityjib (Dec 13, 2012)

Well the blinking thing is good to know! I have been staring at my two. Though they don't seen to care but they might. Of course when they are preening me i feel like i could go to sleep 

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2


----------



## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

> I saw a video on youtube of someone being able to give scritches to an untame cockatiel within a couple of minutes, it was certainly interesting.


There didn't really seem to be any special technique in that video. He started with a bird that didn't object too strongly to being handled and kept approaching it until the bird's objections decreased. This method won't work with a bird that seriously doesn't want to be touched.


----------



## dshiro2012 (Feb 4, 2013)

It seemed like in the video the bird was more scared than aggressive. Which is mainly what my two are. So I'm going to try that as well as the blink method, and using rewards and see how it goes from there. =] But I don't think I'll do the video for more than 10 minutes out of the whole hour at night every day until they learn I won't hurt them. =]


----------



## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

Tiels have a very short attention span (think 2yr old) so its best to keep training sessions short and sweet and always end on a positive note (i.e. with a treat). 5-10 min sessions are a good idea.


----------



## dshiro2012 (Feb 4, 2013)

So I took the male out (the new one), the female just really did not want out, and took him into the shower with me, normally Baby and Rajah relax in the shower and he really didn't like anything about me or the shower. I was able to scritch the back of his head, but he would still lunge and bite...His mate bites, too. So I explained this to someone at our local petstore while I was picking up millet seed and he told me from the sound of it they've been together so long that they don't care for anyone else and would do well even without the attention of a human. So basically I can try to bond with them, but in his experience it more than likely won't do any good. But from the way Baby and Rajah are acting I can bond with both of them. He thinks they're still young enough that it should be easy and if one bonds then the other will follow. 

Does this sound correct to you???


----------



## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

No it doesn't...its harder to tame and bond with older birds that are bonded to each other but not impossible. They may never be super cuddly, but you can build a bond with them. It'd be easier to work with them separately, away from each other so their full attention is on you. As for the lunging and bitting, they're still afraid of hands, so before you can do anything else, you have to start there. And not all tiels know what a shower is or what to do in one, so that was probably part of his problem.


----------

