# Hissing on my shoulder?



## Oakpaw (Nov 11, 2011)

Hi everyone, I adopted my cockatiel yesterday. Chester is a really sweet WF male, age unknown. The people at the bird rescue definitely did a good job hand taming him. I have no problem getting him to perch at any given time.. Except when he's on my shoulder.

If I try to get him to leave my shoulder (by perching on a finger, or any other object for that matter), he hisses at me. I wait for him to perch on the back of my chair, and once he does that he's fine with perching on my finger again. Any thoughts on why this is happening?

(To clarify, I don't mind that he's on my shoulder. I'm happy to let him sit there for quite a while. But it would be nice to be able to get him off my shoulder and return him to his cage as needed.) 

Thanks, everyone!


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## morla (Aug 15, 2011)

Daisy is just like that! When she is on my shoulder and if i moved my head she sometimes hisses. When i try to get her off, with either my finger or stick, she hisses like crazy!


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## sunnysmom (Sep 23, 2011)

That's great that he's doing so well already. My tiel has an issue with fingers. He'll take food from my fingers, etc. but doesn't like to step up on fingers. My only guess is he thinks he's going to be grabbed? (Which I've never done, but past trauma maybe?) He will happily step up on my wrist or arm. Do you think that would work? Or on a perch? Also if I stretch my arm out, he'll usually walk off my shoulder and down to my arm or hand.


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## Oakpaw (Nov 11, 2011)

I just find it so odd that he's okay with stepping up to my finger when it's any other surface/location. Only when he's on my shoulder does he start giving me an attitude. I hold my finger out for him to perch the same way I do any other time, so I would hope he's not associating it with grabbing!


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## bjknight93 (Nov 13, 2011)

Well for a while, my tiel Kirk didn't like our shoulders and i actually think it was because he was *scared* of our faces! Just give him some time to get used to it, Kirk is fine now and enjoys being a shoulder-bird and likes to chew on my necklaces.


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## Oakpaw (Nov 11, 2011)

Well.. I don't have any of those problems. He's not scared of my face. on the contrary, he lays his head against my cheek when he's on my shoulder. It's just removing him that seems to be impossible without going through some crazy long trial and error process. :\


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## Puppydog (Oct 13, 2011)

Frikkie does the same. I thinks its a dominance/territorial thing.


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## bjknight93 (Nov 13, 2011)

I misunderstood the problem. Luna never wants to get off my shoulder. I have to persistently push my finger against her chest and ask her to step up. She usually makes those horrible mad noises but eventually decides to give in.


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## Oakpaw (Nov 11, 2011)

I'm hesitant to even do that. When my finger goes near him, he'll hiss and lay his crest back, or he'll do that rapid nibbling warning. I've been using a rope perch and saying "up" when he gets on it, then praising after he is on it and away from my shoulder. I dunno if it's helping or not.. I also tried luring him off with millet, but he didn't seem to care.


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## bjknight93 (Nov 13, 2011)

Will he actually bite you? I have a tiel who will hiss and show all those warning signs when he doesn't want to get on my finger but he will only _peck_ me, not actually bite me.


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## carrielee76 (Nov 19, 2011)

Sultan is the same way. I get lots of hissing and then he will peck like crazy on my fingers when I get too close but has yet to grab ahold of my finger and bite hard.


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## bjknight93 (Nov 13, 2011)

But also--_*never*_ let your birds get anything positive from biting or pecking. After all, if anyone's training anyone it should be you training the bird. By pulling your finger away and letting him stay on your shoulder, you are indirectly reinforcing his biting/pecking. Keep this in mind when dealing with this or any other similar problem.


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## Copper (Nov 26, 2011)

Sometimes Dante will make angry noises at my hand and nipping when she'd rather be pet, When this happens I just keep my hand there and wiggle it a little until she's finished and, after waiting about 10 seconds, stop and start petting her like she wants before having her step up and giving her more pets.


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## Oakpaw (Nov 11, 2011)

Thanks Bjknight --He does actually bite me if I get too close. I've since stopped letting him sit on my shoulder. Now he sits on the arm rest of my chair, which according to what I've read should reinforce that he is not dominant over me. He still hisses sometimes at that, but if I get up and pretend to leave the room, he'll try to fly after me, or he'll eagerly step up. For now, it works.. I need to try putting my finger near him with a glove on or something when he gets hissy, because you're right --I don't want him thinking he wins if he bites me. But it does hurt!


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## Oakpaw (Nov 11, 2011)

Copper, thanks for that tip. I just need to build up a pain tolerance, I think. Chester does a hard bite, not the little "hey I'm annoyed with you" nips. x.x


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## DyArianna (Aug 7, 2011)

Keep in mind you are dealing with basically the equivalent to human toddlers. They can be quite indignant at times.  Some of this hissing you encounter can be just their way of saying I don't want to right now. Don't take it too personally and just realize you have a little being who is trying to find his/her own independence. This can be a good thing, or it can be a bad thing. Quick movements are a big no no. If you're bringing up that hand quickly and trying to move them quickly.. you will get a standoff. But, they also need to know that if it's time to go.. it's time to go. And yes.. moving your hand there slowly and holding it for a few pecks for them to see you're not backing down is a good way to do it.  I would suggest though, you hold your hand with your fingers curled in at first as outspread fingers can cause them alarm.


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