# How much time does it take to tame a tiel?



## Thelastkiss19 (Jan 11, 2013)

Hey guys,

I've had my tiel Lufi for 5 months now. I got him after my 8 year old tiel passed away.  Lufi was not hand raised and lived in a not-so-pet-friendly pet shop for around a year before I got him. 

He is usually hissing when I change his food or water, but has never bit me, I can go really close and it's just hissing. But he is just not warming up to either my hand, or to coming out from his cage... he has been out a few times (once or twice a month), sometimes on his own, sometimes I guided him out, but he just flies a little (good flier though), finds a place to sit and starts grooming. He will not step up on my finger like my previous tiel or not even on a perch when I want to put him back. If I start coming closer with a perch for example, he starts hissing and flies away. Millet doesn't help either, he doesn't like it that much. :S So I jut get the cage close to him and he flies back in.

I knew that this would take a long time, I just don't know how much... my previous tiel was not hand raised either and it took her more than a year to warm up to me. But after that, she was amazing! 

One good sign though is that he started this new habit: he used to shriek or scream randomly (also sing), but now he screams when I leave his room. Which might be annoying to some, but it makes me happy because it gives me some hope that he might like me a little. But I usually close the door and not react when he shrieks not to encourage him. He stops in a few minutes after the door closes, so that's nice!

How much time does taming take for a tiel like this? Do I do something wrong? 
I've read every taming thread on this forum (food bribery, etc.). They seem to be written for already somewhat hand raised tiels, and not the "tough cases", like Lufi. Any advice?

Sorry for the long post!


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## ollieandme (Mar 25, 2013)

There's no specific amount of time. It ranges from days to months. I was lucky with both mine and within a month they were settled. Ollie as an unhandled aviary bird so i was very surprised!

Try sitting near Lufi's cage when you do things and making sure he knows you're safe. Feed him his favorite food from your hand- maybe spray millet. Let him choose to come out of his cage - in my experience it works better than getting them out 

Good luck  it's not easy and at the time you wonder if it'll ever end but it does. Some birds are not affectionate but they are tame. Lufi's a gorgeous name. And that's good he screams for you a bit - though irritating it means your part of his flock


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## Thelastkiss19 (Jan 11, 2013)

The millet thing doesn't work unfortunately, he just doesn't care about millet. I'm lost without food bribery.  

I will keep talking to him and sitting with him and just open his door and hope that he will one day decide to explore and come out. 

Also, if I know that I will be in the living room for hours, I just take his whole cage with me so that he isn't alone in his room. I don't know how he likes that, but at least he's socializing. 

He is very vocal when it comes to bird noises from outside (even the chickens of the neighbors). I'm pretty sure he misses bird companions.


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## Haimovfids (Sep 19, 2012)

Maybe he does like it but he is way too scared to come near it.
Try leaving the millet in his cage and let him try it, if you see that he is totally ignoring it then he probuarely dosent like it
Here are a few taming stickies 
http://talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=33824

http://talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=22073

http://talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=28661


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## Loopy Lou (Jul 26, 2012)

My bird Smokey was also very difficult to tame, and to be honest i don't think he'll ever be totally tame.

But i did train him to take food from me and to step up onto my finger but mostly onto a spare perch.

Smokey also doesn't like millet so i tried a few different foods in his food bowl to see what he likes and i found that banana chips works for him.

Once i saw that he liked them and would go to the food bowl for them i'd hold them in my hand in the cage and he'd come to me for a nibble. You have to be patient though and get ready for aching arms!

Then I'd work on using the banana chips to get him to step up and after a while he'd even do it for my brother, and that's saying something because Smokey trusts NOBODY lol.

In the cage first - took a while to get to this stage


From my brother on top of the cage


And finally, sitting on my brothers finger for a banana chip, it did take a while to get here


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## Loopy Lou (Jul 26, 2012)

From there, because there'd already been a little trust built up then we could work on stepping up and getting in and out of his cage.


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## Thelastkiss19 (Jan 11, 2013)

Amazing photos!

So today I decided to take your advice. I saw that Lufi was about to be out of food and he was showing signs of hunger (shrieking, nervous walking around, trying to reach the hard to reach food that was left in his feeder). So I took around a tablespoon of his regular food in my palm and gave it a shot, put my hand slowly in the cage while talking nicely... first he ran away from my hand and there was some hissing. I held it until my arm was aching too much and took my hand out of the cage. I started again.. and again... he was really eyeing the food so that gave me hope. I slowly got closer and closer to him. By the end, his eyes were dropping out he was eyeing the food so much. I knew it was gonna happen!  Then the miracle happened, and he started eating from my palm!! Only a few bites and then he realized what he was doing and backed away instantly. 

But it was amazing! I was too fixated on millet that I didn't even think of something more simple: his regular food. And patience was key! Good arm workout as well. Lol. I'll do this over and over again!

Thanks for the advice!!


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## Loopy Lou (Jul 26, 2012)

I'm glad that it worked for you and it's so great that your bird ate from your hand! It's a great feeling that first time 

Just a word of caution though - be careful if it's with your bird's regular food, you don't want him to be getting hungry regularly. Try experimenting with different treats, maybe in a separate bowl to see what he likes and then use that food as a training tool


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## Thelastkiss19 (Jan 11, 2013)

Of course, I didn't intend to deprive him for the sake of bonding  I refilled his feeder after our little adventure, I thought he deserved it after this big success ) I will keep trying with fruits as well, and will try the banana chips.


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## Loopy Lou (Jul 26, 2012)

Can't wait to hear how you get on, sounds like you've started off great anyway!


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## sunnysmom (Sep 23, 2011)

My tiel loves organic cheerio-type cereal as a treat. (Regular Cheerios are high in iron so I dont' give them to him.) But there are some cheerio-like cereals out there that are low in iron that he loves. Just an idea.


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## dmallia (May 20, 2013)

It takes some time. The food bribery worked fine for me. I mounted a stainless steel bowl and in the morning and in the afternoon I began putting 2 sunflower seeds and from the noise it makes, the tiel began to approach the bowl and than after almost a week he began to eat when I was still putting seeds in, and now he just takes the seed from my fingers as he watches the seed. Now I'm slowly putting my hand in the cage with some food. At the beginning it just fly to the top of the cage and does not stop hissing. From this week it is staying on the perch and looks at my hand but does nothing for now. Hopefully it will began to eat from my hand asap. This is my 4th week. All you need is time, patience and stay calm. Do not hesitate when he bites you. You will get used to it don't worry


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## Thelastkiss19 (Jan 11, 2013)

Guys, you're giving me amazing ideas and advice ) Thank you so much!!! I will try every advice you have given me (the bowl with the two seeds and the cheerio type cereal added to my list)! I will have a little more time now that the summer is starting, and I hope to be back with pictures of the progress )


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