# Can someone please give me any advice?



## Shannon_c (Jul 18, 2013)

i have posted one in the introduction! i have a cockatiel called summer, who i have had for a month now, she was brought from my pet shop, and it not hand reared therefore harder to train. recently we have been getting on really well and bonding as she is now taking food from my hand and knows to touch the perch to get treats! however i am not sure whether she should be in the cage or out! she come out once and panicked flying around my room, getting out of breath then falling, i don't want that to happen again so is there anything i can do? she hasn't learnt step up yet but i feel she is spending to much time in her cage? any advice would be great!
shannon


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## questionare (Jul 9, 2012)

Well,

Since she is untamed, it is too soon to let her out of cage, I do advise you to try to give her food while your hand is inside the cage, no through cage bars.

Slowly after she accepts food from your hand, you can introduce your other hand, or finger as a perch to reach the treats from your other hand.

Patience is the key with these clever birds, and you need to follow her pace, and don't rush it. 

Spend time with her, and try to socialize with her.

Do you know how old she is?

P.S: She is a super cute cinnamon one.
Thanks,


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## Shannon_c (Jul 18, 2013)

she is about 5 months! im glad to hear that because i really wasnt sure if she could or not! she feeds from my hand in the cage but as soon as the other goes in she freaks out, luckily im patient but have lots of time to spend with her!
thank you!


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## questionare (Jul 9, 2012)

Her age is very suitable for taming and training,

I do advise you not to have any disturbance during the taming process, and if she eats from your hand inside the cage, try placing your hand a little further from her, so she need to move to get it, and slowly, you can introduce your other hand as a perch to reach the treat.

Does she allow you to touch her head? Does she bites your finger strongly if you introduced it, or just nibbles on it?

Thanks,


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## Shannon_c (Jul 18, 2013)

no, i cant go near her head but she doesnt bite! just opens her mouth and goes towards me as if she is going to, but never has!


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## moonchild (Jul 29, 2012)

I would leave the door open and see what she does. If she flies out and freaks out, give her time to settle down and assess her surrounding. Usually they won't do that, unless something startles them. I don't agree that a bird should be cage-bound just because it isn't tame. I let my untame tiel out, and have since the day she came to live with me. I have perches on the outside of the cage, on top and by the doors, as well as a long ladder that leads from the floor back to the cage door. So she was even able to find her way back in when her wings were clipped. 

Granted, there isn't really a time I NEED to put her back in the cage, so I pretty much let her do her thing. At bedtime, I dim the lights and she usually takes it as a cue to go back in. If not, I put a millet spray on the cage floor to tempt her in. Still, sometimes she stays out, so she just sleeps on top of the cage. No big deal. If I HAD to be able put her back for some reason, things might be more stressful. I might have to dim the lights and towel her. So I'm glad I can just let her do what she wants. I think it's gone a long way toward building trust.

Will she step into a perch you're holding, for treats? If you can train her to do that, it will help you get her back in when needed. (Astrid won't, generally, but a lot of birds do take to this training). Good luck.


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

If you want to keep her wings unclipped, work with her in a small room with the door closed. Cover up any windows or large mirrors and eliminate as many other hazards as you can. She can't build up too much speed in a small room so the impact will be less severe if she crashes into something.

If you're willing to clip her wing feathers it will be much easier to work with her, and it won't be so important to work in a small room. You can leave her with enough flight feathers to do some flying but with greatly reduced speed and range.

In either case, move slowly and be as gentle and non-threatening as you can while she's out of the cage. If she flies away from you, walk after her in a slow non-skulking manner. It will make her more frightened if you chase her quickly or try to sneak up on her, because this is what predators do.


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## Shannon_c (Jul 18, 2013)

i just dont want her to hurt herself again, ive been trying to get her to climb on my finger but she wont have it haha! would you recommend getting her wings clipped? i hear mixed opinions thanks!


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## moonchild (Jul 29, 2012)

Clipping makes the bird more dependent on you, which can make it more submissive, but it can also take away their confidence. Astrid is much friendlier and more confident now that her wings have grown in. You could always do a light clip (the first two primary flights on each side) which will slow her down, if you're worried about her hurting herself. You don't want to clip too much off, so that she falls like a rock. Usually, though, they will learn the layout of a room pretty quickly and quit flying into things. Just make sure that if you have a window in the room with no blinds or curtains, you put stickers or a piece of paper temporarily (so they don't perceive it as open space).


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

My preference is to clip the wings of a bird that has just moved into a new home. I think it's much safer for the bird because it greatly limits their speed, and it helps you develop your relationship faster because you don't have to spend so much time trying to get close enough to the bird to interact with it. Some people feel strongly that clipping is wrong and don't want to do it under any circumstances. My approach is to do what's best for the bird, and I don't think it's best for her to keep her locked in the cage because it's unsafe to let her out, or to let her bang around the room wildly until she learns about her new environment. 

If you clip her you will still have to try to eliminate hazards when you let her out, but the hazards will be different. A clipped bird will be forced to land before she goes very far, and she won't have much choice about her landing spot. So you have to make sure that gravity isn't going to pull her down into anything dangerous, like a pan of water or the top of a stove.


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## moonchild (Jul 29, 2012)

I'm not disagreeing, Carolyn, but I've never had issues with a flighted bird hurting itself, even in a new and unfamiliar home. I've found that it doesn't take them long to figure out where the walls are. I personally am against clipping to totally ground the bird (taking ALL their flights). A light clip to slow them down a bit is one thing, crippling them is another!


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## bjknight93 (Nov 13, 2011)

There is no proper clip that grounds a bird. You never ever clip the secondary flights, and if you do a proper clip of the primaries the bird can still fly. The bird will not fly nearly as fast and will have to flap harder/faster to get where it wants to go, but in no circumstances will a properly clipped bird be grounded.

I know you know this Garance, but my posting is to point this out to other new members/browsers who may get the impression from your post that clipped birds SHOULD be grounded. No bird should be grounded, and I would hate for some new bird owner to improperly clip their birds wings after reading this thread.


Edit: There is a informational thread on wing clipping in the Sticky Library (left hand side) and under the General Info section, if I remember right, for those who are interested in what a proper wing clip looks like for a cockatiel.


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## moonchild (Jul 29, 2012)

I'm just going to stop voicing my mind about clipping, because what I say tends to get misconstrued. And I get the feeling I come off as argumentative when I'm not trying to be. I'm just trying to present a side that is, in my opinion, under-represented here. Obviously it is up to people to decide for themselves if what I'm saying has any value. I personally feel that clipping skittish, untame birds does more harm than good. That has been my experience, and all I was trying to say.

I agree, a light clip is better than a heavy one if a bird is to be clipped at all.


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