# Hand Hate/Fear?



## Melissa (Mar 22, 2010)

So I've had my cockatiel since he was about 8 mos. old (or so the pet shop told me, but who really knows...), and when I first got him he was okay with hands and would get on anyone's finger no problem. He was never a "cuddly" tiel, but he was never unfriendly.

Then when his wings grew in so he could fly, and he started getting "hormonal", and things changed. At first it began with him getting on my finger, but then flying off the moment he got on. I figured I wasn't going to let him get his way, and I continued using my finger with him, but it only got worse after I had to clip his nails, clipped one too low, and cut the quick. After that he began to bite and threaten to bite whenever a hand (not just a finger) came near him.

I've left my hand near him when he tries to bite, not taking it away quickly, and it only seemed to anger/frighten him more. Unfortunately, I just kinda gave up when nothing changed, and he adapted to just jumping to my elbow or shoulder to avoid the hands altogether. There were times I tried to get him to like hands again with millet and such, but those times only led to a bird that started becoming more uncontrollable when he came out of his cage and trying to bite me when I came near him.

What I'm wondering is what I should do to try and change this. Should I try to get him to like hands again by using millet? Does that make a bird's behavior worse before it gets better, or was I doing something wrong the previous times I've tried? It's awkward to do things without using your hands, you know, and I know there are times he wants me to give him head itchies, but I can't get my hand near him without risking a bite. So I'd like to regain some control here and I think I'm ready to try in earnest.

Thanks for any replies!

-- Melissa


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## Raven2322 (Mar 1, 2008)

I personally clip birds when they become too hormonal and can't be handle. I've had many bloody bite marks and they are freaked out as well. I find clipping calms them down and makes them rely on you more and makes it easier to tame them back down.


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## Jenny10 (Feb 27, 2010)

Hi Melissa, 

I am with Raven on the Clipping he sounds like he is getting a bit too wild, once he is clipped maybe have a look into stick training, its where you use a bird perch instead of your hands, I am finding it is working well, I have just bought a baby Tiel who was parent raised so currently taming him, and I am finding I can move him around on the perch collect him from the floor ok, I found because he wasn’t tame that cleaning his cage out petrified him (frightened of hands) but now I can get him out on the perch and sit him on top of the cage and he watches while I clean it out, I have even managed to feed him some millet from my hand, when I want to put him back I just put the perch up and he steps back on.

As for trying to feed him millet maybe try feeding millet on the spray and getting a long one so your hand is a safe distance away, also just a thought how about getting a twig or something similar to try and give him a head scratch, start doing things he likes and gradually build his confidence in you again.

Anyway just some thought’s you could try that might help.

Best of luck with him

Jenny


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## Melissa (Mar 22, 2010)

Thanks to both of you for replying!

Yeah, I think I will try clipping his wings... it seems as if leaving them unclipped is giving him too many opportunities to fly away when I want to do something with him.


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## Raven2322 (Mar 1, 2008)

Melissa said:


> Thanks to both of you for replying!
> 
> Yeah, I think I will try clipping his wings... it seems as if leaving them unclipped is giving him too many opportunities to fly away when I want to do something with him.


I think that's a good idea. Not only because of the hands but because they he won't associate you with this person chasing him around. When I first got Monroe he wasn't clipped and I had to chase and grab him and he had a previous trama from that and he would freak out badly. So you don't want him to associate you with chasing him too, because he could then become afraid of that as well as hands.


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