# Parent-raised cockatiel that has been handled?



## cinnamonswirl (Jan 22, 2012)

I've been in the search for a new baby cockatiel and recently came across a baby lutino. They said that she wasn't hand-raised but has been handled since day one. They said she's a little skittish when you try to get her out of the cage but once out is pretty good. She'll sit on your shoulder, finger, and play with your hair. I want a bonding bird so I asked them if she liked scratches. They said she was kind of cautious. How should I approach this situation if I decide to get her? Should I introduce being handled slowly? What technique should I use? I want her to be just as comfortable as a hand-raised one where I can easily lift up her wings and touch her feet, etc. I am aware that it might take a long time to fully tame her.... Any suggestions? I don't want the wrong approach where she would loose her trust in me. What are your preferences on parent-raised cockatiels that have been handled? Have they turned out to be good companions? Thanks!


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## xoxsarahxox (Dec 13, 2010)

Aero my female was parent-raised, never handled until I got her at 5 months old and she is the most cuddly cockatiel ever! She loves to be cuddled! Like I can smoosh her with kisses and pet and cuddle her forever and she will just sit there and enjoy it My hand-raised male demands like a minute of scritches and then hes gone, short attention span

Anyway, Lindseys taming thread might be helpful, http://talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=22073

BUT I have to say no bird likes their wings touched or lifted and I dont think most like their feet touched either, hand fed or not.


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## cinnamonswirl (Jan 22, 2012)

Well in that case, how do you towel a bird for wing and nail trimming? What is the safest way. I've heard to hold them by their cheeks....


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## bjknight93 (Nov 13, 2011)

Luna was parent-raised up until 6 weeks when I got him. The woman was inexperienced and sold him (and his 2 sisters) too early so i finished up his weaning. I just kind of jumped into handling with him. The first day I got him home I was attempting to put a perch into his temporary cage and he jumped past me and flew around the house. So I put on my gardening gloves and went after him. It took about 10 minutes to grab him and I had to sneak up on him. He bit the fire out of me! He didn't break the skin, but he definitely made it painful. I think he was just hyped up and scared though; i took him out later that night and snuggled him up to my chest and petted the top of his head. He calmed down immediately. I got too comfortable during that period and he got away from me again so i had to catch him. His wings were clipped (horribly, by a shop) as i was inexperienced and after that he depended on me and became by best friend within a week. . But i also had to handle him for handfeeding for about a week and a half.

Maybe this is a rare situation for them to settle down so easily, but Luna now accepts being taken from the cage, rides on the shoulder, and he _loves_ scritches.


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## cinnamonswirl (Jan 22, 2012)

How long should I wait until starting the taming process after she arrives home? She has been handled so it's a different circumstance than with a parent-raised...right?


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## bjknight93 (Nov 13, 2011)

Most people recommend leaving the cockatiel in its cage for a full day first so that they can get used to the cage and so that they can observe their surroundings before they become a part of it.


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## cinnamonswirl (Jan 22, 2012)

Another good thing about this parent-raised baby is that she is eating other foods rather than a main source like rice, bread and more --> thumbs up for that!


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## bjknight93 (Nov 13, 2011)

Hopefully she'll eat veggies and pellets too!


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## cinnamonswirl (Jan 22, 2012)

Yeah she eats veggies also. But another thing is that she is eating seeds  Hopefully she'll easily convert over without any stress... Think I should get her? I'm a beginner, have had a budgie but not used to the whole cockatiel thing...


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## bjknight93 (Nov 13, 2011)

They should always have seed in their diet. So it's not really a "converting" process, it is just getting them to recognize pellets as food. Some people actually say that if your cockatiel gets good vegetables _daily_ then you don't necessarily need pellets in their diet. If you have a hard time getting the cockatiel to eat pellets then you can give nutriberries instead since they are nutritionally equivalent to pellets. Another thing you can do--get the tiel used to eating seed from your fingers and then introduce pellets that way so it'll know it is food.


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## cinnamonswirl (Jan 22, 2012)

Yeah, sorry I should have worded it differently. I'm aware that having seeds is good in their diet too. Is it unhealthy to give them a couple nutri-berries everyday? Are cockatiels comfortable eating them or are they too big? Good tips that I'll use if getting him used to it is difficult. Thanks!


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## enigma731 (Aug 12, 2011)

cinnamonswirl said:


> Yeah, sorry I should have worded it differently. I'm aware that having seeds is good in their diet too. Is it unhealthy to give them a couple nutri-berries everyday? Are cockatiels comfortable eating them or are they too big? Good tips that I'll use if getting him used to it is difficult. Thanks!


Nutriberries are great, and my birds do get them daily! See how she does with them whole -- My birds don't quite get what to do with them, and end up just throwing them out of the bowl. So instead I crush them and mix them in with the regular seed mix or pellets. That works really well.


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## xoxsarahxox (Dec 13, 2010)

Nutriberries are healthy for them, they are made nutritionally equivalent to pellets. Mine love them and have no problem eating them. I give mine one or two daily. In my avatar picture beside my username is Aero eating a nutriberry.


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## Renae (Feb 9, 2008)

Some birds don’t like to be touched all over full stop. You can’t expect too much, if the baby is okay with sitting on your finger/shoulder and being handled, that is a lot already. I don’t find any difference between a baby that has been hand-raised to a baby that has been parent-raised and handled from day one, it is just some are different in the way that they may not like to be scratched, have their wings held up and such like their siblings do.


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