# Trust Training - Without Food?



## Danielle (Aug 15, 2008)

I'm having a bit of problem trust training Mozart.

She's not aggressive - she doesn't bite, lunge or hiss at me when I put my hands in the cage, but she does run away. She's obviously been handled by people before, but doesn't know how to step up.

I'd love to be able to do the millet thing, but she doesn't have any interest in millet, even when it's clipped in her cage. She's really not interested in food, not in the way that Harley is (he tries to shove his head in my mouth if I've been eating biscuits), so that makes it hard. Even Quinn will eat seed out of my hand if he's out of the cage, so I'm not sure where to take the trust training.

I've been talking to her outside the cage and she's comfortable right up until I literally touch the cage. Considering she won't accept food as a bribe, what other ways can I go about getting her trust?


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## Danielle (Aug 15, 2008)

I think I may have solved my own problem; Mozart loves hearing other cockatiels on Youtube, and if she's left to wander on the floor, she'll fly up onto my bed towards me, looking for the other tiels.


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## Aly (Jul 30, 2007)

I never used food to get close to mine either.


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## Danielle (Aug 15, 2008)

I don't like using food as a motivator in general. I didn't use food with Quinn at all, the eating out of my hand came after the trust did. Harley didn't need any convincing since he was hand reared. 


I'm glad I'm not the only one who prefers to do things the non-food way. I don't want my tiels expecting food whenever they see me.

I'd like to get Mozart a friend, but it might have to wait until I'm in adelaide for the holidays. I'd like a hand-reared baby, so she can watch me with another tiel who isn't scared of me.


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

Mims isn't very food-oriented but she does enjoy looking in a mirror. So I sometimes hold a hand mirror in front of her to reward her for something.


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## Mulga&Me (Mar 16, 2009)

*!*

pppppppppppppppppp


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## atvchick95 (Sep 17, 2007)

I never did understand why people use "millet Training" the way i see it is if the bird is into Millet(or any Treat they choose to use), yes it will come to you while you have the millet, BUT seriously when it's just empty hands and no millet i don't see a bird coming willingly with out the millet 

it might work, I don't know 
I don't' see using bribes to get them to like me lol 

either they want to come to me or they don't , it doesn't matter to me. 

I'd rather spend years earning their trust, then "cheating" and not really earning their trust just making them think I'm only good for giving out treats. 

and so far me being very patient and understanding is working, Sun Dance Let me touch his tail 4 different times before he ran off I've had him since Nov. 07 And he's came a very long way - but I won't push because I know he came from a bad place, and Hands are a enemy to him (he's the one that some one cut the wing bone off his one wing so he can't fly now he just drops like a bomb to the ground when he tries)


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## Aly (Jul 30, 2007)

atvchick95 said:


> I don't' see using bribes to get them to like me lol
> 
> either they want to come to me or they don't , it doesn't matter to me.
> 
> I'd rather spend years earning their trust, then "cheating" and not really earning their trust just making them think I'm only good for giving out treats.


I agree 100%. Real trust is far more rewarding and it's a bond that last forever...


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## xxxSpikexxx (Jul 30, 2007)

I would use a tame tiel you have now (after quarantine) to show Mozart that you can be trusted. Spike will not take any food from my hands, he gets really grumpy when I try and give him a veggie or treat with my hand. I train just by saying good boy when he does something I want him to do. He loves it so much when I say good boy to him that he will sometimes start to say good boy to himself when I ask him to do a trick


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## atvchick95 (Sep 17, 2007)

xxxSpikexxx said:


> I would use a tame tiel you have now (after quarantine) to show Mozart that you can be trusted. Spike will not take any food from my hands, he gets really grumpy when I try and give him a veggie or treat with my hand. I train just by saying good boy when he does something I want him to do. He loves it so much when I say good boy to him that he will *sometimes start to say good boy to himself when I ask him to do a trick *



now that is adorable  he praises his self  
gives a whole new meaning to "give your self a pat on the back for a job well done"


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## Danielle (Aug 15, 2008)

I've heard of male tiels who say "Good boy, good -insertnamehere-" during mating!

Mozart's actually coming along okay, Jinx is the real terror. My other biters (Quinn and Mozart) stopped within a few days but she won't let up and she bites HARD. I actually have to pick her up with a towel simply because my hands have bites over bites. I'm very tolerant of biting but she draws a heap of blood each time and has hit a nerve before.


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## Aly (Jul 30, 2007)

Danielle said:


> I've heard of male tiels who say "Good boy, good -insertnamehere-" during mating!


How about Ziggy saing to Baby...during.."pretty bird, pretty baby..." I know he doesn't know what he's acctully saying but wow...


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

Male tiels talking during sex?! The boys at my house must all be the silent type since none of them make a sound while they're getting it on. The girls are the noisy ones, their cries of pleasure can be heard in other rooms.


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## Mulga&Me (Mar 16, 2009)

pppppppppppppppppp


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

Yes, cockatiels are eager to make babies. That's why there are so many of them!


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## Danielle (Aug 15, 2008)

No, no, girls are just as bad as boys. They can be pretty huge hussies when they want to be. They seemm to either ignore the boys and lead them on, or flirt their heads off and want to get busy.


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## olive juice (Mar 30, 2009)

Mulga&Me said:


> from reading the last few posts im starting to think that tiels are quite sexual? or at least the males? (it would certainly explain Mulga's obsession with a particular toy)


Halley will try to mate with anything that sits still long enough, if he's in the right mood. My hands and feet mostly (he's in love with feet...yeah..) but he's been known to seduce TV remotes, articles of clothing strewn places, his food dish, etc...I eventually put one of those cover things on his food dish to stop that from happening! Scrubbing off bird...yeah...from his dish was getting annoying.


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## Aly (Jul 30, 2007)

olive juice said:


> Halley will try to mate with anything that sits still long enough, if he's in the right mood. My hands and feet mostly (he's in love with feet...yeah..) but he's been known to seduce TV remotes, articles of clothing strewn places, his food dish, etc...I eventually put one of those cover things on his food dish to stop that from happening! Scrubbing off bird...yeah...from his dish was getting annoying.


OMG! I'm glad Ziggy hasn't gotten that habit!


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## atvchick95 (Sep 17, 2007)

My Cockatiels will mate any where any time - BUT i have not seen any of them mate anything but another tiel 

MY Quaker Gumby on the other hand NOTHING is safe, she mates her swing (which are the rough ones the pedi perches), cage doors, toys, perches, OTHER birds toys, swings, perches, cages, cage doors. THANKFULLY no hands! yet when she starts doing that - that will be stopped on the spot 

then I have a pair of love birds Who just can't do it right at all - but i think they're both boys So that doesnt help . but I'm sure even boys KNOW your NOT supposed to mate the other birds FACE!


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## olive juice (Mar 30, 2009)

Oh, and more on topic - I never used food to train my cockatiel, but I did get him when he was very young. My "trust training" was quite unusual too I think--I never reached into Halley's cage to grab him, but I did train him by picking him up and holding him, which I've heard usually backfires and makes the bird mistrust you/your hands. I would open Halley's cage and let him come out on his own. When he began climbing up the outside of his cage, I would pick him up and hold him securely to my chest. He was perfectly content there, and enjoyed chewing on necklaces and things I was wearing. I only had to do this a few times before he trusted me and would hop onto my hand of his own accord. I don't know why this worked, and like I said, picking your bird up like that usually backfires, but for some lucky reason it worked for Halley.


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## atvchick95 (Sep 17, 2007)

I think it's the beating of your heart, they feel on your chest - it is soothing 

works the same for human babies, I was always told if my kids (when they were babies and much smaller then they are now of course) had a bad belly ache Lay them on me their belly to my belly , and Their belly ache would go away. Worked just about every time 

I'd lay there and watch tv with them on my chest/belly and either rub their back or lightly tap it and they'd fall asleep - which was music to my ears after hours of screaming and crying (specially from my son he had Acid reflux from the day he was born til he was 7 yrs old)


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## olive juice (Mar 30, 2009)

atvchick95 said:


> I think it's the beating of your heart, they feel on your chest - it is soothing


Yeah, he's comforted by it even today. If I know he's going to be scared by something, I hold him to my chest and make kissing noises and he's usually okay. He's just a big baby anyways though.


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## Aly (Jul 30, 2007)

Ziggy runs up to my chest, right under my chin whenever he's scared or wants attention. Baby does the same when she scared but doesn't like her scritches there.


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## Danielle (Aug 15, 2008)

> but I'm sure even boys KNOW your NOT supposed to mate the other birds FACE!


Try telling that to Flash, he mates with Ivy's face. Also steps on her head to get to her back, which she won't tolerate. Although, that's a good thing right now since they're only babies.

I agree that sometimes 'grabbing' (not literally, I meant gently picking them up and holding them, that was the wrong word to use) them actually works better. Ivy and Flash were both handreared and I didn't want them to regress, so I've been fairly bold with them and there haven't been any bad side effects. Both of them happily perch on me of their own free will, especially Flash. Flash is letting me give him short headrubs and he and Ivy both step up when they fly onto the floor and I have to pick them up.

I haven't used food at all with them. My other birds aren't tame (except for Harley, who is almost TOO tame - he thinks he's people), but they don't mind too much when I catch them and hold them. They don't hiss or bite at all any more. The only one I have trouble with is Jinx, she still bites hard enough to draw a lot of blood for such a small bird, and she always bites hard. She needs an indirect approach as did Quinn, who now flies over to me to perch.

I really think it depends on the bird individually. In all cases, I didn't use food as a reward and I'm very happy with their progress. Jinx is just a tough nut to crack, but I have time and patience.


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