# Hand taming without hand feeding?



## Nayrose (Jul 17, 2012)

Hi everyone 
So I have a pair of cockatiels sitting on some eggs at the moment and I have a friend who really wants a hand tame cockatiel and we both this it would be great to get it from me since she knows me and it would be cheaper and all. So my cockatiels are outside in an avairy and the box is in a really awkward position to start with (I pulled a muscle in my arm trying to get it in there) So I can't hand feed these babies. But is there a way to get them tame without hand feeding them? I could just handle them I think but the parents obviously don't come out much so it would be reall hard. Would fledging be too late? I think it probably is  If I could when should I start handling them? Anyone got any ideas for me? Thank youuu!


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

Once the babies are week old the parents will start leaving the box more because the babies don't need them for heat as much. You can start handling them then for about 15min at a time. And keep doing so as they get older. They will tame up just as if you had handfed them.


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## Erinsmom (Sep 7, 2012)

Today my 2 babies are 13 and 14 days old. I started taking them out twice a day at about a week. As pointed out Mom and Dad come out to eat and such so I put a small hand towel in the entrance so they can't come back in and take the babies out. I also feed them fresh foods at this time. They actually have never tried to come back in.I am going to start hand feeding them but haven't yet and already they call for me to pick them up and LOVE being rubbed on their ears and the top of their heads. I don't know what or if there would be a huge difference if you do or don't feed them but they can most definatley become attached to human interaction without giving them anything to eat.


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

Is it possible to move the nestbox so you can get into it more easily? Cockatiel parents are pretty adaptable to nestbox changes and it's not likely that this will upset them.

If not, you'll have to wait until the babies fledge. If they aren't already used to people it might be hard to get hold of them to handle them, and since they're just starting to learn to eat you won't be able to lure them to you with millet spray. It will be a lot easier if you can start handling them before they fledge. If you have easy access to the babies you can co-parent them - take them out once or twice a day for handfeeding then put them back in the nest and let the parents do the rest.


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## Nayrose (Jul 17, 2012)

Okay thanks everyone, I still don't really know what i'm going to do though There really isn't anywhere else I can put the box I might just have to wait till they fledge. Unless the other pair thats in there breed in the other box. They've been checking it out but it's on the floor so I don't know I just gotta hope they do. Oh and another question: Do cockatiels mate for life?? -I have a brother and sister that have bonded, we actually got another girl for the male but they never bonded so if I took them out and put them in a new cage do you think it would work? Thanks


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

No tiels don't mate for life, they can have what we call birdy divorces and not want to be together (or mate with several other birds.) It would be best to put the unrelated pair in a cage together so they can bond without the distraction of the sister around.


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

In theory they mate for life, but some birds will intentionally abandon their old mate for a new mate, and if their original mate dies they will find a new one. But if a bird likes their current mate, it will be difficult to get them to repair if their current mate is still there and accessible to them.


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