# more tiels...less tame?



## Hellena (Feb 11, 2013)

Do you think that the more tiels you have the less tame each one is? I'm wondering that because they typically need almost daily interaction to stay very tame and friendly. This seems challenging if you have several tiels. 
How tame are your birds if you have more than one?
I read an article that stated if you want to keep them as "pets", then each bird should have it's own cage......


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## CaliTiels (Oct 18, 2012)

Not true. I have 2 and they fight for my attention (Harmless). Sometimes it's true, but it really depends on the birds. And it's always good to have extra cages when you need them, but mine share a cage with no problems


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## bjknight93 (Nov 13, 2011)

They don't become less tame, though it may seem that way. Adding more birds provides more flockmates for them and in turn, they are less dependent on you.


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## SoCalTiels (Oct 8, 2013)

It still depends on the amount of attention you give them, and if they're out of the cage daily. Bird and Mango can't be anywhere near each other, but they've both stayed the same 'tameness' since I've had to start giving them time separately. As bknight said, it adds to their flock. If you have a single bird, they can benefit from a bird companion without starting to see you as an outsider, as long as you keep up the human interaction.


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## cknauf (Aug 27, 2012)

It isn't true. It might appear that they become less tame if they become better friends with each other than with you. The only time two birds together become less tame is when they're nesting, and even then some birds will preferentially spend time with their owner. It all depends!


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## Hellena (Feb 11, 2013)

Good, I was getting a little worried because I have another tiel joining my flock tomorrow. My birds seem to like spending time with me but they are eager to return to their flock after. Sometimes they fly back before I can get them there.


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## SoCalTiels (Oct 8, 2013)

I know what you mean. If it's something you'd rather not happen, try turning their back towards the cage when you're putting them away and move your hand if they try to turn around to keep their back towards the direction they usually fly in. Sometimes, I hover my hand about six inches above their back to keep them from flying too, until you can get to the cage and put them away yourself. I've been doing it for about a month and it's been working, though they still try to 'fly' (read, attempt to fly) to the cage when I'm bringing them back at times. It's just something I would rather be in control of, rather than them trying to get away from me at the end of the day, lol. Dunno, just something to potentially try.


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## moonchild (Jul 29, 2012)

bjknight93 said:


> They don't become less tame, though it may seem that way. Adding more birds provides more flockmates for them and in turn, they are less dependent on you.


This exactly. My tiels are all pretty independent, but all (except one) are tame. They all share a room and are out all day. Four of the nine love to be on me and get my attention (and will often fight for it). A couple love attention if I go to them and offer it, but are standoffish otherwise. Two are bonded and not very interested in me, but they are still tame. Oddly the least tame one, whom I can't handle at all, comes to visit me more than my tame but aloof boys (Juju and Bandit). I just can't touch her. She loves to sit in my lap though.


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## Haimovfids (Sep 19, 2012)

My tiels are aviary birds and 2 of them are the sweetest birds ever! They would fly to me and beg for scratches 
My other 5 cockatiels I got were parent fed and I got them as adults and my other two I got from breeding but I didn't interact with them so that was my fault


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## Makonja (Oct 22, 2013)

I have 5 tiels. None of them is hand-feded, but first one is tamed like she was hand-feded. Others are very frendly, they will come to the hand when I ask, will land on my head, and on me when I'm laying in front of TV and then I'm their playground  One boy doesn't like to cuddle but will let me to kiss him, just to please me  one girl likes to cuddle, but only in her conditions. Youngest boy is very short with us and he is the most "wild", but, shows some kind of affection. And two of them have babies now and let me to take their babies of and play with them. Meanwhile they're siting on my shoulders.
So, no, there's no reason for tiels to be less tamed if there are more of them. It depends only on You, and their personality.


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## Hellena (Feb 11, 2013)

I would think a single bird would get lonely for another one because they are flock animals, even if given lots of human attention.


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## Renae (Feb 9, 2008)

We have quite a few, and some are more hands-on than others, like some will lap up all the attention/scritches/cuddles they can get, while others are happy to just sit with you and not be touched, but still enjoy the company just as much, if not more than the hands-on ones.  They had also been in an aviary for quite sometime, and never lost their tameness!


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## Darkel777 (Jun 7, 2013)

I'm going to disagree with most of the members here. If one person has 20+ birds to take care of I can't see how each bird can get enough hands on time to remain tame. But we are talking about a large number for a single person. Smaller numbers or add a few caretakers and it might be a different scenario. Not many people would keep that many birds as pets.


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## moonchild (Jul 29, 2012)

I have nine; that's a lot. Not as many as twenty, but still a lot.

I imagine if I had twnety and spent time with them every day, some would still remain tame. Maybe some would lose their tameness to some degree, or at least their desire to be with people. The OP has nowhere near that many so I don't think she has to worry. 

But it really does depend on the bird(s).


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