# "force" him out of cage, or on his own accord?



## LucyKemp (Jul 26, 2011)

I see mixed messages regarding this;

Teemo a male grey is about 6-12 months own unsure exactly; he was kept in a big cage in a pet store with about 8 other birds mostly male.

He won't leave his spot in his cage, he just stands there on te perch preening himself but will not make a sound ever! (is this normal? should he be whistling by now?)

He won't really ever be in a position to get in a perch as he puts one leg on the back of the cage when I go to near generally, or if he does extend out and i go near him with a finger or stick he will run back against the cage .

Should I towel him so he gets comfortable with outside the cage? The second day i took him out by tricking him with a stick and he looked petrified!!! Should I wait until he's ready or speed things along by bringing him out and leaving him on the floor? I have a feeling if i do that, he will literally stay in the same spot without moving until i towel him and put him back in but that doesn't seem productive, or is it?>

sorry forgot to add i've had him for 3 days, he's slightly improved but not by much !
thanks


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## JaspersMomma (Dec 11, 2008)

This is my opinion (obviously). He needs to want to come out on his own. If you force him out he may run away from you making it harder to get him back in. I understand that this is a hard time for both of you because you want to play with him, and he doesn't want to be bothered, but it's like having a stranger coming up to you on the street and pulling you by the arm to go play basketball. They may not mean harm but you may be screaming for the cops right? That may be an "out there" example but I'm trying to put into perspective with you. Spend time around the cage get him used to your presence but certainly don't force him out. Talk to him, try to feed him treats and just wait. 

Some birds are going to be eager to explore, but others will sit there and seem to sulk and be scared until they adjust to their new environment. Good luck.


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## kieren (Jul 27, 2011)

ok this might be a bit of a clash ,, you need to show him whos boss force him out with a tea towel hold him till he stops biteing you after a few hours of this he will calm down and see you as the flock leader and the rest will follow


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## LucyKemp (Jul 26, 2011)

I like your style, but does that work? I don't want him to fear me just respect me


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## xoxsarahxox (Dec 13, 2010)

I dont know if I would use that method....Building a relationship with a tiel is all about trust and if you grab him and hold him and such then hes not going to trust you much now is he? I would go with what Jaspersmomma suggested, Itll take alot of patience and treats but **** come around eventually. Hes in a new environment and hes nervous you want to become someone friendly and someone to trust not someone to fear Speaking from personal experience the last time I had to towel Aero and hold her down to pull a blood feather she hissed at me and wouldnt come near me the entire day( and she is very bonded to me).

Lindsey has a good thread on taming http://talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=22073


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## kieren (Jul 27, 2011)

well if it dont work i have no idea why jake is now semi tame after only 10 hours 
to a point where i can now scratch his head give him kisses step up on command

but that works for me and others chose to be patient witch can take weeks im sat with jake as i speak and hes sat preening him self on my arm but there is different ways just choose what is best for you


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## JaspersMomma (Dec 11, 2008)

Everyone's not going to agree here and that's fine. But the OP only got the bird 3 days ago, and I don't see the rush in forcing a scared bird out his cage. This isn't a bird that had time to feel comfortable. It's a bird that just got to a new home. Why the rush? If she chooses to use your method and it works then that's fine, we can't force anyone to do what we say, only give advice. And like I said we all have different opinions on how we raise our tiels, just like people raise their children.


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## DairyMay (Jun 18, 2011)

welllll...after i had bailey for about two months she still wouldnt come out. So i reached in and VERY GENTLY grabbed her and took her out of her cage and held her. After i was able to take her out with no problem. BUT i do not think its the best way to do things...just my opinion.


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## Tulip (Jul 19, 2011)

I used to believe you had to build trust with them, but I have tamed many of the budgies at petland in seconds to minutes buy grabbing one gently and holding it until calms down and then it will sit on my finger and some will let me pet them until i decide to put them back down. And it's not like they were already tame because they all always scatter whenever someone puts there hand in the cage. So now I have mixed feelings.


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## casualrepartee (Apr 28, 2011)

apples and oranges, budgies to tiels. Just sayin'


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