# Dealing with a bird with a big head.



## Setsuykie (Jun 13, 2011)

I don't usually have hard time with birds, but one I have acquired recently has become a problem to deal with. I got my first cockatiel about 3 years ago and had always had hard time finding him a good cockatiel friend because I had always thought it was a girl. I recently found out it was actually a boy. I found him a very sweet female friend, but she ended up dying unexpectedly. We bought him another friend, who I know for a fact is female, and they're getting along quite well. I like spending most of my time with my birds, and while this one is very smart and knows how to step up, she runs away from me or hisses. This is not a bird that is scared of hands. She just does not want to have anything to do with me or any other person in this house and I believe she is quite smart and knows exactly what she is doing. Does anybody have any advice how to fix this kind of attitude and make her more friendly towards people? I've dealt with stubborn birds before and things have been fine in the past, but this one is just so stubborn that I'm at a loss of what to do. Thanks.


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## abaldwin40 (Aug 25, 2013)

it takes time. just separate her from him and work with her. i had this problem with my oldest female. she wanted nothing to do with me. only wanted her cage and cage mate. use food bribery. does she like millet? if so just put her on the floor or a table or her cage and put him in a different room. feed her the millet and slowly try petting her. it worked for me. but then again no bird is the same. so you can give it a try


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## Setsuykie (Jun 13, 2011)

I tried taking her into other rooms, and even two floors down in the house from where the other cockatiel is, but all they do is just call each other constantly until I put the two back together. She likes millet, but doesn't eat it near me or from me.


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## dianne (Nov 27, 2013)

What is the history of the new bird? Is your first bird still as friendly to you?


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## Setsuykie (Jun 13, 2011)

Yeah, my first bird has always been friendly towards me. I've had him for about 4 years now. The new bird is from a bird specialty store and they handfed the babies. I picked one of these babies. She seemed friendly enough in the store but didn't act the same at home.


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## Darkel777 (Jun 7, 2013)

She may be hormonal or looking for a place to lay. Some females act that way and will run away from their owner. Our sticky library has some info on how to deal with hormonal or laying birds

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## Setsuykie (Jun 13, 2011)

I'm pretty sure she's not laying eggs.


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## dianne (Nov 27, 2013)

I suggest taking some time to try to identify what may be causing the bird to act this way, rather than being annoyed and getting into a power struggle with the bird. There may be something in the environment or the way you are approaching her that is disturbing this particular bird. Try studying her behavior to see when she is calm and when she is agitated. Try to identify what she likes, and make the environment as much as possible to her liking.

You say she is not afraid of hands but also that she runs away and hisses. These two statements just don't seem consistent. If the bird is running away and/or hissing, she is disturbed about something. It may be hard to believe that what has worked with your other birds does not work with this bird, but they are all individuals.

It is almost impossible to get a bird to do something it really does not want to do. If a bird is completely comfortable in its environment, then making it worth the bird's while to behave in particular ways can work. However, if the bird is uncomfortable and apprehensive, it is my opinion that bribes will not work. It is better to build on what the bird likes and build a relationship by providing that. Trust between you and the bird is crucial.

I have had my cockatiel for about ten weeks and it has taken that long to get her comfortable stepping onto my forearm. I know others who have had a bird stepping up in a day. Some of that difference is the trainer, but some of it is the basic temperament of the bird.


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## Setsuykie (Jun 13, 2011)

She seems pretty comfortable with the environment. She's perfectly fine and eats and plays. It's just when a person approaches her and she sees somebody's hands that she starts acting up. I don't think there's anything in the environment that it's bothering her.


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## dianne (Nov 27, 2013)

In that case, food bribery should work. However, you may need to identify how close you can be before she starts backing up. Then, try staying right there and introduce a millet spray. Since she likes millet, only giving it to her for training may help. It also may be necessary to make her a little bit hungry before training. I'm not saying deprive her of food for a long time, but you could try an hour, then two, if necessary.

If she won't take spray millet from your hand, you could put it down for her and then back away until she takes a bite. Then, retrieve it and try again. It may take very small steps to be able to get closer to her without her retreating. If you are patient and persistent, it should eventually work.


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## Setsuykie (Jun 13, 2011)

I'll try that.


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