# I would like to think we made progress, but ..



## Alytiel (Nov 10, 2011)

Hello everyone  I am a new tiel owner but I had budgies for years that had beautiful bonds with me. I had always wanted a tiel and after my last budgie passed away I decided to get one. I ended up getting my tiel from a local petstore. I was originally looking for a breeder but they would of all had to ship the bird to me and I just didn't want to risk the trauma of that. so I decided I would get this tiel from the shop and for sure give him a better home than he had. 

And this I where the problems started; after I picked him out and requested a wing clip the owner was very rough with him. I didn't know it tol I got home but he only clipped one wing do severely and unevenly that he was bleeding a little bit. I got him home and I'm his cage and he didn't move for a week, finally in week 2 he started chirping and I've been trying to work with him since then. 

I named him Neville and I've had him close to 4 months now. he is still scared, most of all of hands. he sings all the time, flock calls if I leave, he's learne one whistle. about 3 weeks after I got him he started what I think was his first molt so along with mangling him the pet store guy lied about his age; he's older than I thought. he also said the hand played with them from a few weeks old and based on how much Neville hates hands I doubt that. 

I wont say he hasn't improved since I got him but it's just not what I had imagined, I guess  my budgies bonded with me within a month. my last one who I had for 6 years had a beautiful bond with me and I was so upset when she succumbed to a tumor after a year of fighting. 

I've built Neville a playgym that is attached to his cage and usually he will come out on it. he will sing. flock call. I can get him onto my shoulder or chest with food. one day out of the blew he flew to my head and immediatly left, and never did it again. he's learned 1 whistle. he will take treats or eat from my hand. but if there is no food in my hand he runs away in terror. he's bitten me a few times and drew a good bit of blood once. I did not react. I am never forceful with my hand and he actually will climb on it with ease if he flies off somewhere and gets stuck, and he will sit on my hand if I first get him on his perch then get him on my finger - and I can make him keep stepping up after that. I'm not sure WHY he is mostly terrified in the cafe I hands...

he plays active. he sings a lot. he eats, gets treats, an likes me to be around. but I don't feel bonded with him at all. he will never come to me, reguardless of treats or bells ( usually bells make him come anywhere you want him expect me. ) having to force him on me every time - and then be extreamly still or he'll freak - doesn't feel good. forget scratches, too

I just don't get it. it seems like this is all he will give me and it's not at all what I had wanted, yes that sounds selfish  Im just feeling discouraged and his behavior makes me miss my budgie so much more. I don't want this to be our relationship for the next 20 years. 

I don't know thy I'm really asking for advice, I know how to take a bird and build a bond; I jut feel he doesn't want it.. I guess I'm just venting / wanting encouragement.

ahhh please ignore spelling errors... dang phone corrections


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## Fortunate (Oct 31, 2011)

im sorry to hear about nevilles behaviour, im not a breeder ar trainer nor do i know to much about birds, maybe he has not had much human contact or too much of harmful human contact - I know you dont want to hear this but you just have to be patient, the fact that Neville is so hand shy must mean he was man handled and he just needs to adjust and learn to trust you again.
My pet store bird has never liked hands, but i have never worked with her to be honest, must be a pet store thing.....

Im sure with peserverance you and Neville will bond just fine.

Like i said i am by no means an expert and im sure someone with may more knowledge will help you out.

Good luck - i will be rooting for you!


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## Mohawk (Sep 28, 2011)

I've had Mohawk close to two months now. Similar story to yours regarding the hands, singing etc. From everything I've read, both here and elsewhere- persistence is the key.

I'm trying to look at it like I'm learning about his personality, likes and dislikes. Mohawk definitely has an attitude. Stick training has helped with our communication. And I've also managed to teach him to wolf whistle, and sing a bit of "If you're happy and you know it". 

Keep at it.


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## morla (Aug 15, 2011)

Aw. Im sorry it hasn't that well. 

I hope that it gets better soon! My cockatiel Daisy, i think i have had her for 2 months now. She can go on my head, shoulder, and finger very well. She still hisses and screams sometimes at me. She will let me pet her for a bit then she flys away. I love Daisy.


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

The reason he is so aggressive in the cage and not so much anywhere else is because the cage is his territory. Obviously any handling he had at the pet store was bad seeing as how he was grabbed. http://talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=22073 this is a taming thread, it should help you work with him. At the end of the first post is a trust exercise from youtube. It really does work and it'll help lessen his fear of your hands. Good luck and keep it up, you're doing everything right.


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## Eollica (Oct 6, 2011)

I'm sorry to hear that.

Usual ways to bond with them or make them trust you is indeed by treats.

What is his diet? Does he eat both pellets and seeds?

Is there sunflower seeds in his normal diet?

To bond with our 3 crazy ones, we took off all the sunflower from their food, since they're addicted to it.

We then started offering them sunflower seeds on a little stick, one by one.

The we started to shorten the stick so they would approach us from isndie the cage, through the bars.

Later you remove the stick and give them with your hands.

In 3 days, take them off the cage with you to a calm place in the house, a safe room withotu a lot of things for them to hit on, but somewhere away from their cages. If you stay near or in the same room of the cage, they will fly back: it's their home.

When you take them with you to another room, offer them a bowl of treats. Free lots of sunflower seeds and other treats they enjoy, like fruits or bird bread. Put it on the floor and let them have it.

When they learn to enjoy that, you can start offering treats to them with your hand. That's when you know they completely trust you.

Nowadays they're still not the tamest ever, they don't ask me cuddles like Mimi and Hope do, but they approach the cage bars waiting for me to arrive. If i don't give them any treats, Shade, the most show off, usually turns upside down and opens his wings, sort fo sayign 'hey! im here! i like you! don't i get anything?!'

Latelly, after doing that process, Dora, one of our angriest, started turning sweet. Taken outside the cage, she accepts sunflower seeds from our hands and allows us to cuddle her:


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## resalat_hasan (Sep 7, 2011)

morla said:


> Aw. Im sorry it hasn't that well.
> 
> I hope that it gets better soon! My cockatiel Daisy, i think i have had her for 2 months now. She can go on my head, shoulder, and finger very well. She still hisses and screams sometimes at me. She will let me pet her for a bit then she flys away. I love Daisy.


My Precious does the same.....I think these are the improved steps towards bonding.....


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