# Glove theory



## tightrope10 (Apr 1, 2012)

I have come up with a theory of step 1 of cockatiel training. You get a bright glove, put treats on it, and wear it while sticking your hand in the cage (Take out its food). Whisper bright happy sounding words to it, and when you are done for the day, leave the glove with the treats in the cage, food still out. It will get used to the glove, and next time you come and wear the glove, it will be easier to get it to go near the glove, because it is more familiar with it. Also, if the cockatiel tries to bite your hand, it will not hurt and it won't try it anymore. Also, for some reason Mug isn't squawking much after that. Opinions, improvements, ideas?


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

> I have come up with a theory of step 1 of cockatiel training. You get a bright glove, put treats on it, and wear it while sticking your hand in the cage (Take out its food). Whisper bright happy sounding words to it, and when you are done for the day, leave the glove with the treats in the cage, food still out. It will get used to the glove, and next time you come and wear the glove, it will be easier to get it to go near the glove, because it is more familiar with it. Also, if the cockatiel tries to bite your hand, it will not hurt and it won't try it anymore. Also, for some reason Mug isn't squawking much after that. Opinions, improvements, ideas?


This really isn't a good idea at all. Gloves are not recommended a lot of the time just because then you are forcing yourself on the bird. http://talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=22073 this thread is full of great taming advice. You have the right theory when it comes to food bribery, that's a good way to get a bird to want to spend time with you, but you have to do it slowly. You have to make it so the bird is not afraid of your hands. That's why he's biting, you're moving too fast for him. I also wouldn't remove the food, as the bird will see that as punishment, not a reward.


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

*Bright Gloves*

In addition to Roxy's post above....Tiels can be scared and be stressed from bright colors.


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## meaggiedear (Nov 20, 2011)

srtiels said:


> *Bright Gloves*
> 
> In addition to Roxy's post above....Tiels can be scared and be stressed from bright colors.


I was trying to find some info on this and I couldn't find anything! I was thinking it could stress them out, but I had no source to prove it. Thanks for confirming!


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

> I was trying to find some info on this and I couldn't find anything! I was thinking it could stress them out, but I had no source to prove it. Thanks for confirming!


That and red is seen as a danger color to tiels, its a bad color for them.


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## Renae (Feb 9, 2008)

Stick training can also be helpful for a biting bird, or a bird that is afraid of hands … it is as simple as working with the bird to go from the stick to your hand. End result, you have a bird that stick trained that can be of good use, for example if they land somewhere high, or are in a bad mood and are being nippy.


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

> That and red is seen as a danger color to tiels, its a bad color for them.


It's believed that red is a danger color to animals in general since it's the color of blood.


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## hanna (Apr 14, 2012)

Hi everybody,

when we got our tiel first he was spooked of hands and scared, scared, scared, hissed and tried to bite... well I "only" spoke to him in a soft voice and offered his fav seed on the back of my hand. His desire was bigger than the fear and he quickly learned that my hand is no danger.
Well I admit I took the risk on to have an injured hand...

Patience is THE word for training combined with a soft voice and yummy treats


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## Cryren8972 (Oct 3, 2007)

Most cockatiels won't come after you to bite, but there are the rare ones that do. Usually there's a reason, they've been mistreated and they are angry or fearful. Figuring out if your bird is angry or scared by watching body language is the first step, because then you know how to deal with it. 

My first bird was from a big chain pet store. I knew nothing about birds when I got him, but I did some research and realized that my bird wasn't the cuddly cockatiel everyone else seemed to know and love. He would attack the cage when I would walk by. No WAY I was sticking my hand in there. The one time I tried to pick him up, he bit a hole through my finger. You should have seen me...bird dangling from my finger and me trying not to react...because I had read you shouldn't. I learned QUICKLY that you let the bird come to you. 

What worked for him, some people won't agree with , and I wouldn't do this with a cockatiel that had a normal disposition and just needed a little work. But this guy, I was scared of him number one, and number two, he needed to learn trust.

So I put him on the floor. He was clipped, so when he would get out of his cage, he would always end up on the floor. He hated the floor. I would put my hand down and offer to give him a lift. He refused the first 100 times and I would have to towel him back in the cage....I would also kiss the top of his head before putting him back. =) One day...he looked at my hand and took a step in that direction. I waited, talking softly. You can imagine how happy I was when he stepped right up on my hand. Now...I'm not going to lie and say he was the perfect bird after that. He never did like to be picked up. But he eventually worked his way up to hopping on my hand anytime it was offered.

I learned later that being on the floor makes a bird feel vulnerable. I have heard that you should never put a bird on the floor for safety reasons. And you shouldn't...not if you're walking around the house doing stuff. But if you want to earn a bird's trust, save him from time to time. From the mean, hard, cold floor. =)


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