# Tiel won't let me handle her wings, tips?



## Memsie (Apr 18, 2014)

*Tiel wing handling problem... tips?*

I've been working with Luna for a couple of months. I've gotten her to the point where she'll step up, loves cuddling and scritches. I can touch her back (though I rarely do because I've read that can cause hormonal changes) She even lets me put hats on her! My biggest hurdle is her wings.

I really would like to buy an aviator harness to take her outdoors in the summertime, but to do that I've read that she'll need to be comfortable with her wings being lifted. Thus far I've had little success with trying to handle her wings. I try to work in short sessions with some of the pellets she really likes to reinforce when she lets me touch but it seems like I'm not making much progress.

Occasionally after scritches she'll allow me to lightly stroke her outer wing but most of the time she screeches and gets defensive about her wings being touched.

Does anybody have any tips to getting her more used to wing touching? Has anyone here trained their tiel to use an aviator?

I'd really appreciate any advice you lovely peeps could give me <3

thank-you,

Emili & Luna


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## Ziggibaby (Mar 26, 2014)

Ok, first of all pretty much no bird likes there wings touched. If you have a dog you know that they hate being touched on the nose. Cockatiels are the same, they may tolerate you but they don't really appreciate it. My birds don't like there wing touched so I can't help you here but just so you know I just though I'd tell you  good luck


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## ParrotletsRock (Oct 8, 2013)

I can put my aviator on my tiel, but she frets with the leash part, picking it up and throwing it away from herself. When taken outside she FREAKS!! She does NOT like all the open space and is stressed, on alert and fearful the whole time we are outside, so for me is very much not worth the time.


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## Memsie (Apr 18, 2014)

Thanks guys  I ordered a harness the other day, they aren't too pricey so if it tuns out she won't use it, no harm no foul. She actually let me pet under her wing yesterday!!! I was certainly happily surprised 
I also invested in a clicker and am going to start clicker training her. We started without the clicker this week practicing "target" touching a stick... welll a crochet hook actually seeing as she already loves to play with my crochet hooks I thought I might as well get a plastic one and use that as a training tool. She's taken to it REALLY quickly. 
I have taken her outside in her travel cage on sunny days before and she seems to love being out there (as long as I'm sitting next to her the whole time) So HOPEFULLY when the harness arrives, coupled with my efforts with the clicker, I can get her to accept it. 

It's going to take time and patience, but I hope we can make it work. I'd love to give her the opportunity to explore the outside world with me


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