# Hello from the world's worst tiel owners -- we need advice on how to change!



## caterpillar (Oct 14, 2013)

Hi all,

I'm new, but I'm definitely going to be posting here a lot more because my BF and I have decided we're going to try to train our honestly awful-tempered tiels instead of putting them up for adoption… in part because they're so badly behaved that no one will take them.

The story:

About eight years ago my boyfriend (let's call him Mr. Caterpillar) adopted a female cockatiel whom he named Pineapple, and according to him she was incredibly sweet to him -- would preen his hair, cuddle up next to him, etc. Mr. Caterpillar was just out of school at the time and basically assumed that pet birds were like pet fish with feathers, not realizing just how much effort is needed to maintain the human bond with a cockatiel. (We've both only learned about it recently.) 

About 3 years later, he decided Pineapple was lonely and so he went to a pet store and adopted a male bird. The male bird was hand-trained (he can step up and wolf whistle) but not as friendly as Pineapple, but Pineapple apparently stayed sweet for about a year. Gradually, though, she started preferring "bird company" to "human company." They bred, produced a female baby, and once the baby was grown up she and the male bird started to gang up on Pineapple. This made Pineapple more hostile to humans, too -- she seemed to lose her ability to vocalize beyond a single muted chirp, she stopped cuddling and being friendly, etc. She also would fly around the house in panicked circles at top speed, crashing into things, whenever the birds were let out of the cage for some "social time."

So by the time I met Mr. Caterpillar 2 years ago, he was the owner of three ill-tempered, messy, constantly squawking cockatiels who seemed to hate the world. I immediately decided they were the most horrible, awful pets imaginable simply because they were so unfriendly both to humans and to one another. Now that I've seen so many YouTube videos of friendly and sweet tiels, I know I've had a bad misconception… but I don't know how to make these birds friendly!

Unfortunately, Mr. Caterpillar and I disciplined the two abusive birds all wrong since we got some bad advice about how to do so… raising our voices at them when they were screaming, putting them in "solitary confinement" (e.g. a cardboard box) because we heard that would help them understand what not to do, spraying them with a spray bottle. They got even meaner. 

They also continued to gang up on Pineapple and over-plucked her so that her neck feathers were completely gone (side note: we THINK they over-plucked her… I read on CockatielCottage about a bird who lost his neck feathers due to disease and had other symptoms that resembled Pineapple's… does this happen?) Though we couldn't see any evidence that they weren't letting her eat, she seemed to be losing weight. We probably should have gotten her a separate cage, but the male bird would throw such a loud screaming fit every time we took away one of "his females" that we were concerned about just how much the complaints from the neighbors about noisy birds (which we were already getting -- we are in a small apartment) would escalate if we separated them. We clipped the wings of the two abusive birds so that they might be tempered a little bit (we left Pineapple's wings full) but it didn't help a bit.

The turning point came about two months ago when Pineapple, who by this time was very sickly-looking, threw one of her panicked flying fits when we let the birds out of the cage. Unfortunately, in another room in the house there was an open window, and as we were attempting to catch Pineapple and calm her down, she flew out the window and into a very tall tree a block away. We took the male bird outside so that he could call up to her (he does his wolf whistle when he's trying to communicate with one of the other tiels), and she'd respond, but she seemed very adamant about not coming back. We left the two caged birds outside all day, left a dish of food, and still nothing. The following morning she was in another tree on another block in our neighborhood, we took the male bird out again to whistle to her, and again she'd respond but she wouldn't move. (We sort of wonder whether she had been so badly abused by the other two birds that she'd been looking for an escape route the whole time.) Later that day, she'd moved on again, and we lost track of her despite our best efforts. There are a lot of stray cats in our neighborhood so it's unlikely that she made it very far.

Since then, the other two birds have clearly noticed the absence and have gotten even noisier, which means the neighbors are even less thrilled with their presence. The male bird has been whistling into the mirror all morning to the extent that it goes far beyond cute and way more into "driving us nuts." 

We figured that the best thing to do would be to put the tiels up for adoption. We've had no luck because even though they are ostensibly hand-trained, they aren't the friendly birds that people might want. They're biters, so no one wants them as pets for their kids, and they're screamers, so some local teachers unfortunately rejected them as classroom pet possibilities at the start of the current school year. So we figure it's a sign… we're meant to be their "pet humans."

So that's why I'm here! I wanted to make sure I told these birds' weird story so that you understood that we literally have no idea where and how to start. I read stuff online about training ill-behaved adult cockatiels and it says to offer them their "favorite treat"… we don't even know what they like to eat! They will "step up"… most of the time. They bite viciously (my hands are covered in scratches from attempting to get them used to me). They scream so much when they're separated that it hurts our ears.

We really want to train them to trust us so that they're the friendly birds whom we see on YouTube making sweet noises and letting their owners scratch their cheeks, but Mr. Caterpillar has long speculated that the male is literally sociopathic and untrainable, that he's tried time and again but had no luck. But considering that Mr. Caterpillar thought that the male bird was a different species called a "Spanish cockatiel" because he's yellow (I don't know where he heard this in the first place?) understand that we are coming from a position of what seems to be persistent misunderstanding.

Thanks so much for reading and offering advice!

:cinnamon pearl:

-- caterpillar

PS: They don't have names either. Any suggestions?


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## Haimovfids (Sep 19, 2012)

I would start from scratch
When I make mistakes I like to put the birds outside and clean their inside cage and prepare for a "new" bird 

Also redesign their cage (I.e. Perches, toys, etc)
Now bring them home 

Leave them in their cages for two days and when 2 days are up I would like to recommend this link 

 "Mutual Agreement" Taming, A Helpful Guide to Skittish and Aggressive Birds

Here are some other ones that work great!
Food bribery
Taming iperry82 version


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## ollieandme (Mar 25, 2013)

First of all, good on you for wanting to work with your cockatiels  we've got heaps of knowledgeable members here who can help you.

A good place for you to start would be to read the FAQ page - http://talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=57745. It's got lots of information in it 

How big is your cage? And what sort of toys do you have in it? Your birds sound quite bored. Two cockatiels need quite a large cage (you can get flight cages on eBay and Amazon for a good price). Cockatiels love toys. There's a link in the FAQ page to a thread with toy ideas too. My Safe Bird Store is an awesome website to get some new toys from too  it'll really help if your tiels have plenty of space and entertainment.

To reduce screaming, try giving them long nights. Cover their cage with a heavy blanket for 12-14 hours. This should reduce their hormones and help them calm down 

The best way to start training and taming them is by becoming familiar and reassuring. Sit by their cage while you do things. Sing and talk to them. Let them know you're trustworthy! A cockatiel's favorite snack food is spray millet (supermarkets and petstores sell it). Get some and start gently feeding it through the bars 

Baby steps is what is needed to build trust. With food bribery you shouldn't have toi much trouble. Remember that things don't always go fast. Start by having them comfortable with you near the cage before you try stepping up etc.

Good luck  the 12-14 hour dark nights will help a lot, as will toys and space to eliminate boredom. Feel free to ask more questions!


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## ollieandme (Mar 25, 2013)

Ooh just thought of one more thing. When they are screaming, just cover their cage with the blanket for 10 mins or so. It should help 

screaming is a sign of a bored and overly stressed hormonal bird. So getting to the root of the problem with entertainment and sleep is your best cure longterm.


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## caterpillar (Oct 14, 2013)

I agree -- they are probably bored! Their cage is about 2 feet wide and 3 feet tall. The problem is that we live in a very small apartment. I don't think we have the space for anything bigger unless we put them in the kitchen, which we don't want to do because they kick around feathers and birdseed so much that we think it'd be unsanitary to have them around cooking equipment.

As for toys, they have a bell, a mirror, and a perch sort of thing that looks like it's made out of shredded cloth. They mostly ignore the bell, and the male only recently started paying attention to the mirror (he spends hours at a time whistling into it now). They've never seemed particularly playful, but they could certainly be bored. The bigger problem there is that both Mr. Caterpillar and I work all day, often pretty long hours, and I also travel for work a lot. So they don't have humans around as much as they probably should. We're definitely not the ideal household for tiels, but Mr. Caterpillar didn't know this when he adopted them, and now we're trying to do what we can.

Oh! One bright note: They were shrieking the other day and wouldn't stop, so I took them out of their cage and into the bathroom (so they couldn't see their cage) and perched them on one of my legs while I sat on the floor and worked on my laptop. After a few minutes they fell asleep. That's good, right?


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## Lulu-Tiel (Jun 3, 2012)

I don't have much to add but I wanted to say one thing.... good for you guys for taking the effort to help these birds rather then give them away! While you both made mistKes in the past, it's fabulous that you now want to make it right.


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## RexiesMuM (Sep 7, 2011)

Sounds like they need more toys , I always say more is better you do want to make sure they have space to move in the cage still tho . I would recommend shredding type toys most tiels seem to enjoy them . A swing is something else that can help . Just want to say good luck and hopefully they will calm down in no time for you


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## moonchild (Jul 29, 2012)

Thank you for caring enough to want to give them better, and for having the guts to admit what you've done wrong.

I agree with giving them a lot of toys! Birds do get bored easily. I can post pictures of some toys my tiels like when I get home, if you want -- to give you ideas. Also, to make friends with them...you'll have to start from scratch. Don't worry about training them, just sit by them and talk to them. Offer them treats (millet is a favorite) by hand. Try to keep them happy and show them kindness and they may learn to enjoy your company in time.

On a side note, I'd get rid of the mirror. They can't tell it's not another bird, and can develop an unhealthy attachment to or become territorial over it. 

I do think that since you are gone a lot, they need a larger cage. If you are completely unable to give them either that or more attention and out of cage time, perhaps rehoming is in their best interest. Problem is, it's SO difficult to find truly good homes for birds.

I suggest reading through the stickies on all aspect of cockatiel care, maybe check out examples of cage setups in the Housing & Toys section. Then you can decide if it's feasible for you to give them a good life. Birds are demanding pets and not easy or cheap to care for. Whether you keep them or rehome them, I think it's important to do what's best for them. Good luck with whatever you decide.


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## moonchild (Jul 29, 2012)

Also, about the screaming...sometimes birds scream just because they are birds. Mine fly in circles squawking their heads off for about an hour every morning after they wake up. They're just releasing energy and greeting the day. A bird who isn't able to get that out of their system might be noisier throughout the day. Not sure what your schedule is like, or when they get out of the cage, but mine definitely get stir-crazy if locked up for too long.


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## caterpillar (Oct 14, 2013)

moonchild said:


> Also, about the screaming...sometimes birds scream just because they are birds. Mine fly in circles squawking their heads off for about an hour every morning after they wake up. They're just releasing energy and greeting the day. A bird who isn't able to get that out of their system might be noisier throughout the day. Not sure what your schedule is like, or when they get out of the cage, but mine definitely get stir-crazy if locked up for too long.


Thanks moonchild. I would love to see pics of your birds' favorite toys!

I have a few questions... how big of a cage would you suggest they have? Their current cage is 2x2.5x2.5. Like I said further up in the thread, we live in a small apartment and I don't know just how much bigger we could go. The apartment is ground-floor and has a basement that has a bigger footprint and could accommodate a bigger cage, but we're hesitant to put the birds down there because there's less light and we are down there even less.

As for rehoming, we've been exploring that option for months now, with no luck. Nobody wants ill-behaved birds... so it seems like we are going to have to train them to at least be friendly around humans so that they don't do things like threaten to bite the fingers of our neighbors' kids off.


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## ccollin13 (May 24, 2013)

I'm really happy you've chosen to come seeking advice - it's hard to admit you were doing it wrong, but it's really great that you want to change 

When I get home from work I will also post some links and photos of toys that I've had success with.

I think you may be on to something if you were able to take them into a different room and they calmed down. Pet birds can get very aggressive around their cages - my parrot is like this. For training, it makes sense to work with them in a different room where they can't see the cage or fly back to it. This worked really well for my tiel Ziggy and my parrot. Maybe you can get a small playtop (petsmart sells some nice ones) and take it to the other room, and let the birds sit there for a while as you sit with them, on your computer or whatever. 

The key is patience. It's taken over a year for me to re-train my tiel Ziggy who was very shy and un-tame - but it can be done!! One step at a time


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## scootergirl762 (Aug 27, 2013)

I think it's wonderful that you want to change the situation and I admire your determination. This forum is a wonderful resource and I'm sure you will get great solutions and techniques to try. I agree with the toys - my tiel loves the shredding type toys and I think if they have plenty to choose from, you'll end up with less screaming. Ditto on covering the cage. Persistence, time and a willingness to put in the work it's going to take and I think you'll both be very successful. And I think you'll end up loving your birds and they you. Best of Luck!


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## CaliTiels (Oct 18, 2012)

caterpillar said:


> But considering that Mr. Caterpillar thought that the male bird was a different species called a "Spanish cockatiel" because he's yellow (I don't know where he heard this in the first place?)


I think he heard of a lutino cockatiel being called a LATINO cockatiel. A lot of people make that simple mistake :lol:

But you did get some good advice from everyone else and not much for me to add here, except good luck. Love to see pictures sometime, and maybe then naming would be a bit easier


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## Mezza (Feb 19, 2013)

Well I just want to say 'thank you for giving them another chance and not giving up on them..its the best start for them and you guys'.

Congrats! 
Looking forward to hearing the progress.


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## moonchild (Jul 29, 2012)

Okay, here are some pictures of the toys my tiels currently have. Some of these, they tend to destroy fairly quickly so I trash them as needed and get new ones. Some last for a while or even forever (the metal and plastic ones). However it is important to have things they can shred, like thin wood, cardboard, etc. They love it.



















An ugly one I made (but they like it)










They enjoy this cardboard one a lot




























They LOVE this one













































































































Some of these came from big chain pet stores, some from small parrot specialty stores, and some I bought online. I'm going to start making my own soon, though, so I can better tailor them to my birds' needs (and save some money!).

Regarding the cage, a flight cage such as this one would be ideal if they are in it most of the day. http://www.wayfair.com/Prevue-Hendryx-Flight-Cage-in-Black-F040-PVP1059.html


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## caterpillar (Oct 14, 2013)

Thanks moonchild! I ordered them some shreddable toys on Wag.com yesterday and we'll see what they think of them!


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## ollieandme (Mar 25, 2013)

good one! i'm going to order mine some shreddable toys soon too - they're always a hit


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## Haimovfids (Sep 19, 2012)

What lucky cockatiels you have!


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## Mezza (Feb 19, 2013)

I find that they love (well Skiddles does) balsa wood and icecream sticks.


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## Haimovfids (Sep 19, 2012)

Balsa wood are a hit to my flock 
I'll pm you a nice thread on amazing homemade toys


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## Stevolteon (Aug 31, 2013)

If you haven't already, I'd echo that getting rid of the mirror toy is a good idea. When we got our new girl Nyra she came with a cage with a mirror in it and spent all her time huddled up to it, ignoring us. As soon as we removed it she started exploring her cage and responding to us. Since your main aim is to build a bond with them the mirror could be a real obstacle.


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## capnsarah (Apr 10, 2013)

I got a cage off eBay, although it's not the best quality it was rather cheap and it is quite spacious! http://talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=62505 
Also regarding toys, they LOVE shreddable toys as some people have already said, and the awesome thing about that is you can easily make some homemade toys  The rolls from toilet rolls/paper towel rolls are good, you can easily cut them up and make balls with them or shove some paper inside them.
My cockatiel seems to like straws too! 

Along with millet, my cockatiel gets almonds and sunflowers as treats!


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## caterpillar (Oct 14, 2013)

Hey everybody! The packages arrived and I am on my way home bringing the tiels' new shreddable toys, ladder, playgym, and treats!! Very excited to see how they react.


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## Haimovfids (Sep 19, 2012)

I can't wait!


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## ccollin13 (May 24, 2013)

caterpillar said:


> Hey everybody! The packages arrived and I am on my way home bringing the tiels' new shreddable toys, ladder, playgym, and treats!! Very excited to see how they react.


Yay, thanks for the update!!! Can't wait to see how they progress


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## ollieandme (Mar 25, 2013)

spoilt tiel alert!


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## scootergirl762 (Aug 27, 2013)

Can't wait to hear how it went!


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## caterpillar (Oct 14, 2013)

I started a new thread called "Update on Elvis and Georgia" with the preliminary results


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