# My cockatiel doesnt like my hand



## Tiellove (Sep 21, 2014)

As the title states, my cockatiel does not like my hand at all. He will take treats from it, but he won't have anything to do with it if there is nothing at all. How can I explain to him that my hand is safe for him, and that good things come from that. If I put only my hand in, he lunges with his beak, or runs away. What do I have to do?


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## dianne (Nov 27, 2013)

I have the same situation with Emma.
What works for me is giving her out of cage time. I encourage her to get onto my forearm by holding a treat out to her so she has to get on my arm to get it. She will do that. 
I have had her for a year, and she will not spend long on my forearm after she gets the seed. It's just the way she is. I think that, otherwise, she appreciates me. I try to accept her as she is.


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## Billy (Sep 11, 2014)

Billy is the same, the only time he will come near me is if i have food in my hand. He will quite happily eat from it. The odd time i have got to stroke his feathers or chest and he just looks at me like what are you doing?!? aha.


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## RexiesMuM (Sep 7, 2011)

Are you using an open palm hand ? I have a bird who hates open palmed hands but will step up onto my fist cause it looks smaller then him hehe.


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## Nikster199 (Oct 5, 2013)

Mine was hand tame when I got him but it took a few months for him to let me touch his head. Now he always wants scratches.


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## mohum (Sep 5, 2014)

I think sometimes you just have to accept that every animal is different. My first bird was scared of hands but he wasn't hand reared.He was never going to change but still had a lovely personality. Peppy is the total opposite and is sometimes too clingy. As a cat lover, I appreciate independence in an animal and accept them however they are.


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## ManaSpectrum (Jul 20, 2014)

Teddie was the same for a while when I first got him, so I used my clicker training to get him used to my hand, as he seemed really responsive to the the little training we'd done already. I'd just hold one finger out and if he let me leave it there for say, 5 seconds, without trying to bite me, I'd click and he'd get a treat with the other hand. Then when he was comfortable with that I'd move it a little closer the next time. This started from the door of his cage and it got to the point where he let me put my finger right on the top of his beak and eventually I was able to start giving him scritches. He's still weary of my whole hand sometimes, but it's a start, and now when I give him scritches, if he wants me to carry on he pushes his head into my finger so my fingertip is resting on his beak again, it's really cute  He eventually realised that if he doesn't bite my finger, then 1) I'm happy and 2) he gets millet so we both win! Also when I first gave him scritches, it's like he thought "...okay this isn't all that bad I guess" and now he's a total softie and always wanting scritches whenever possible. 

For what it's worth, Teddie is a pet shop bird who I'm pretty sure hasn't had much interaction with humans other than seeing them walking around in the pet store. When the shop assistant was getting him out his cage into the little carrier for me to bring him home, he was super stressed and she had a giant glove on so she wouldn't get bitten, which for a bird his size must've been pretty daunting, and he also lost a few feathers in the process!  It just took going super slow, a lot of patience and even more millet and now he lets me give him scritches without needing a treat afterwards. It may be something to try with your bird, even if they may not take to it, but I thought maybe it'd be worth adding my 2 cents in the hopes it may be a bit helpful. I wish you the best of luck! :lol:


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## amberwydell (Oct 13, 2013)

Cosmo was very vicious when it came to hands the first time we brought him home... here's what we did to calm him down:
1. Watched TV/read a book with a hand placed on the cage
2. Opened the cage door and placed a hand inside whilst doing the above
3. Offered him millet from my hand once he seemed comfortable
4. Offered him seeds from my hand 
5. Placed a hand on the perch nearest to him (repeated this until he stopped running away)
6. Tried to touch his feet gently whilst feeding him millet/seeds
7. Tried to get him to step up by gently pressing his abdomen with my finger whilst feeding him millet/seeds
8. If he seemed uncomfortable, I went back to step 5 and started again
Carrying out these steps every day really helps to gain the bird's trust. You have to be extremely persistent and patient to tame a cockatiel, but it's very rewarding in the end! Good luck


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