# Defensive behavior still?



## Kiwimommy (Sep 11, 2011)

My cockatiel is between 12 and 13 years old and I have had her about 7 or 8 years now. I got her as an unwanted bird from my aunt. She was very scared, stressed, and plucked her feathers. She has lived with numerous parakeets since I adopted her and currently lives with two (same cage) and LOVES them. 
However, with me she is still very defensive. She will NOT come out of the cage, but asks over and over for me to let her out/open the cage door. She runs back and forth yelling at me until I open the door. Then she just sits there.
If I put my hand in the cage for any reason, like changing food or the newspaper at the bottom of the cage, she will hiss, rock and occasionally she will also hang forward on the perch, wings spread and hissing a bit. 
If I do manage to get her out, like when she climbs out of the cage on those rare occasions she does and ends up flying off, she will willingly step up onto me but immediately looks for an escape once I pick her up. If I touch her, she chirps with alarm and will mouth my finger or peck at it. She has never actually bitten though.
I have worked with her quite a bit, fed her from my hand and everything but she is still very untrusting. 
She will sit on the couch if I put her there and eat treats okay..as long as I don't touch her. She will eat food from my hand if I sit there with it long enough without moving, but will pace, rock and hiss a bit before she gets tempted enough to come over.
I'm not sure why! Should I keep working with her or let her be? She has always been the same level of tame as she is now. I don't think we have made much progress aside from her not flying off AS MUCH as she used to.
I want her to have out of the cage time, but I can never seem to get her OUT.
Heck, she wont even play with the toys in her cage. She preens her cagemates, asks them to preen her, eats and drinks (and poops!) and yells at the household when we are "too loud" or she wants/needs something, but that's pretty much it. 
She's very odd!


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

Disposition is inherited and some birds don't have very good ones. You can try starting from square one and trying this: http://talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=33824

Continue with the food bribery, its working somewhat and it will continue to help.


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## Kiwimommy (Sep 11, 2011)

Thanks! I can tell she likes ME, but she's very nervous about my hand for some reason. I can't think of any time I have done anything to her that would make her feel that way. If she sees me walk by though in the morning, she yells to say hello to me. She dances for me all the time,too. I can sit by her cage and watch her for as long as I please and once she notices "the hand" isn't going in the cage she relaxes and will watch me back or start doing her own thing. It seems that way with my parakeets as well though, but they are less nervous about my hand. Not by much, but I haven't really done any training with them.


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## Bird Junky (Jul 24, 2012)

B.J's, NERVOUS or BITING BIRDS

Hello. This should solve your problem.... 
With nervous birds, cover half the cage to make them feel safe 
& secure but take care not to stand over them like a predator. 
I always use a small piece their favourite food as treats during 
the taming sessions. 

I normally tame eight birds in a cage at the same time so the 
slowest bird learns from their more forward cage mates. 
One, two or eight birds, the training method is the same. 
I don't let them out of cage, till all are happy to perch on my 
hand to eat, as any chasing & catching can ruin any bond 
already built-up between you & your birds. 
Neither are you teaching the remaining birds anything. 
While your playing with one out of the cage.

First I offer the birds a few pecks of a treat food, through the bars. 
If they show any fear or attempt to bite me , I remove my hand 
& the treat for a count of 10. I re-offer the treat & do this as 
often as it takes. 

I give them treats little & often, so my visits mean nice things to 
eat. After a day or so of successful feeding, the birds will be ready 
for hand feeding inside the cage. 

I hold the treat food on my fingers, palm up close to the perch so 
they can all eat. During the next few days I move the treat onto
my palm, so they have to step-up on to my hand to reach to eat.

After a further day or two, I can take the birds from the cage for 
a fly round, knowing I can return them with a treat in the cage & 
a small treat in hand as a step-up reward..

Professional trainers & performers always give a treat to ensure 
a friendly, happy compliance & as a distraction...
Even if it's only one peck at a millet spray.....B.J.


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## dshiro2012 (Feb 4, 2013)

If she wants you to open the cage door, then do so but don't try to get her to come out. Sometimes birds just want to feel like they can come and go as they please but don't actually leave the security of their cage. I used to have a cockatiel who was just like that...I think he was about 2 years old at the time, would call and scream and yell until I would open the cage up but then he would act uninterested in it even being open and would look at me like: "What are you still doing here?"....I eventually got him to come out for a cracker, but he stole it and ran back into his cage with it. lol...You can try getting your cockatiel to trust you, but sometimes it's more of who they are that will make them act the way they do and it's not really something we can "tame out" of them.


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