# Cockatiel bonding update and question about it



## Tiel-Buddy (Oct 29, 2021)

Hi, I've had my tiel for 6 months now. For about a little over a month now, the progress we've made is me putting my hand near the cage entrance with millet in hand and him stepping up to get the food. He is a hesitant and needs to approach my hand, take a bite then go back to his starting point. He does this 2-4 times before he actually steps up, sometimes he does it right away. From there, I take him out. Sometimes he looks a bit uncertain and stops eating, looks around then continues to eat. I take him about 4-5 feet away from his cage to feed him for practice being on my hand.

Once I feel he has eaten enough, I take him back to his perch outside his cage. The first handful of times we did this, he would let me take him back directly to his perch. Now (like today), as soon as I take a step, he flies to his perch. I guess this is a good thing, but I feel he does this because he is uncomfortable still. This step up can happen anywhere, as long as I have millet and he is hungry for it. He is actually quicker to step up if it is anywhere but the entrance of his cage. Makes sense because the cage is where he feels safest.

So basically, his routine is to eat from my hand then immediately head back to his cage, walking or flying. Only time he won't go back to his cage and will stay on my hand is if I am like 8-10 feet away from the cage. He will stay there until I get close enough, then he will fly back. The other day I did that and we were chillin'. I think he was kinda comfortable because he was skinny looking. He was fluffed a little and sometimes he would do that little shaking of the feathers to relieve tension. I would have liked to be there longer but my arm and hand was getting really tired from being in the same position, so I took him back. He won't step up unless I have food. It was a quick process to do this with a perch though, he even steps up on a perch with no food anytime. But hands is taking longer.

We do this hand taming where he approaches my hand for food at the entrance everyday. Will he eventually come around to stepping up with no food and wanting to hang out near his cage if I do this everyday or is there more that I should be doing? His cage is neat me desk so we are around each other often, even outside cage. He isn't afraid of people, but only of hands. He wasn't hand tamed when I got him as you can tell. He started off feisty and not liking of hands at all, or anything really.


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## tulipbear23 (Nov 13, 2021)

Hi,

Since he wasn't hand tamed when you got him, he probably just needs more time. You will get there, but it will take time. 

I would also say, have you clipped his wings? Sounds like they are not clipped. If I were you, while you are trying to tame him, clip his wings, at least a little bit. It will force him to be less independent.


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