# New Cockatiel Won't Accept Treats



## MyCricket (Aug 11, 2011)

Hello everyone, I am new here and new to cockatiels. I got my first bird yesterday, 'he' (we're not sure which gender he is for sure but the breeder guessed he was a male by his feather coloration) is still very shy and quiet and scared. I feel bad for the little fellow. I haven't been bothering him for the last 24 hours and I finally saw some of his personality. He was climbing all over the cage and playing with his toys and banging his beak against the bars of the cage and would even come up close when I called his name-- Cricket. He acts completely fine until I open the cage. Then he freezes up again, hissing and threatening to bite. I have heard that you can try to tame your bird by offering them treats but he refuses to get anywhere near my hand and I have left treats in his cage (I heard millet spray was popular but I also tried a piece of banana) and he ignores them. Am I doing something wrong? Is there anyway I can reassure him and possibly get him to take treats from my hand? Thank you in advance.


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## Mentha (Jul 11, 2010)

try with him getting used to your hand first. Place your hand on the side of the cage and wait for him to calm down, then a little later do it again, continue this until he's not afraid of your had outside the cage. Then put your hand in the cage and do the same. Wait until he's not spooked by your hand being in the cage and move it closer to him stopping each time he spooks. When he's not afraid of your hand, then introduce treats.


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## MyCricket (Aug 11, 2011)

Thank you I will try that.  How frequently should I try getting him used to my hand?


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## Yume (Aug 15, 2011)

I just got my first 'tiel yesterday. At first, he did the same thing, but I left some millet on the bottom of the cage (he's afraid of the millet holder we got him) and after a few minutes, he was munching away. I'd give him some time to get used to you and your home, though my bird seemed fine with his millet. I think it was because he had been given millet before when he still lived with the breeder, so he was familiar with it.


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## MyCricket (Aug 11, 2011)

Yeah, after a couple of days I finally got him to eat some millet out of my hand (the fact that he was hungry also helped)  I haven't tried giving him anything other than his usual birdseed and some millet, though.


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## lperry82 (Aug 2, 2010)

It took a few days for mine to eat some millet too but now they love it lol


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