# how do you train a cockatiel to do tricks and/or talk?



## CockatielLover (Aug 9, 2009)

i have a female cockatiel and i want her to talk although males are the more talkative ones i can still try right? how can you teach them to...i dont know...step up and other commands?


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## ladyeagle (Aug 14, 2009)

Well as far as I know females don't really talk/whistle but of course they step up and do tricks if you willing to learn. I taught mine to step up by closely approaching and with the finger horizontally next to her belly press a bit as much so the bird loses a bit the equilibrium and say step up and she will normally step up to regain the equilibrium. I also taught mine to come to me, basically giver her a treat (millet) she can have a couple bites and then slowly move the treat away from her give her another bite and so on until where you want her to come. then repeat this several times with patience and after she learns to come to you to take treat combine that with a step up command and there it is.Fully flighted (unclipped) tiel will also fly to you (I am working on that with mine). There are many more tricks depending how tame the tiel is. Mine hates fingers but is ok with steping up. Read around on the forum there are many posts with advices 
Good luck and welcome to the flock


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## xxxSpikexxx (Jul 30, 2007)

I just kept repeating things to Spike like goodnight when I put him to bed ect and eventually he picked it up  Alot of people do clicker training http://www.parrotsite.com/clicker_train_your_parrot_successfully.html I did not clicker train Spike any of the tricks I taught him. Spike does all his tricks for me just so he can hear me call him a good boy


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## braveheartdogs (May 14, 2009)

CockatielLover said:


> i have a female cockatiel and i want her to talk although males are the more talkative ones i can still try right? how can you teach them to...i dont know...step up and other commands?


I recommend using clicker training (using millet as a reward after the click) to teach specific behaviors like step up. I am currently clicker training one of my tiels, Feather to open her wings on cue. Clicker training is cool because it allows you to train without pressuring the animal. Doing anything that forces them won't strengthen your bond with the bird. So, when working with dogs, or birds or exotics, I don't ever push the animal at all. Clicker Training with Birds by Melinda Johnson is a good place to start.

I haven't worked much to train or encourage talking, other than talking to them a lot. None of mine have ever talked, but a lot of them whistle

Vicki


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