# Not bonding



## ladyeagle (Aug 14, 2009)

Our Nemo was taken from a pet shop where she wasn't hand reared or anything and it is so difficult to get her to bond with us. Every time we are around her or telling her to step up (which she does) she hisses and nips (not hard). We have her since December last year, we though she will get better but nothing.Since then she is moulting non stop and she is so itchy. I was wondering if you have any idea of how to make her a bit tamer. We want to get a 2nd tiel that is hand tamed maybe she will see we don't bite. I mean she does comes on the shoulder sometimes and she does like a belly scratch but always squeaking and hissing.  We spend almost all our waking hours in the same room with her, she has a small cage but free all day long through the room (the cage is a food/roosting spot/bedroom). Any ideas would be appreciated.
Thanks


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## Renae (Feb 9, 2008)

Moulting all the time isn't a good sign - what diet have you got her on?

You can help with the itchyness by giving her either a shower or a mist. You can also buy preening toys. 

Have you tried having a treat (millet for example) in your hand each time you approach her? treats are an excellent bribery and work very well, it also helps show the bird that you're not going to harm her/you aren't a threat.

I wouldn't recommend getting a second 'tiel until you've tamed your first one - that's just my opinion though. 

ETA: DON'T react to any biting she does, that shows that she can continue to do this and she'll keep getting a reaction whenever she bites/goes to bite you.


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## ChocoNoir (Jan 30, 2009)

Solace. said:


> ETA: DON'T react to any biting she does, that shows that she can continue to do this and she'll keep getting a reaction whenever she bites/goes to bite you.


Meaning, when a tiel bites your finger, you shouldn't move it away?


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## Di_dee1 (Feb 20, 2009)

The jury is out on that one, there are different schools of thought. Some say do not react and the bird will learn it gets no where, the other is that in the wild when they bite another bird they get a reaction back that discourages them. Some birds love the reactions they get when they bite. others respond to a no or back to cage a few minutes
The bird is reacting like this because he has been positively reinforced sometime that hissing etc gets him what he wants.. whether it is being left alone or he sees you walk away. Try watching his body language. Offer a treat he likes. If you watch him with his feedbowl, whatever he goes for first is the favourite. This can be removed from the diet and used for treats. You will only get somewhere with the bird if he wants the treat. One bird of mine adores corn, the other brown rice. Start offering them when he does not hiss. When he does or bites walk away, turn your back. The treat he likes will be gone and hopefully his behaviour will change when he realises that he gets the treat when good, nothing when bad. Come back offer again, hiss etc turn your back. it takes time and patience but can be done as long as you are consistant. he will then associate the treat with not hissing. Reward any behaviour you like, a few steps towards you etc. The treat does not have to be food but apparently that can work best. Some birds like voice praise, others a scritch.


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## Renae (Feb 9, 2008)

ChocoNoir said:


> Meaning, when a tiel bites your finger, you shouldn't move it away?


Exactly.

But come to think about it, she *could* be just hormonal as well. Is she getting at least 12 hours of quiet and darkness each night?


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## ladyeagle (Aug 14, 2009)

We do the treat thing and she does eat from our hand. The only thing she hates is fingers touching her. I don't think she gets 12 hours of sleep in the night because I am in holiday and we stay up late and I know she's up when the sun is up. Maybe when gets dark outside we should put her in an other room where is darker (we always keep her with a night light on, because of night-frights). We are feeding her pellets and fruits, veggies, toast etc. she is active all day flying around and killing toys. 
Thank you


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## xxxSpikexxx (Jul 30, 2007)

Here is a video that may help http://www.birdchannel.com/bird-magazines/bird-talk/2009-june/taming-of-tiel.aspx Does she get some seed aswell? I think seeds are good as a part of a balanced diet


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## ladyeagle (Aug 14, 2009)

We are giving her Living World Premium tiel food, which contains: seeds, fruits and veggies, and added tropical granules.
Thanks for the video, it's very helpful. The thing is that she eats seeds/millet/toast etc from our hand, after she looks at it for a couple minutes, she steps up, sits on the shoulder(when we got her she would not accept anything done to her) the only thing is that she refuses a scratch and she hisses and nips. For eg if I go to her she would hiss at me but if I say "Step up Nemo" she would calm down and step up, sometimes would walk up to the shoulder and start preening herself.


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## braveheartdogs (May 14, 2009)

ladyeagle said:


> Our Nemo was taken from a pet shop where she wasn't hand reared or anything and it is so difficult to get her to bond with us. Every time we are around her or telling her to step up (which she does) she hisses and nips (not hard). We have her since December last year, we though she will get better but nothing.Since then she is moulting non stop and she is so itchy. I was wondering if you have any idea of how to make her a bit tamer. We want to get a 2nd tiel that is hand tamed maybe she will see we don't bite. I mean she does comes on the shoulder sometimes and she does like a belly scratch but always squeaking and hissing.  We spend almost all our waking hours in the same room with her, she has a small cage but free all day long through the room (the cage is a food/roosting spot/bedroom). Any ideas would be appreciated.
> Thanks


Hi there,

I would mist her as that might help with the moulting. They can be so uncomfortable during that time.

For the biting, it is really important that you avoid the bites. When an animal bites (no matter the species) is letting you know that they are not comfortable and are asking you to back away. The hiss is a warning and if you push past that then she is likely to bite. If she is biting, you need to take a step back so that he can learn to be comfortable.

Try using millet to get her more comfortable with you. Clicker training can be really beneficial too. 

Rather than having her step up, do it in stages. At first you can just lift your hand towards her, then click and treat if she doesn't hiss. After a few clicks, move your hand a little closer and click and treat for no reaction. 

It can take some time, keep working at it and you will make progress

Vicki


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## ladyeagle (Aug 14, 2009)

braveheartdogs said:


> Hi there,
> 
> I would mist her as that might help with the moulting. They can be so uncomfortable during that time.
> 
> ...


That sounds like a plan but where do we get the clicker from? If we find the clicker I am very open to try it out. Cheers


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## Sekica (Aug 14, 2009)

You can find clickers at pet stores, usually in the doggy area or by the registers, or order them online from the pet store websites. They're under $2 so they're not expensive at all. I got Ben (my tiel) one because she was a biter, and she made a lot of progress with it. Unfortunately, now she insists on taking the stick instead of the reward and running off with it.  I'm using touch training to get her to come, but also doing sessions for desensitizing her to my hands by rewarding her for no reaction when I put my hands near her. Right now she's letting me put my finger on her head and pet her very lightly, but no scritches yet. Switching back and forth between the two seems to keep her more focused and eager to train since it's not as repetitive. They tend to lose focus and interest easily if it's the same thing over and over again. 

Hope this helps, and good luck.


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## ladyeagle (Aug 14, 2009)

Sekica said:


> You can find clickers at pet stores, usually in the doggy area or by the registers, or order them online from the pet store websites. They're under $2 so they're not expensive at all. I got Ben (my tiel) one because she was a biter, and she made a lot of progress with it. Unfortunately, now she insists on taking the stick instead of the reward and running off with it.  I'm using touch training to get her to come, but also doing sessions for desensitizing her to my hands by rewarding her for no reaction when I put my hands near her. Right now she's letting me put my finger on her head and pet her very lightly, but no scritches yet. Switching back and forth between the two seems to keep her more focused and eager to train since it's not as repetitive. They tend to lose focus and interest easily if it's the same thing over and over again.
> 
> Hope this helps, and good luck.


Great, thank you so much we will definitely try this


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## Mythara (Apr 9, 2009)

Jar lids - the ones that have the seal and pop also make great clickers. All you need is something that makes the same noise consistantly.


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## ladyeagle (Aug 14, 2009)

We went to the pet shop today and we got clickers water spray and treats. Now we shall see how she does


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