# Taming: The Nose Scritch Method



## Corella (Mar 28, 2014)

Hey guys!
I'm a newbie here and I've had my first birdie for only a few months so it may seem silly of me giving advice to the cockatiel gurus here but I just thought you may find this interesting.
I didn't invent this method (only the name), it's something I found browsing the Russian internet and was surprised not to find it here.

*The Nose Scritch Method:
*​
After taking your bird home let it adjust for a while. A week is usually okay. During this time sit down near the cage every once in a while and talk softly or do something else quiet. Do not let the bird out or stick your hands in the cage. 


When your cockatiel seems comfortable in it's new home you can open the cage and let it look around for a bit. Now you can start the actual taming method.


Slowly come up to your bird and try to gently pet it's head with your nose. Most likely it will not enjoy it and run away, maybe it will hiss and bite, but don't worry, taming is usually a slow process. You should do this a few times every day just make sure you don't annoy the bird with your nose too much 


Eventually your cockatiel will start leaning it's head down to let you pet it. Once this happens you can go on to the next stage. But depending on the bird this can take from days to weeks to months! Be ready to be patient.


The next stage is to carefully replace your nose with your hand. The cockatiel will most likely get mad once it notices the switch. When this happens, leave it alone for a while and let it calm down. Then you do it again. 


Do this until your birdie is no longer afraid of your hand. After this you can start working on stepping up and everything else (check the sticky library on this site)


Aaand that's it  
In my opinion this should be great for cockatiels with the fear of hands. Often they don't find other body parts as scary (those aren't the ones used to grab them) so that's why you start with the nose. I guess this isn't recommended for aggressive birds who will bite too hard because that could really hurt.

Here's a video that shows how to do this. It's in Russian but it just says all the things I've stated above. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9p_Wfn2VxM

I'm really interested in hearing your opinions on this method. Thanks for reading :grey tiel:


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## dianne (Nov 27, 2013)

That's very cute! 
I think it's an interesting method to try.
Thank you for posting it!


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## Newtonian (Feb 19, 2014)

I did notice with my last bird, who was not hand tame, that she was more likely to allow me to scritch her with my chin than with my hand at first. Glad to see I'm not the only one who has encountered this.


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## dianne (Nov 27, 2013)

I think you mentioned that you are going to school in Russia. May I ask where you are from originally? I love to hear about other countries.


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## Corella (Mar 28, 2014)

I'm glad you guys like it.  



dianne said:


> I think you mentioned that you are going to school in Russia. May I ask where you are from originally? I love to hear about other countries.


I'm from Russia. I grew up in Canada though so thats why I know English. If you're interested you can PM me and I will tell you plenty about Russia


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## sh.adz (Jul 7, 2012)

this seems like a pretty good method, that i will try when i get another bird, i do have one project bird currently, but im reluctant to put my face near her again, last time i did she put a hole in my lip haha.


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