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***QUESTION***

I have always want a cockateil. My freind’s cockateil had babies and I received my “Precious boy” He is so cute. I recently have been able to feed him some seeds by placing them on a little stand in his cage. You see precious bites and I don’t know what to do to get him to stop. In order for me to give him the seeds on the stand, I tell him to go away and then I will give him the seed. He goes over to another perch and allows me to put the seed down on the stand and then I tell him to come and get his seeds and he does. We do this every day about three or four times. He also says hello. However when I go to touch him or get him to step up, he hisses and goes to bite me. Why?

I have Cerebral Palsy and sometimes my hand shakes could that be frightening him. Any suggestions, I certainly would appreciate them. Thanks, I love my “Precious” so much, he is such great company and we spent a lot of time together, I just want to be able to touch him without getting bite.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Regards,

Judy Waller

***ANSWER***

I have yet to see a young baby bird that doesn’t bite or nibble, this is a much different reason to why older birds bite.

Baby birds remind me of puppies because they like to chew and nibble, they don’t know that it may hurt someone’s finger, but they are learning about the owner by taste and smell.

Now the actions of hisses and trying to bite sounds like the owner is putting her hand in his cage and that is a very normal reaction that most birds will do to their owners unless they trust their owner. A bird’s cage is their safety zone, and anything or anyone the intrudes into the cage will get that reaction.

If you could work with your bird in another room away from the cage you should be able to teach it not to bite, but it is also important to have the wings clipped so you would have better control of training the bird.

As for her Cerebral Palsy I don’t feel that is a major concern, because many birds and even other animals can sense health issues in people and they seem to undertand the person’s special needs.

The shakiness to the bird would be no different then the bird sitting on a rope perch or the wild birds that sit on power lines that can get shaky from the wind blowing.

I have taken many of my birds to special needs groups and it seems the birds just knew these people where special and there was a lot of TLC given to the people by my birds.

Cockatiels are probably one of the most common pets that people will own. The certainly are one of the easiest to raise and train. But like any other pet, they require some patience.

You will never be able to train your cockatiel until you have gained its trust. Once the bird is used to you and its surroundings, it will learn quickly what you are trying to teach it.

GET IT AS A BABY

Cockatiels are most easily trained if you can get them when they are very young. That way, you will already have a good idea of their personality and attitudes. With an older bird, you will have to go a lot slower with the training. And if the bird came from a different owner, you have to wait for the bird to become adjusted to its new surroundings. If the bird was abused previously, that will make your job even harder.

Also note that if the bird has any health problems, he will not be easy to train. One common problem with Cockatiels is blood feathers. These are feathers that are not fully developed, and may have become infected. They will be painful if touched, and the last think your bird wants to do is be cuddled and played with. Therefore, do a quick inspection of your bird for any problems before you begin.

LET’S GET STARTED

Cockatiel training is going to involve a lot of repetitive routine. Therefore, try to set a schedule for when you are going to teach your bird. You will want to work with your bird two to three times a day for 15 minutes each session.

Start by getting the bird to be comfortable with your hand. It’s scary to have this large hand reach into your home, grab and secure you, and drag you out of your home! Do you remember your first school days? Yeah…it’s something like that. Birds don’t care for it either.

So begin training your cockatiel by reaching into the cage, but don’t touch the bird. Offer him a treat with your hand. Do not waive your had around, but hold it steady. After a short time he will learn your hand is not a threat.

Next, work on trying to get the bird out of the cage. Place your finder under the birds belly and press in, while giving the command “Step Up”. If the bird nips at you, firmly say “No Bite!” and repeat the exercise.

If the bird still refuses to step up, it may be better to remove it from the cage and try teaching in a different part of the house. Take a towel and capture the bird, wrapping the towel around it so the wings are secured. You can also use this method to secure the bird and hold it for several minutes. Gently talk to the bird while doing this to reassure him you are not a threat. Once away from the cage, continue to work with the “step up” command until he willingly stands on your finger.

After several day so this, you should be able to reach in and remove the bird without any difficulty.

>> My ebook, The Easy Parrot System goes into detail about training your pet birds. If you have a bird that bites, screams, or just will not behave, this book will give you a tremendous amount of information on fixing these behaviors. It’s written in an easy to understand, step-by-step approach to training. Check it out - http://www.thetameparrot.com/cb/