Cockatiel birds are friendly, and their taming requires patience and proven strategies. It is necessary to understand the history of your bird about age and the previous home as a way of improving taming techniques. Accordingly, knowing the relationship and living environment in the previous home is important to prevent it from bringing some baggage in the new home.
These pet birds have a unique personality that requires appropriate taming and socialization. It may take a lot of time to begin taming a cockatiel with bad experiences and improper socialization. However, it is crucial to begin the process slowly by training the bird in short sessions and quiet places. It is more advantageous if you are training young birds since they are faster in training. Reading through this article to the end is necessary to understand various steps to follow when taming a cockatiel.
Tips For Taming A Cockatiel
Setting up the cage and making it ready is among the most crucial steps before bringing your bird home. Setting the cage with one side up against the wall is important in providing birds with a feeling of security. Accordingly, your cockatiel cage should be directly in front of the window to prevent cockatiels from getting scared by outside factors such as hawks, dogs, and storms.
The cage for this type of bird should be large to accommodate their long tail and head crest whenever they are playing. A lager bird cage makes the bird feel comfortable. Use untreated paper layers or towels with good grating to separate the cockatiel from the bottom. Peeling off the layers every day helps to maintain the cage clean and free from fungal spores and droppings.
Stay Unobtrusive And Quiet Near A New Cockatiel
Cockatiels are often afraid of their new environments and might take time to adjust to their new cage and owner. It is important to allow them to get used to the surrounding without making sudden movements around the cage. Accordingly, avoid standing over the cage, making loud noises, which may make the bird feel uncomfortable and scared.
Cockatiel taming will start at least a week after and not the very first day. This is crucial because it gives them more time to get used familiarized with all new sights, smells, and sounds. You should ensure deliberate and slow movements in feeding and cleaning the whole period while speaking to the bird, softly reassuring it invulnerability.
Habituation
Habituation is the scientific approach used by scientists when studying wild birds. It involves spending more time close to the cockatiel as they get used to the owners without bad experiences upon their presence. Sitting in front of the cage each day for at least twenty minutes while talking to the bird softly is important in making it feel comfortable.
Your intensity and excitement when visiting your cockatiel will not only make them anxious but also feel relaxed and remain calm. You should ensure a calm and relaxed mood to your bird at this step and not positive reinforcements through sounds, head-scratching, and food threats. Then move to the next step when you realize that your presence is not bothering the birds.
Food treatment
Hand taming is the next step in which you will begin interacting with the bird more closely. It involves placing some millet onto your hand and holding the food through the bars as you wait for the cockatiel to pluck courage and come for the food. The activity may take time, but the desire to will overcome scare and fear.
Open the cage door and stick your hand as you give cockatiel spray millet. Do not feed the bird through bars at this time; instead, let it move near and receive spray millet direct from your hand. Besides, you can provide your bird with some greens through the cage bars after the third day. When the bird specks, you should not make any sudden movement away from it since when it is checking, you will soon realize that you are harmless.
Finger training
Finger training is another taming step that requires teaching the cockatiel to perch on your finger and leaving there until the bird feels relaxed. Move your finger to its stomach when it feels comfortable and uses the finger as a perch when every time you nudge it against the stomach.
While on your finger, move the cockatiel about inside the cage. It may jump and get back to the cage perch but continue working on the finger training.
Take the cockatiel out of its cage
Taking the bird out of its cage can only be possible if the cockatiel becomes used to your finger as a perch. However, this step can be difficult since birds are reluctant to venture out on your finger. At this level, train your cockatiel the step-up command while applying a little pressure on its chest using your finger, prompting it to place claws on your hand.
Do not punish a cockatiel
Say no when the cockatiel tries biting you to command it refrain from biting. It is important to remember that biting is a response to any threatening situation perceived by birds. Since birds lack the physical fighting abilities like teeth, massive body weight, and claws, their instinct is taking flights when threatened.
Notably, there are no physical techniques of taming or re-taming birds that bite, but it takes patience and time. This is because the approach that works on one bird may not be effective for another. It would be best if you discouraged a cockatiel from biting by identifying the biting cause and reading the body language of your bird. Accordingly, reinforce appropriate behavior with rewards, praise, and treats. Avoid physical reactions to biting like pulling away from your hands and wobbling your arm since this may make your bird lose balance.
Wrapping Up
Cockatiels are social pets that can be affectionate with humans under proper socialization and training. Taming your cockatiel may seem to be a very strenuous activity, but the appropriate training approaches can make the process simpler than expected. Our steps on how to tame a cockatiel are important in training both the young and the adult birds for effective bonding and the formation of long-lasting close companionship.