March 20, 2023
Taming
I have two cockateils they are around 20 to 22 weeks old i want to be able to handle them . i stick my hand in their cage they take off from me . i know they say you have to becareful
Question:
Answer:
Hi,
At their age they are close to being adults. Cockatiels go through their first adult molt at 6-8 months old. So while they are young, they are past the age of being more easily tamed. The other problem is having two birds in the same cage. If you want to have any chance of taming these birds, it is best to separate them. Cockatiels are an exotic species so their behavior is based on instinct. They are prey animals so when you put your hand in the cage or try to reach for them, they feel like a predator is trying to catch them. As pets, we are a substitute for the bird having another bird as a companion. When two birds share a cage, they will usually bond with each other and not have any interest in human companionship. And if they were not hand fed, that add another degree of difficulty to taming them. I’ll give you the link to our behavior and training pages to help you better understand how to work with them. But again, unless you separate them, you are very unlikely to be able to make much of any progress with them. It is also best to have their wings trimmed until they have been tamed, because otherwise they will just fly away from you.
Thank you for asking Lafeber,
Brenda
