I’ve had my 8 month old female cockatiel for 3 weeks now and she doesn’t like hands and I really need help to learn how to get her to trust me and to be able to tame her and get her out of her cage. I also I am currently still in school so I don’t get to spend a lot of time with her.
Hi,
Three weeks isn’t very long at all when trying to tame an older bird. While she may only be 8 months, unless she was hand fed, she is basically a wild bird and no longer a baby. Female cockatiels are also a lot harder to work with than the males, and some females never get very tame. I’ll give you the link to our behavior and training pages so you can better understand her and how to work with her. You have to be very patient and earn her trust before you can try to tame her. Cockatiels are a prey bird, so if you try to grab her or reach for her, she thinks you are a predator trying to catch her. It can take weeks, months or longer to earn a bird’s trust and get them to the point of being handled. Start by sitting with her, with your hands in your lap, and just talk to her. You shouldn’t even think about having your hands in sight until she gets to the point that she approaches you and shows interest in you. Then you can offer a treat, by placing it in her dish, so that she associates your hands with something good. Again, this is a gradual process and if you get impatient and try to skip ahead, you will lose her trust and go back to the start.
Thank you for asking Lafeber,
Brenda
