Pancake doesn't want to step up, help.

[CupcakeOwner]

Hi guys

Today, I spent 2 hours trying to earn my trust with Pancake, my female lutino cockatiel, trying to make her get used to my hands. I can make her step up to eat millet, but most of the times she is scared and doesn't want to be touched. When she is forced she steps up but I want her to love me and trust my hands. How can I make her to be friendly and cuddly and to step up onto my finger without any problems? Also, she's territorial inside her cage.
I spend at least an hour everyday trying to make her trust my hands. I think she has been abused.

Please I love my cockatiels and want to have fun with her without getting stressed and I don't want to give up on her.

This is Pancake and she was forced to step up after being annoyed.

 

[Featheredsamurai]

How long have you been working on this? I had a young cockatiel(just weened) who I tamed in a week but older birds may take longer.

With Dante I would work with him in short burst throughout the day, 5 minutes here, 30 seconds there, 15 minutes later. It worked really great. With Dante I used touch training and it worked like magic once he figured it out.

 

[lene1949]

Is she in a separate cage away from your other cockatiel/s?

Is she flighted?

What do you feed her?

How old is she?

Please only train 5 minutes every session... If she's very skittish maybe 5 minutes once every 2 hours... Always end on a positive note...

 

[antoinette]

To gain your trust could take days, weeks, months even years. Each and every bird is so different. She obviously feels a comfort zone is her cage.
Sit near the cage, talking and singing to the bird. Let her become familiar with your voice. Leaving the cage door open, offer her treats through the bars at first. When she willingly accepts them, try placing a treat near the open door. Eventually she will starts taking the treats from the door, make no attempt to touch her. When she does come out, she will probably climb around on the cage. Let her explore in her own time. To get her back in, place a treat inside the cage, making sure it's visible.

Whenever training a bird, for anything, make is short sessions, birds get bored very quickly and lose consentration. Make the session fun and entertaining, the bird will then want to participate.

 

[crimson]

what I love about cockatiels, is you can win them over, she will eventually come around.
I've had 2 ornery(sp?) cockatiels, that were not trained, they went hysterical when I went near them, over time, they both came around very nicely. Once you relax they will too.
they also pick up on your energy(mood), if your anxious, worried, or stressed, they will reflect that in their response.

 

[MonicaMc]

She is an older bird. Just because she wont step up for you doesn't necessarily mean she was abused... it could simply mean that no one has really interacted with her in a while, or perhaps she simply doesn't trust you yet. Don't expect her to 'instantly' want to be with you, as it could take several weeks or months.

Here's some videos (one contained within a link) which may be helpful.

Living With Parrots Cage Free: Bucky and Strider - Millet Eating Fiends!​

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUx81WHTUwk]1 Bird in hand Leads to Many - YouTube[/ame]


[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlSm4uFZzVU]More Budgies!!!! - YouTube[/ame]


[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q88bN30qOjo]Sunshine in the Morning - YouTube[/ame]


[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9w9w8nMRmw]Hesitant Faye - YouTube[/ame]


[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rH9ZWxhCSAE]Not So Hesitant Faye - YouTube[/ame]


[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjKmHswgiHs]Cockatiel Feeding - April 24th - YouTube[/ame]



The only really tame cockatiel in the flock is Casey, a cinnamon pearl pied hen. She's the yellow-est tiel. Pistachio, the plucked headed male is the most skittish tiel and most likely to take off if I come too close.

 

[Niner10Tango]

I agree with everyone on this thread. Training sessions should be limited to 5 minutes at a time. I once had a cockatiel that I thought I would never be able to touch. It took over three years and lot's of millet.. Patience does eventually pay off.

 

[CupcakeOwner]

How long have you been working on this? I had a young cockatiel(just weened) who I tamed in a week but older birds may take longer.

With Dante I would work with him in short burst throughout the day, 5 minutes here, 30 seconds there, 15 minutes later. It worked really great. With Dante I used touch training and it worked like magic once he figured it out.

I got her in the end of June I think and she was already an adult. She was really scared, but now she is used to me. I even taught her to kiss me, or regurgitate food for me
But she is still scared of hands, but can step up if she is forced and there is no way to go.

I train her the touch training and shes good at it. But when I put the target on my hand she won't come.

 

[CupcakeOwner]

Is she in a separate cage away from your other cockatiel/s?

Is she flighted?

What do you feed her?

How old is she?

Please only train 5 minutes every session... If she's very skittish maybe 5 minutes once every 2 hours... Always end on a positive note...

I cut her wings, but now its 90% grown, when she is on air she slowly land on the floor, very slowly.

I feed her white rice, she likes it. And some fruit pellets on top of the food And millet. I put vegetables but she doesn't like it.

I don't know exactly, but I think shes an adult.

Well I train her too much but I always try to end my training sessions on a positive note.

 

[CupcakeOwner]

To gain your trust could take days, weeks, months even years. Each and every bird is so different. She obviously feels a comfort zone is her cage.
Sit near the cage, talking and singing to the bird. Let her become familiar with your voice. Leaving the cage door open, offer her treats through the bars at first. When she willingly accepts them, try placing a treat near the open door. Eventually she will starts taking the treats from the door, make no attempt to touch her. When she does come out, she will probably climb around on the cage. Let her explore in her own time. To get her back in, place a treat inside the cage, making sure it's visible.

Whenever training a bird, for anything, make is short sessions, birds get bored very quickly and lose consentration. Make the session fun and entertaining, the bird will then want to participate.

Yeah, well my training sessions were at least 30 minutes. I think that was the problem, but as i've said in the previous post, I always try to end the sessions on a positive note.

And how do I make her be comfortable on all zones, not just her cage? I really want her to roam around the house comfortably.

 

[CupcakeOwner]

what I love about cockatiels, is you can win them over, she will eventually come around.
I've had 2 ornery(sp?) cockatiels, that were not trained, they went hysterical when I went near them, over time, they both came around very nicely. Once you relax they will too.
they also pick up on your energy(mood), if your anxious, worried, or stressed, they will reflect that in their response.

Yeah, my pair cockatiels are comfortable when I'm near their cage. Pancake changed and she's become nicer to me, but not 100% tame. I got her since June, and she still can not be tamed.

 

[CupcakeOwner]

I agree with everyone on this thread. Training sessions should be limited to 5 minutes at a time. I once had a cockatiel that I thought I would never be able to touch. It took over three years and lot's of millet.. Patience does eventually pay off.

Yeah maybe thats the trick. I was doing long sessions, very long sessions.

 

[CupcakeOwner]

She is an older bird. Just because she wont step up for you doesn't necessarily mean she was abused... it could simply mean that no one has really interacted with her in a while, or perhaps she simply doesn't trust you yet. Don't expect her to 'instantly' want to be with you, as it could take several weeks or months.

Yeah, I should just keep trying everyday and progress.

Thanks for the videos!

PS: Pancake is a lot better now, she doesn't seem to have health problems. Changing her food did the trick.