A very mean cockatiel

[meggie1425]

Hello!
I desperately need advice in calming down one of my cockatiels! Ive had him for almost 2 years now. Hes never been very friendly and keeps getting worse and worse. He's is hand trained and i let him out of his cage everyday for a few hours. But no matter how much time i spend with him he wont stop biting me (and very hard too!) lately i cant even get near him without him flying at my face and attacking me. He'll even fly at me and sit on the back of my neck biting me. Him and my other bird Ed are constantly getting into fights too. Please does anyone have any advice at all on getting him to be a little bit friendlier? it would be greatly appreciated!
thanks!
-Megan

[StaceyB]

You can start by clipping his wings. If the two birds are housed together you will need to separate them. When birds are housed together they bond usually with each other which means they don't need to do it with you. Don't do the handling inside the cage. Take him to a neutral area away from the other bird. When you are holding him, hold him lower than your head. You never want them to be above you especially when he is already being nasty to you.
Try to offer him treats from your hand before you try to touch him, build some trust in you first.
Good luck

[Kerri N Lynch]

Hello!

We own teo tiels and when we first got out Petie he was nasty and i learned very fast not to let him think he is winning when he tries to bite . As difficult as it is not to pull away and get upset you have to hold it in and not give in , clipping his wings will most certainly help becuase he will have to depend on you for his safety . Were are you located in Ontario i would be happy to help you and show you what you can do to win him over ? Kerri

[papillonmama]

Hi meggie,

I read your post and couldn't help but wonder, are there any factors that are stressing your bird when you take him out? Tiels are sensitive to smoke, changes in their schedule, too much noise, (kids, dogs, cats, etc.).
Make certain that his cage isn't in front of a window, and there are no mirrors in his cage, he might have bonded with his reflection already, making it more difficult to train him. His cage should be out of the way of other animals and kids, but still in a room where the most daily activity takes place. Try taking him out at a scheduled time of the day, so that he knows when to expect it and that he might be getting a special treat when he's with you, some like treats, some don't, mine did not respond to treats at all, but not everyone's the same.
Always make the begining of the visit and the end the same, so he knows what to expect.
I agree with StaceyB about giving him his own cage, for now you might want to give Ed a different time to be out of his cage, focusing on your trouble maker.

Good luck!


BTW any pics?

[meggie1425]

Thanks everyone. They already have seperate cages and i dont have any other pets that would be stressing him out. However he is IN LOVE with his mirrors and i have about 3 in the birds room so i'll try taking them out. I'll probably try clipping his wings because they have never been clipped before. Ive clipped Eds wings but that was before i got Joey. I try not to show that it hurts too much when he bites but i cant help it, lol! i'll just have to try harder And also thanks for the advice on taking them out at a scheduled time i'll definetly try it, and he loves treats so i think useing them will probably work to my advantage! Heres a pic, this is Joey!
Thanks again!
-Megan

[meggie1425]

And this is Ed getting his head scratched (which is his favourite thing in the world!)

[StaceyB]

The mirrors are equivilant to bonding to another bird. If he plays with toys I would suggest switching them around every week. Place at least 5 in the cage, different textures and materials. When the week is up or when you notice him getting bored take them out and put 5 others in. Replace broken ones so they are ready for the next week. You don't need to buy new toys each week just switch them.

[chico2]

A friend of mine had a really miserable green parrot,aggressive etc..
He then bought this Tiel and Bowser the parrot is 100% changed,Bowser is now like a mother hen and never bites anyone.
Mind you,although they have 2 cages,they are never in them,my friend has perches and toys hanging off the ceiling in the whole house +5 cats.
I've shown this pic many times,but here they are again,absolutely lovely birds..Good Luck with yours!