dumpling98
Walking the driveway
Hello dear bird owners. Me and Candy (my new cockatiel) have been living together for 21 days. Got her from the petstore. I think she is young ( because usually they get only young birds) and that she is a female, ( they didn't know her sex at the store) because she is very quiet, doesn't whistle. She is uncliped.
She sleeps in my room and I think she got used to her new home in about 1 week. After 2 weeks she began to show some attitude and sass.
I've began clicker training to start the bonding process.
This is where we are now:
Candy comes out of the cage on her perch in front, and I let her out of her cage in an improvised play gym near her cage.
She has no problem with me sitting close to her. As long as I keep my hands behind I can even breeth down her neck, that close I can be.
She eats out of my fingers. But doesn't eat out of my palm. She hates my full hand, but tolerates fingers holding the food.
Now that she is more sassy and confortable, she began hissing and jumping at my hand to bite when I annoy her. But her bites are not painful, more like nips, and I ignore her.
I saw that we have more success bonding outside her cage so most of our interactions are outside the cage. I only get in the cage to change food,water and toys. (and she hisses a lot)
I give her the option to retreat. For example when she sits at the opening of the cage, it is her way of saying that I can tolarate you and your plans lol , so that's where we usually start training. If she had enough, she goes back in and I give her space and let her be.
She even began to step up for millet. If I hold the millet spray in my hand she will step up on my fingers. So far she's been very witchy about it. Like she hisses and tries to bite, so I leave her for 1 min, and when I return she steps up and starts eating. She actually steps up nicely and actually doesn't fly from my fingers when she is there eating, so this is our way of moving her to her play gym and back to the cage.
She doesn't want to play with me yet. Like she tolerates me in "her" room but she doesn't fly to me or want explore my room. She sits in her cage or play gym and does her stuff.
I find her very lazy. She has a gym and perches to fly to but she prefers to just walk, climb and not fly. She's been out every day in her play gym all week and hasn't flew at least once.
When she is in her play gym, we do clicker training. She goes from side to side no problem, but as soon as it becomes too much effort, she loses interest. So I feel like we're not advancing in clicker training, but at least she goes 6-7 steps in a direction to get the stick.
She is extremly hesistant with me. Like when I offer her some treats, she eyes me and slowly, after 1 minute of starring she takes the treat quicky.
What should I do from here? She is very afraid of my hands. She tolerates me around here. She steps up with millet, not without, but still won't eat out of my palm.
Should I try sticking my hand in her cage? I am reluctant as I feel we bond easier outside at her playgym.
Sorry for the long text and thank you for reading!!
Here I included a pic of Candy stepping up.
She sleeps in my room and I think she got used to her new home in about 1 week. After 2 weeks she began to show some attitude and sass.
I've began clicker training to start the bonding process.
This is where we are now:
Candy comes out of the cage on her perch in front, and I let her out of her cage in an improvised play gym near her cage.
She has no problem with me sitting close to her. As long as I keep my hands behind I can even breeth down her neck, that close I can be.
She eats out of my fingers. But doesn't eat out of my palm. She hates my full hand, but tolerates fingers holding the food.
Now that she is more sassy and confortable, she began hissing and jumping at my hand to bite when I annoy her. But her bites are not painful, more like nips, and I ignore her.
I saw that we have more success bonding outside her cage so most of our interactions are outside the cage. I only get in the cage to change food,water and toys. (and she hisses a lot)
I give her the option to retreat. For example when she sits at the opening of the cage, it is her way of saying that I can tolarate you and your plans lol , so that's where we usually start training. If she had enough, she goes back in and I give her space and let her be.
She even began to step up for millet. If I hold the millet spray in my hand she will step up on my fingers. So far she's been very witchy about it. Like she hisses and tries to bite, so I leave her for 1 min, and when I return she steps up and starts eating. She actually steps up nicely and actually doesn't fly from my fingers when she is there eating, so this is our way of moving her to her play gym and back to the cage.
She doesn't want to play with me yet. Like she tolerates me in "her" room but she doesn't fly to me or want explore my room. She sits in her cage or play gym and does her stuff.
I find her very lazy. She has a gym and perches to fly to but she prefers to just walk, climb and not fly. She's been out every day in her play gym all week and hasn't flew at least once.
When she is in her play gym, we do clicker training. She goes from side to side no problem, but as soon as it becomes too much effort, she loses interest. So I feel like we're not advancing in clicker training, but at least she goes 6-7 steps in a direction to get the stick.
She is extremly hesistant with me. Like when I offer her some treats, she eyes me and slowly, after 1 minute of starring she takes the treat quicky.
What should I do from here? She is very afraid of my hands. She tolerates me around here. She steps up with millet, not without, but still won't eat out of my palm.
Should I try sticking my hand in her cage? I am reluctant as I feel we bond easier outside at her playgym.
Sorry for the long text and thank you for reading!!
Here I included a pic of Candy stepping up.
