Cockatiel dislikes harness

[Tara81]

Ever since I got my cockatiel, I have been slowly training her to accept the harness. She still hates it. I can put it around her neck, but any steps after that she will bite the harness and me as well to try to take it off. Are some cockatiels just prone to never accepting it? It's been 3 months now .

 

[Tara81]

I also feel like I don't know if I should put it on anyways to get her used to it, as she is only 5 months old and more accepting at a younger age or just wait til she accepts it first?

 

[Tara81]

Cute birb picture for attention.

 

[ZteveBond]

Bump

 

[Tara81]

Double bumpity bump

 

[Mizzely]

If you create a negative experience by forcing her to wear it when she is still unsure of it, it is really hard to make it positive later.

Some birds never take to them unfortunately.

 

[Tara81]

I've read in so many places that most birds dislike it at first but get used to it in time if you semi force it. ( get them used to the harness first so they know it isn't going to hurt them , by letting them play with it for weeks first. However, putting it on even though they dislike it )

So this doesn't ever work?

 

[JLcribber]

If you create a negative experience by forcing her to wear it when she is still unsure of it, it is really hard to make it positive later.

Some birds never take to them unfortunately.

Yup. And cockatiels are not very touchy feely birds to start. There's lot's of birds that won't accept a harness.

 

[Mizzely]

I've read in so many places that most birds dislike it at first but get used to it in time if you semi force it. ( get them used to the harness first so they know it isn't going to hurt them , by letting them play with it for weeks first. However, putting it on even though they dislike it )

So this doesn't ever work?

It sometimes works and sometimes backfires. Your choice as to if you are willing to take the chance and deal with the consequence. I certainly couldn't force that sort of fear on a bird for something like that.

 

[JLcribber]

I've read in so many places that most birds dislike it at first but get used to it in time if you semi force it. ( get them used to the harness first so they know it isn't going to hurt them , by letting them play with it for weeks first. However, putting it on even though they dislike it )

So this doesn't ever work?

That is a form of flooding in order to desensitize. An aversive if you will. Along the same lines as punishment.

Having said that I agree that sometimes they just need a little extra push to get over the first hump (to get over an unfounded fear).

 

[Tara81]

Yeah so I don't know if I put it on anyways if she will hate it More because I am flooding, or accept it because I am just giving her a gentle push. Lol.

 

[JLcribber]

You may need to re-examine your technique/strategy. 3 months really isn't that long because it's not like you've had this bird for years and are just now attempting the harness.

Practice on a dummy so you become very swift and skilled at slipping that thing on and off so you can do it with your eyes closed. The less time fussing with it leads to it being a non event. Zip and it's on. Forward we go. Zip and it's off. Forward we go. It's the time spent doing it that causes all the trouble/stress.

 

[Tara81]

Thank you for your insight I guess I'll not force it til next summer when I'm better at it and she's had more time to get used to it being put on her head at least she doesn't mind that too much, she puts her head in willingly for some millet. Once I start with the wings, she starts grabbing at the harness to take it off. I can put it on fast, it's just once on she chews and chews it until it's off again, even if I take her for a walk around the building (I live in a big apartment building) . Not outside because it's too cold this time of year.
It's just I wanted to give her many new experiences while she's young so she won't be scared of change as she gets older, but I don't know how to do that if she wot wear a harness. Any ideas?

She loves scritches most of the time, but I can't touch her back unless I'm scritching at the same time or I can put my hand on her back for a moment for a treat. I wanted to teach her to play dead but I think she's just not that kind of bird. Once I attempt to pick her up with my hand she bites . Lol. Maybe I should just ditch that trick and work on fetch she picks up the toy but runs away with it, so cute but definitely not fetch haha.

 

[JLcribber]

Some birds never accept a harness.

 

[Tara81]

Some birds never accept a harness.

So how can I get her used to new experiences/ change/ new people, my apartment is pretty small, she can fly around the living room most of the day.

 

[Mizzely]

I take mine out in a carrier.

 

[Tara81]

My tiel just crawls around the carrier to be let out, lol. Hmm.

 

[ode.to.parrots]

What's the hurry? Five months is not a long time - you are still getting to know each other, really. And three months to learn something as unnatural to a bird as wearing a harness? That's like a blink of the eye. Cockatiels can live into their 20s and 30s. It is not worth damaging your bird's trust when, really, you've got plenty of time.

I've got to ask though - what is the training routine with your cockatiel like? Maybe I could offer some pointers?

My tiel just crawls around the carrier to be let out, lol. Hmm.

What is your carrier like? I use a travel cage for my tiels, and they enjoy it because they can see more and feel more. If it is something like a cat carrier, your bird might be bored.
You could also consider investing in a PakoBird, or birdie backpack. I have not bought one of these (yet... I am thinking next summer I will take the leap, though), but it would be a safe way to take your bird out and about without having to use a harness. Then if you do eventually harness train her, she won't be freaked out the outdoors (as much, lol) because she would already have seen it on a semi-regular basis in the travel cage or PakoBird.

That being said, I wouldn't give up on harness training her yet, though. Just keep going at her pace, and respect her and her space. Honestly, teaching a cockatiel to wear a harness is probably easier than teaching a cockatiel to play dead. I've never seen a cockatiel that has enjoyed playing on its back.

Here is a really good example of what it looks like to harness train at a cockatiel's pace:

 

[Tara81]

I just assumed it would be better to expose my tiel to lots of changes while she is still young , as when they get older they become stuck in their ways. My tiel puts her head in the harness like in the video, but once I move millet away she wants to take it off, so I don't leave it long for long

 

[ode.to.parrots]

While it is good to introduce your bird to new experiences while she is young, it is not as though she stops learning all together for the rest of her life. She can still learn to enjoy wearing a harness. And, frankly, she will probably never learn to be comfortable in the harness if you keep trying to force her. You might get it on her once or twice, but eventually (probably when she hits puberty), she is not going to put up with it anymore.

I know the video I shared looks repetitive, but if you look closely, you can see that each time her cockatiel puts her head through the harness, she either leaves it on for a longer stretch of time or pulls the loop closer to the back of the wing. The increments are small, but that is what it takes to keep her bird calm and eager to learn. Even at moments when the bird is unsure, she is still an eager participant. She could fly away if she wanted to, but chooses to participate.