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Hissing

Marloz

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i noticed both of my cockatiels hisses at my boyfriend when he comes near their cage. Why they hiss at him and not other people?
 

Laurul Feather Cat

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They are trying to scare him away for some reason.
 

datlamb

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could be all sorts of things. some birds prefer women to men or men to women. is he the only man they hiss at?
they could be afraid of an accessory he's wearing like a shiny watch.
maybe he's wearing a brightly colored shirt? some birds are scared of those
 

Marloz

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could be all sorts of things. some birds prefer women to men or men to women. is he the only man they hiss at?
they could be afraid of an accessory he's wearing like a shiny watch.
maybe he's wearing a brightly colored shirt? some birds are scared of those
No they don't hiss at my brother or my brother's dog, my boyfriend doesn't wear a watch.
 

cassiesdad

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No hissers here.

The last hissing tiel here was Goalie. She'd hiss when she played "policebirdie"...if Igor and Mocha would squabble over something, she'd run in between them, bang her beak on the ground and hiss menacingly at them. I never saw two birds RUN away so fast...;)
 

Tiel Feathers

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Has anything happened between them in the past to make her not trust him? He should try to gain her trust by sitting and reading to her and dropping treats in her food cup when he walks by.
 
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Laurul Feather Cat

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Hissing is an expression of dislike and a warning. If the "hiss-ee" insists on pushing themselves on the bird, the bird will bite, and bite hard. Often it is a mystery that why a bird takes a dislike to a specific person or thing. One way of getting rid of the behavior is to have the hissee give the hisser treats. Cockatiels can be bribed to change their mind.
 

Sammied28

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My Tiel hisses at anybody who comes near her unless its me, but before I got her she was in a bad home who mishandled her. I'm the only one she trust and she can tolerate a few people. Its just her way of letting them know not to get near her. She's even angrier at people who put their finger in her cage or near her face. Maybe your boyfriend did something they didn't like, or maybe they don't know him very well yet.
 

Marloz

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Maybe your boyfriend did something they didn't like, or maybe they don't know him very well yet.
Well he is my new boyfriend maybe they don't know him well yet. But when they meet my female friends for the first time they don't hiss
 

cassiesdad

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Cockatiels are little mercenaries. They are willing to tolerate people who give them treats, even if they don't like them.
I've noticed that. Amazing that little thing they have in their personality, isn't it...;)
 

Odin

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All my girls will hiss at the blanket at bedtime. I have not seen them hiss at people. But I would imagine that means they are not happy. Perhaps your boyfriend can offer millet?
 

Laurul Feather Cat

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When the egg predatory vacuum cleaner comes near the eggs, Cookie Tiel hisses loudly and constantly. Cookie usually wins the occasion, as I don't take the eggs when the hen is watching, only in her absences.
 

cassiesdad

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Sunshine likes to fly over, sit on your shoulder and watch while you vacuum...very unusual for any bird...he seems to like the thing...:confused:
 

Princessbella

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Bella will hiss when she is jealous. If I am taking too much attention away from her, she will hiss at whomever is taking her away from me. Could that be a factor?
 

blewin

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Well he is my new boyfriend maybe they don't know him well yet. But when they meet my female friends for the first time they don't hiss
So my guess would be your 'tiels don't quite understand that your boyfriend isn't a monster. And worse, they think he's a monster that's keeping you away from them...

Seriously, though, who knows if 'tiels actually recognize men and women as being "humans." My guess is that they don't have that much exposure to men, so they don't know how to react to them.

I wouldn't take the hissing personally, Buddy theoretically loves me, and she hisses at my hands on a regular basis. Especially when she doesn't want them around.
 
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