Parrot does not like treats?

[Josh]

I hope I put this at the correct place. I want to train my cockatiel who bites and is scared of hands, but whenever I offer him some spray millet, he either refuses it, or is scared of it. Is there any other reward I could give him, and what would be a good training method to use?

 

[Laurie]

Hi Josh,

I don't know much about cockatiels in particular but if you are looking for a food reward you can use anything he likes.

What does he like to eat while eating on his own? You can pick his favorite and only use that for training.

Millet, tiny pieces of nuts, fruit, veggies, corn, sunflower kennels, a bite of seed mix (you can offer him a bit out of a little cup or spoon), pine nuts (or part of one).

I have tried different things with my birds. So far pine nuts, bits of cashew and sunflower seeds are what they work for best.

It also doesn't always have to be food. Sometimes toys, praise and attention can be good motivators. It just depends on the bird.

Look for a training method that is based on positive reinforcement. I love Barbara Heidenreich's materials and seminars. Her website is goodbirdinc.com

 

[Anne & Gang]

Cockatiels are a different breed altogether..there are some that never get over their fear of hands, no matter what kind of treat you offer. I suggest that you do not attempt to grab him out of his cage let him come out on his own..there are some tiels who never get over this fear of hands and they will never step up, no matter what you do. but I agree with the above, toys, praise and attention can be good motivators. Our Princess Mitch (now gone to the Rainbow Bridge) was afraid of hands but she would come out of the cage on her own every morning..she loved mashed potatoes and eggs, so you could try those....Don't force the issue.

 

[mstomcat65]

when i first got lacey she was totally afraid of hands and fingers. what i did was was put her cage by the couch where i sit the most and leave her cage door open. a couple times a day i would put her seed mix in the palm of my hand and hold my hand up to the cage door. at first she would reach as far as she could to get the seed, little by little she would come closer to my hand. it took about a week but she finally jumped on to my hand and would actually sit there for a while and eat. i think patience is the key and like anne said, don't force him and dont grab him... that was my mistake on the first day.

 

[Josh]

Whenever I open up his cage, he just climbs to the top and refuses to come down, and if I offer him seed, he slowly comes closer to my hand, and then attacks it. Is there maybe a way I could get him to come out of his cage without him going on top?

 

[Anne & Gang]

Let him go on the top if that is what he wants. Is there any way to put seeds or a treat on top of his cage. They feel unthreatened on the top of their cage. the only way I can think of is if you somehow make the top inaccessible , push the cage to a couch and open the cage door. put a treat on the couch..stay back...maybe he will come out onto the couch instead. How old is the tiel Josh and how long have you had him??

 

[Josh]

Spike is around 2 years old, and I got him when he was young. He was hand raised by a breeder.

 

[Anne & Gang]

It is never too late for them to learn but to be honest, some tiels never ever get over their fear of hands. Don't force the issue and let him be. How is the cage top? rounded or flat? If it is flat, you could put a little water dish up there and some food to make him more comfy while he is up there and he might want to stay out more often

 

[Josh]

His cage top is flat, so I might try that. Its just that I can't stay in the room constantly to watch him and make sure he is OK. I think that he would just not come down off of his cage.

 

[Wayne361]

Seems to me that you need to start over from scratch. I would work on taming first and foremost. Is he able to take a treat from you through the cage bars? Do you wait till bird is reasonably hungry before offering treat?

Wayne

 

[Josh]

He sometimes takes pellets through the cage bars, but he doesn't seem to eat them.

 

[Wayne361]

OK.....all parrots will have a preferred food. You need to find it. On meal time put various food in his bowl including seeds, etc. See what he takes first. the first eaten is a big clue to his favourite. Now dont feed "treat" during meal times only treat during training times. I can almost guarantee it will be a sunflower/safflower seed etc. Since you are able to feed through bars he is trainable. Now start to learn about target training, if you havent already and start targetting him through the bars and reward accordingly. You are building a bond/trust and spending time with the bird. After a while start targetting onto a hand help perch. Over time move your hand closer to the bird on stick. Once he has your trust and sees hands dont pose any risk i.e. thy are good things that feed and pet him, you are good. This was abbreviated and can take a long time....be patient, dont push the bird and you should be rewarded. Also read up on taming exercises freely available on the net.

Hope this helps,

Wayne

 

[Josh]

Thanks. His preferred food is millet seeds in his bowl. I want him to eat pellets, but he won't. If he is hungry and he finished all his millet, he might eat other seeds. Is there a good method to get him to eat the pellets? I've tried mixing the two, and he only eats millet.

 

[Wayne361]

If you mix the to he will pick out his favourite. Like kids, they will eat what they prefer. You want to continue to mix his pellet with millet but start to gradually remove millet over time. Dont free-feed...meaning have set meal times. Keep tabs on birds weight to ensure he isnt losing weight during pellet transition. He should move over to pellets as hunger necessitates. I am not familiar with proper cockateil diet but a varied diet of fresh vegetables and some fruit is probably advisable. Again research proper diet for your bird. Pellets should only be the "base" food and supplimented with fresh foods. Again, I dont know proper cockateil diet so that is up to you. After he has been weaned off the millet and he is on pellet diet, you now have training treats

Good luck,

Wayne

 

[Josh]

How do I feed him by schedule? Should I feed him once a day?

 

[Wayne361]

I have a senegal.... he gets two feedings a day. Morning and before bed. Training is done before bed so he is super motivated. For a teil he might be too small for 2 meals/day. I really dont know. That is why weighing your bird every day is important. To ensure he/she isnt losing or gaining too much weight. Only then will you realize optium feeding amounts.

Wayne

 

[Monica]

It may help to only feed enough food in the morning to last one day. Next day, fill your hand up with food or millet and put it right inside the cage. Don't go towards your bird, allow your bird to come to you. If your bird ignores your hand after 5-15 minutes (or however long you can sit there), that's ok. Remove your hand and replenish the food dishes. Repeat the next morning and thereafter.

 

[sunnysmom]

I think it's important for tiels to have access to food 24/7. And I think it's important for them to have food before bedtime as they burn up a lot of calories through the night just perching and sleeping- so I've been told. My rehomed tiel doesn't step up in the traditional sense. I started with getting him to step on my arm covered with a dish towel. We moved to removing the towel and he'd step up directly on my arm. Now he steps up with my hand flat on the back of my hand. Your tiel may not get over the finger issue. The other possibility is will he step up onto a perch? I think you just have to take things slow with him and try to move at his pace.

 

[Josh]

Thanks for the help everybody! I will try what you all said. I'll just have to be patient.