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Cockatiel too scared and shy what do i do?

Erickv96

Meeting neighbors
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4/17/20
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Erick valle
Hi , im new to the bird keeping world, i am transitioning from fish keeping to birds. I had just bought a 3 month old cinnamon cockatiel which i believe is a female because of the barred tail and kind of faint red cheeks.

anyway She Is really timid and scared, she does not move from the branch . I originally had the food and water right next to the branch, at that time she would approach and eat , but never move from that branch. So i moved the food down lower Next to another branch to try to get her to explore and look for food. No luck she would not move.

I understand everything is brand new to her, i would like to know what Steps i should take to get her to trust me.
i have read in another forum someone else having that issue. And the others were telling him to cover the cage up because the darkness will help them feel safe.

I can have the all the doors open for her to freely walk out but still nothing.
 

Eggburt Dobson

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Beautiful cockatiel! Have you picked out a name yet? I would suggest try spending as much time as you can in the same room as the cockatiel, but letting it stay in it's cage. You can try talking to her while you do other activities and it'll get her used to your presence. It'll take some time before she's comfortable, but you will definitely get there! Maybe if she has a favorite treat try putting it in her bowl and then eventually start offering it from your hand. I'm sure others on here will have different suggestions too. Best of luck :D :tielf:
 

pearlybaby

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Well, first of, just like you said, it takes time to adjust. It’s a new environment so you have to give it a chance and let her get used to the cage. :)

Anyways, I agree with @Eggburt Dobson about what to do. Try different activities around her such as reading out loud so she gets used to your voice, playing music, anything that you would normally do but around her cage. While you are doing this, I recommend having the cage door open so she comes out by herself.

You can also start offering her treats such as millet. I personally think millet is much better than sunflower seeds when starting (unless your bird doesn’t like millet) because it allows the bird to eat from a distance without having to get close to the hand.

This is just some advice that I’ve used in bonding with my bird:p

Your bird is a beauty! Hope you have more pics and a name for her :laugh:
 

Erickv96

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Erick valle
Beautiful cockatiel! Have you picked out a name yet? I would suggest try spending as much time as you can in the same room as the cockatiel, but letting it stay in it's cage. You can try talking to her while you do other activities and it'll get her used to your presence. It'll take some time before she's comfortable, but you will definitely get there! Maybe if she has a favorite treat try putting it in her bowl and then eventually start offering it from your hand. I'm sure others on here will have different suggestions too. Best of luck :D :tielf:
Thank you! Will try that. As we speak the wife is giving her food by holding the cup of food in front of her and shes taking it.
yes the wife decided to name her pikachu because of the cheeks
 

Erickv96

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Erick valle
Well, first of, just like you said, it takes time to adjust. It’s a new environment so you have to give it a chance and let her get used to the cage. :)

Anyways, I agree with @Eggburt Dobson about what to do. Try different activities around her such as reading out loud so she gets used to your voice, playing music, anything that you would normally do but around her cage. While you are doing this, I recommend having the cage door open so she comes out by herself.

You can also start offering her treats such as millet. I personally think millet is much better than sunflower seeds when starting (unless your bird doesn’t like millet) because it allows the bird to eat from a distance without having to get close to the hand.

This is just some advice that I’ve used in bonding with my bird:p

Your bird is a beauty! Hope you have more pics and a name for her :laugh:
Yes ! I had just tried that and it worked! The cage doors sit horizontally when opened , so i had taken the millet out for a whole day and just reintroduced it to her. She was taking it from inside the cage. Then i moved alittle farther from her so she can move towards it and she did. So i then left the millet sitting on the cage door and she jumped towards it. I picked up the millet again and held it farther but also had my finger near the edge of the cage door. She was just looking at my finger and moved a away a little , i kept trying and she eventually got on my finger. Big step . I made the mistake of sitting down and trying to get her to sit on my lap , because she tried to fly away.
 

pearlybaby

Walking the driveway
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New Jersey
Yes ! I had just tried that and it worked! The cage doors sit horizontally when opened , so i had taken the millet out for a whole day and just reintroduced it to her. She was taking it from inside the cage. Then i moved alittle farther from her so she can move towards it and she did. So i then left the millet sitting on the cage door and she jumped towards it. I picked up the millet again and held it farther but also had my finger near the edge of the cage door. She was just looking at my finger and moved a away a little , i kept trying and she eventually got on my finger. Big step . I made the mistake of sitting down and trying to get her to sit on my lap , because she tried to fly away.
That’s really good progress! I’m glad that you got her to sit on your finger! :laugh:

And about the sitting down, don’t worry, I did that when I got my bird to step up for the first time and she flew away :laughing2:
 

Erickv96

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Erick valle
That’s really good progress! I’m glad that you got her to sit on your finger! :laugh:

And about the sitting down, don’t worry, I did that when I got my bird to step up for the first time and she flew away :laughing2:
ok ! I thought maybe i messed up . Also is it possible to get her a friend? Im not sure if getting another bird like a parakeet or another cockatiel will help her. I have heard that its best to keep them by themselves. But i would like to double check.
 

Erickv96

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Erick valle
Also her wings are cut at the moment and im not sure how i will be able to trim them again when they grow back . Flying would make it difficult to tame her right?
 

Tiel Feathers

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Keeping her flighted is best for her health and self confidence. You can still train her when she is fully flighted. At some point you should look into target training, but for now just be patient and go at her pace. She’s still adjusting, but she will get more comfortable as time goes by. You can try covering three sides of her cage so she feels more secure, and put a perch right outside her door to make it easier for her to go in and out. Just make sure you never force her to do anything, but make everything her choice. Reward all desired behavior and ignore undesired. I wouldn’t think about getting another bird until you have a strong relationship with this bird.
 

pearlybaby

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I agree with @Tiel Feathers :laugh:

Pearl’s feathers were partially clipped when I got her, but she could still fly, just not as well. I was able to tame her and I let her grow her flight feathers which let her fly better. I think she associated her being able to fly better with me, as I noticed our relationship improving.:heart:
 

Tweet

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What a sweet little one. Like most have suggested before, she may need to adjust. Lots of treats and hand training to help build her confidence. When I first bright sunny home, i'd often hang out in the room with his cage door open and either clean or work on my laptop and spend time with him. Slowly he felt more comfortable and would come out of his cage. It can take a few weeks for sure, especially since you are both learning each other and creating a language of your own. Can't wait to see more of you guys around!!
 

Erickv96

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Erick valle
Keeping her flighted is best for her health and self confidence. You can still train her when she is fully flighted. At some point you should look into target training, but for now just be patient and go at her pace. She’s still adjusting, but she will get more comfortable as time goes by. You can try covering three sides of her cage so she feels more secure, and put a perch right outside her door to make it easier for her to go in and out. Just make sure you never force her to do anything, but make everything her choice. Reward all desired behavior and ignore undesired. I wouldn’t think about getting another bird until you have a strong relationship with this bird.
Thanks! I will take that advice. No extra birds for now.
 

Erickv96

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Erick valle
Hi , heres an update . So pikachu has been standing on our hands and eating from our hands.
but today shes been alittle strange . More quiet and on edge. She has also been doing some Yawning motion only i dont think its yawning. She has been doing it all day and we are all worried. Almost looks like she has something in her throat? But she has eaten alot just now.
 

pearlybaby

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Hi, looks like Pikachu is yawning but I’m unsure. Here is a link to a previous thread that covered this topic:
Thread
 
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