Cockatiel traumatized and scared of everything

[Smriti Dig]

Pls help! Our cockatiel is scared of everything!! We have him for more than 2 years now and bought him from a street pet Shop. Because of that we knew that he'd be a little harder to tame but even with continuously trying to tame for 2 years with patience, he's still scared of everything! He doesn't know what's fruits, treats, toys as he never touches anything new in his cage however long it's kept in there for him to get used to it. He had a partner who was unfortunately killed by a cat one year ago, but that shouldn't affect much now? We've been trying to get him used to our hands, trying to get him out of the cage, trying to give him treats, but NO! He is terrified and screams at everything except for sunflower seeds, his cage and water. Pls help us as the only option I see now is to call a professional which obviously is impossible in this pandemic.
Thank you

 

[Ripshod]

Is the cat that killed his partner yours? Is it still in the house?

 

[alshgs]

Were they near each other when the cat attacked his partner?

 

[Smriti Dig]

Is the cat that killed his partner yours? Is it still in the house?

No it was a stray cat that somehow managed to come inside the house to drag the cage out side when my sister saw it.

 

[Smriti Dig]

Were they near each other when the cat attacked his partner?

Yes they were in the same cage. The cat caught the first cockatiels wing and pulled it with the cage ending up fracturing its wing. It died of pain in front of this one

 

[sunnysmom]

Where is your tiel's cage located? How many hours of sleep/darkness does he get? Are there other animals in the household? Was the this nervous before he lost his friend? (And welcome to the forum!)

 

[Smriti Dig]

Where is your tiel's cage located? How many hours of sleep/darkness does he get? Are there other animals in the household? Was the this nervous before he lost his friend? (And welcome to the forum!)

It's located in the window now. Earlier it was on the floor in the living room. He sleeps from 10-7 not sure tho but this is the time where I usually find him sleeping. Yes we have two slider turtles but they don't interact with our birds. We have a budgie as well but he's not tame tho he is used to us and comes on our hands easily. Yes he was always nervous. I wouldn't use the word nervous as he looked more like he was scared.

 

[sunnysmom]

First, I would try increasing his sleep by a few hours. Typically it's recommended that they get 10-12 hours of sleep. Does he like the window? I know some birds really do but one of mine, it makes him anxious when he's by it. Is the tiel's cage near the budgie? That may help him if not. Also, do you play music or anything like that for him? Is his cage where people are usually?

 

[Smriti Dig]

First, I would try increasing his sleep by a few hours. Typically it's recommended that they get 10-12 hours of sleep. Does he like the window? I know some birds really do but one of mine, it makes him anxious when he's by it. Is the tiel's cage near the budgie? That may help him if not. Also, do you play music or anything like that for him? Is his cage where people are usually?

Ok I'll try increasing his sleep time. He loves the window cuz there are wild ringnecks flying around often so he likes to call out. No the budgie is in the inner room while the tiel is in the living room where everyone can interact with him. He is scared of the budgie and has bitten it few times so we keep them seperately. He doesn't pay attention to music in particular but whistles a lot when my dad whistles to him

 

[Smriti Dig]

Ok, so I see that his behaviour is somewhat improved. Thanks @sunnysmom for the sleep advice. He's still scared of everything but to a smaller extent. I tried altering his feeding stations for fruits and treats tho he doesn't seem to be interested to even go near it. He's less scared of my hand now but still hisses and nibbles on it when I try to reach him to step up. Any advice would be nice! And thank you to everyone else who also helped!

 

[Shezbug]

Maybe you could try fresh foods that tiels are more likely to enjoy like broccoli, dark leafy greens like kale or fresh seeded grasses..... they are not usually well known as being fruit eaters.

 

[sunnysmom]

Have you tried millet spray? That can be a good training treat. And because it's long the bird doesn't have to get super close to your hands. Does he come out of the cage at all on his own? I try to let me birds come out on their own. You can try putting a perch just outside the cage door with a favorite treat or toy hanging by it.

 

[Smriti Dig]

Yes

Maybe you could try fresh foods that tiels are more likely to enjoy like broccoli, dark leafy greens like kale or fresh seeded grasses..... they are not usually well known as being fruit eaters.

Yes he eats coriander and other leafy greens provided his seeds are taken out.

 

[Smriti Dig]

Yes

Maybe you could try fresh foods that tiels are more likely to enjoy like broccoli, dark leafy greens like kale or fresh seeded grasses..... they are not usually well known as being fruit eaters.

Yes he eats coriander and other leafy greens provided his seeds are taken out. He

Have you tried millet spray? That can be a good training treat. And because it's long the bird doesn't have to get super close to your hands. Does he come out of the cage at all on his own? I try to let me birds come out on their own. You can try putting a perch just outside the cage door with a favorite treat or toy hanging by it.

He's cagebound and can't come out on his own. When we remove him to wash the cage he'll fly in the fan and sit on it without coming down for the whole day or unless I catch him and put him back. He's too scared to trust humans or anything that moves (seriously he's scared of spiders and roaches as well). Can't blame him tho he's been through a lot, but that still doesn't give an excuse for not being able to tame him!

 

[sunnysmom]

Yes

Yes he eats coriander and other leafy greens provided his seeds are taken out. He

He's cagebound and can't come out on his own. When we remove him to wash the cage he'll fly in the fan and sit on it without coming down for the whole day or unless I catch him and put him back. He's too scared to trust humans or anything that moves (seriously he's scared of spiders and roaches as well). Can't blame him tho he's been through a lot, but that still doesn't give an excuse for not being able to tame him!

Is there a smaller room that you could let him out in? Just be patient with him. It takes time.

 

[Bookwyrm]

Twelve hours of quiet, uninterrupted sleep is very important.
I second taking him into a smaller room. Try to let him out for a while ever day. Even if he isn't tame, he needs some time to stretch his wings.
How large is his cage? If he's in it a lot, it should be a flight cage.
It sounds like you are taking this too quickly. Start with something small, like offering treats through the bars of the cage. Then maybe target training. If you just offer your hand to an untamed bird, they won't know what to do.
Go slowly, be patient, and you should see some success. (And honestly, he might just be tired).

 

[Smriti Dig]

Is there a smaller room that you could let him out in? Just be patient with him. It takes time.

No unfortunately if I take him out by force he'll just fly away, if I try and teach him to step up, he bites and hisses. You're right, it takes time but 2 years?? Isn't that 1/5 of his lifespan? I'm sorry for being rude but I'm worried. What if we weren't able to give him the life he deserved? Only if he was tame we would give him everything! But he isn't ready to be tame.... I've tried step up training, treat luring training, just let him be used to my hand by keeping it in cage and sitting and talking with him but I've come out with no progress....... He's too phobic to trust anything

 

[Smriti Dig]

I'll

Twelve hours of quiet, uninterrupted sleep is very important.
I second taking him into a smaller room. Try to let him out for a while ever day. Even if he isn't tame, he needs some time to stretch his wings.
How large is his cage? If he's in it a lot, it should be a flight cage.
It sounds like you are taking this too quickly. Start with something small, like offering treats through the bars of the cage. Then maybe target training. If you just offer your hand to an untamed bird, they won't know what to do.
Go slowly, be patient, and you should see some success. (And honestly, he might just be tired).

I'll take your advice! We're currently taking him to the vet as he's not well, but once he's healthy I'll try target training! How to introduce him to treats btw? He can't differentiate between seeds, fruits and treats or rather, he's too scared to try anything apart from seeds

 

[sunnysmom]

No unfortunately if I take him out by force he'll just fly away, if I try and teach him to step up, he bites and hisses. You're right, it takes time but 2 years?? Isn't that 1/5 of his lifespan? I'm sorry for being rude but I'm worried. What if we weren't able to give him the life he deserved? Only if he was tame we would give him everything! But he isn't ready to be tame.... I've tried step up training, treat luring training, just let him be used to my hand by keeping it in cage and sitting and talking with him but I've come out with no progress....... He's too phobic to trust anything

This is a good resource: Training Parrots | Parrot Training DVDS & Books

I have never had success with working with a bird in his cage. Many birds are cage territorial and see hands in their cage as a bad thing. (And I have a 30 year old cockatiel right now- so tiels can live a long time.)

 

[Bookwyrm]

Try pinning a spray of millet on the outside of the cage against the bars. Then it won't be in the cage, but still easy to access. Most small birds LOVE millet, so hopefully he'll start picking at it. It might take some time, but hopefully he'll quickly see that it's food.
Try talking to your vet about ideas too. Ask if they have any tips on getting him to eat veggies.
Hope he gets feeling better soon!