How do I make my cockatiel want to spend time with me?

[Shack]

So I got my tiel 5 days ago. She's generally really calm and doesn't get spooked by much, is seemingly hand-fed/hand-reared and doesn't have a problem with hands. She doesn't know how to step up but will climb onto my hand if I offer her millet. I talk to her often both when she's in the cage and when she's out of it. But she doesn't particularly seem to want to spend time with me. She takes treats from my hand and will even fall asleep on my hand no problem, but I get the impression this is just her not caring about where her treats come from and where she's falling asleep respectively (she will literally fall asleep wherever, she's currently sleeping on the floor as I type this). How do I make her actively seek out my attention? How do I bond with her?

 

[Sparkles!]

She’s a baby. Babies have very short attention spans and generally lose interest in everything quickly at this stage. So it’s not you, it’s just what babies do. Give her some time. When she grows a bit, you’ll start to really see her personality- they have to grow into it, lol. Once you start to really see who your little baby is, you’ll pick up on motivators. If she’s food motivated, she’s going to be really interested in seeing what you’re eating. If she likes you singing, oh boy that’s when she’s going to beeline it over to you. Just give her some time, it hasn’t even been a week yet.

 

[Shack]

I suppose that makes sense, the store told me she's only about 3-5 months old. And when you mentioned "short attention span" it kinda it really made sense considering some of the things she does. Thanks for the advice, I guess I was just being a bit impatient

 

[sunnysmom]

I suppose that makes sense, the store told me she's only about 3-5 months old. And when you mentioned "short attention span" it kinda it really made sense considering some of the things she does. Thanks for the advice, I guess I was just being a bit impatient

Yes, you're being impatient. Understandable, of course. But it's only been 5 days! I think she is doing amazingly well for only being with you 5 days (and you're doing a good job too.) Keep in mind this is all new to her. She's in a new place, with new people, and as pointed out, is still a baby. Once she settles in a little more, you can start teaching her some things- like step up. That's a way to bond too. Just make sure to keep training sessions short. Like 5-10 minutes at a time.

 

[Sunni Tiel]

If she's sleeping in your presence she's comfortable and feels safe. You're doing great! 5 days is nothing, it took my Sunni a month or two to really open up and act like himself. Congratulations! Baby cockatiels are so sweet.