new cockatiel

[lolagalah]

hi
ive bought a so called "hand raised" cockatiel but pretty sure it isn't. it is young though. any good tips on quietening it down and taming? it goes crazy when you try to get it on your hand to remove from the cage (i am very gentle with it) once out it isnt so bad. will sit on you for a little bit then wonders off to do its own thing. it does not make much noise at all.
any advice appreciated.

[avinet]

Hi and welcome to the Forum

How long have you had the cockatiel and how do you know it is a young bird?

cheers,

Mike

[harpy]

We had a rescue cockatiel that we managed to tame (sort of)
Just leave the cage door open whilst you are near and he/she will come out to see you in its own time
get it used to your hand by changing food/water bowls and putting special treats in its cage :3 it'll see your hand and notice that it is no threat and that it is actually bringing nice things that's how we got ours to like us.

we managed to get ours (with a top open cage) to when we opened the top she would come up on her own and wait for our hand and jump on (when she was feeling nice anyway xD she was abused so Im sure you could get much farther with yours).

hope it helps Let us know the progress you have.

[Greybeard]

You need to build its trust in you/people. If you can walk upto the cage without the bird being distressed then that is a great start. If not, walk to the point where it starts to move away from you. Stand there for 30 seconds speaking to it gently and then walk away. Repeat as often as required slowly moving closer but only by one step. The bird will learn that you are not dangerous. You may have to do this over a number of days.
Once it is comfortable with you standing next to the cage, start to feed it treats through the bars, say with a spray of millet. This way the bird is still at a safe distance from your hand but it will gradually move closer as the millet is eaten. As it feels more comfortable it will start to readily move towards you for its treat.

Then repeat the same thing but with the cage door open. Let the bird come to you so hold the millet with your finger tips and let it come to you in its own good time.

I have used successfully this method with eclectus, cockatiels, grass parrots, princess parrots and young love birds. They key is to be patient, observe the birds body language and only step closer as it increases in confidence and trust. I have had avairy birds eating out of my hand within a week.

I hope that this helps you.