Some people tell us, “I can’t tame my cockatiel!” and wonder if there is anything they can do.
You may have decided to bring home this bird species as a pet, and now you want to teach it some tricks or make sure that it behaves well.
Taming a cockatiel is not as difficult as what others think it would be. In fact, you can easily tame a cockatiel with just some patience and constant training.
But if you are struggling with figuring out how exactly you can tame your cockatiel, then keep reading. Here are some tips that may help you out!
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I Can’t Tame My Cockatiel – Is There Anything I’m Doing Wrong?
First things first – you need to make sure that your cockatiel feels safe and secure in the environment it is in.
When your cockatiel is at ease, then it should be much simpler to teach your pet some tricks and commands. Thus, the training process should be a success.
If you have just brought your pet home, you may want to allot a few days for it to feel more relaxed and accustomed to the new environment. Your cockatiel may want to soak in some of the new things around. Do not demand so much from it and limit some physical interaction to prevent getting your pet stressed out.
Moreover, if there is a busy or noisy portion in the home, then you should refrain from placing your pet in such an area. The last thing you want is to cause your pet to get overwhelmed with so much activity. Make sure the room is quiet, peaceful, and with a more relaxed ambiance.
You may also want to choose a location that allows your pet to see you constantly. You do not want to have your pet deal with so much loud music or chatter going on and on.
Techniques You Can Try
Once you are ready to tame your pet, here are some techniques worth trying:
Talk to your pet often.
Start by talking to your cockatiel as frequently as possible. You need to speak to your pet in a gentle and calm tone. Do not sound harsh or else your pet will not be interested or perhaps even scared of having to do anything with you.
No worries about the topic you talk about with your cockatiel. The most important thing is that you sound calm and mellow – your pet will not care about the topic at all. For example, you can simply tell your pet a story about what happened to you during the day. A funny or soothing story may also be the best subject for a chat with your pet.
As your pet constantly hears your voice, this helps to develop trust. Moreover, your pet will easily recognize the sound of your voice and become accustomed to hearing you. The best way to know if your pet recognizes your voice is once it lets out a happy and cheery chirp when you start to speak. In fact, you may even be across the room and speaking gently, and your pet may respond.
Once your pet has become more relaxed and at ease with its environment, then this is a good sign that it may be ready to start with the training session.
Look for changes in behavior
When your bird is happy and secure, it will eventually become curious about so many things. Instead of simply being quiet and wallowing around the corner of the cage, you may notice your cockatiel picking up some toys and playing with them.
This can also happen the moment it sees or hears you. When your presence appears to comfort your pet, then, you are moving along towards taming your cockatiel.
Handle your pet gently.
Next up, you may proceed to handling your cockatiel gently. A good sign that it is comfortable with you is when your pet responds positively to the sound of your voice. You may also begin handing something nice to your pet such as a nutritious and tasty treat.
In fact, you can train your pet into thinking that when it sees your hand and you show something, it is nothing but fun and amazing stuff! This will make it more curious and even respond positively to such gesture.
But at the same time, make sure that you wait for your pet to come to you normally. Do not force this process since you may only end up having a scared cockatiel. Just allow it to unfold naturally and wait. This allows you to gain your pet’s respect and trust.
If at first you don’t obtain the result you want – just be patient. Do keep in mind that trust needs to happen naturally. You cannot force your pet to trust you when it is not ready.
There are simply some birds that are more curious than others. This is why you should wait for it to happen at its own pace.
Hold your pet.
Once you are able to pet or handle your cockatiel, then you can train it to respond positively when held by you.
This is an excellent step because this means you and your pet have already developed a special bond.
It is all about the right technique in holding a cockatiel – do it gently and avoid doing it so tightly that your pet feels trapped instead of loved.
Read More: Most Common Cockatiel Tongue Problems And How To Deal With These
Bottom Line
Taming a cockatiel may seem a bit tricky for some since it can take time and energy to do so. However, by practicing the steps and techniques we have shared above, you should be able to slowly gain the respect and trust of your pet. It is all a matter of being patient and consistent in taming and training your cockatiel to be more comfortable around you.
