Cockatiel Training Tips

Cockatiels are naturally happy and affectionate birds, although each bird is an individual and may have habits or personality traits that could be improved. Generally speaking, training cockatiels is not difficult, and both the owner and the bird will benefit from time spent training together.

  1. Training your Cockatiel to Stop Screaming

    • It's important for owners to realize that cockatiels are naturally noisy birds, so they don't make noise to annoy you. Once you understand that a bit of noise is normal, you may find that you enjoy your cockatiel more than ever before.

      While they are noisy birds, you can teach them to stop screaming. The best way to teach a cockatiel not to scream is by not running to him and giving him what he wants when he screams. If the bird is screaming to come out of his cage and you walk over and let him out, you are teaching him that when he screams, he gets what he wants.

      If you know that your cockatiel has enough food, water, toys and is not either hot or cold or sick, you don't have to run over the to him as soon as he asks for something. Instead, you should wait for the screaming to stop, and then you should be the one who initiates the contact. If you always allow your cockatiel to dictate when you do things, he will keep screaming, because that is what works.

    Training Your Cockatiel Not to Bite

    • Biting is a complaint made by some cockatiel owners, but you can train your bird not to bite you anymore. A cockatiel often bites because she has been taught that biting is an effective means of getting what she wants. For instance, if you go to put your cockatiel in her cage, and she bites you because she is unhappy and you take her back out, you are reinforcing the biting. If you continue to put the bird back regardless, you are showing that you are the boss and eventually, this behavior will stop. This is more easily taught when the bird is young, but can be taught, with patience, at any age.

    Reinforcing Good Behavior

    • It can be easy with these birds to unknowingly reinforce bad behavior such as screaming or biting, but you should make an effort to only reinforce positive behavior. When your bird goes into the cage without biting, you can praise him or even offer a small, healthy treat. This will establish a positive connection between bird and owner where the owner is the boss.