How to Tame a Female Cockatiel

Owning a cockatiel can be very exciting, but also brings the stress of training a new pet. Like many birds, cockatiels have a tendency to bite and try to escape, especially when they are untamed. Apart from buying a young cockatiel, who are usually easier to train, there are many techniques that can be used to tame your new bird and begin to develop a mutually beneficial relationship with your pet.

Things You'll Need

  • Bird cage
  • Treats
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Instructions

    • 1

      Spend as much time as possible with your cockatiel. When you first bring her home place her cage in the corner of a busy room so she is able to observe humans and become comfortable with her environment. Talk to her each day, and slowly work to get closer to her cage for longer periods of time until she is relaxed being near you.

    • 2

      Sit by the bird's cage as much as possible while reading, watching TV or paying your bills. Talk to her in a quiet voice; your voice will get the bird's attention and get her to move closer to you on her perch. Once the bird gets used to you being close, offer food by hand through the bars. You need to gain the bird's trust and food is a powerful motivator.

    • 3

      Observe your bird's body language and learn to interpret it. Cockatiels give many warning signs about how they are feeling, including fanning their tails, backing into a corner and lunging at you with their beak open. If you attempt to feed her through the bars of her cage and she becomes frightened or aggressive, back off for now and try again in a few hours after she has had the chance to calm down.

    • 4

      Clip your bird's wings. Before attempting to train the bird out of its cage, have it's wings clipped to prevent her from flying away while you are trying to train her.

    • 5

      Teach the bird to step up onto your hand. Once the bird is used to accepting food from your hand, begin training it to step onto your hand. Move your hand --- palm up with your index finger extended --- towards the bird's lower body right above its legs. Use a steady motion to get your finger under the bird quickly not giving it a chance to bite. Give the command, "step up," as you move your hand under the bird. If the bird doesn't respond and gets anxious or attempts to bite, stop and try again the next day. Continue the process until the bird will step up onto your hand.

    • 6

      Reinforce good behavior with treats and praise, but ignore bad behavior. Avoid overreacting to biting or aggressive behavior, but instead give her a firm "no."

    • 7

      Once you have trained your cockatiel to perch on your arm or hand, be sure that she remains at or below chest level. Allowing her to perch on your shoulder will instill a sense of dominance in her that can lead to aggressive behavior.

    • 8

      Assign a command, such as "step up" or "hop" to each of the actions you train your cockatiel to perform. When she hears the cue words and sees you coming towards her, she will know exactly what is expected of her and what treat or reward she will receive after. Practice perching her in different places, such as on your knee, wrist or forearm, and be sure to maintain eye contact to assert your dominance over her.

    • 9

      Increase the amount of space your cockatiel is allowed to occupy. When your cockatiel can be handled inside of her cage, begin to slowly expand her space at a gradual pace. Bring her out of the cage in a small room, and as she is comfortable out of the cage in a confined area, move to a larger room. Observe her behavior, making sure that she does not become frightened, and practice her commands to ensure that she will still obey in this new, larger environment. This allows the bird to gradually expand what she considers her secure territory, and she will then be able to exist beyond just a small cage.