dr c please some help

[j3r3my_m16]

hello, well first off let me say im new to this site so sorry if this is in the wrong area, but ive recieved a new cockatiel, named daisy shes awesome she is grumy tho, i dont know what the problem is ive had her for about a week and since i had her shes been biting me when i try to touch her, doesnt eat from my hand, consistently goes to my shoulder when i pick her up an gets mad an does a lunge to alert me that if i come near she will bight, what can i do to get daisy under control, i love her so much but this makes me mad, ive had birds in the past but they were budgies

[j3r3my_m16]

my bird ive recieved is 7 years old, i got him a week ago, and he is SO aggresive and he bites every time i try to touch him, he wont let me hand feed him, or take baths her name is daisy i love her... but someone PLEASE HELP

[Shirley]

Hello, and welcome to the forum! :)

First of all... take it very easy and slow - he needs time to adjust, and he likely was not tame before you got him, right?

Start by not doing anything that makes him feel uncomfortable, or threatened. Don't put yourself in a position to get bit.

As you pass his cage, stop and say a few things to him softly, and drop a tiny treat, like a bit of millet, into his food cup through the bars. All your interaction should be through the cage bars until you gain some trust.

That's a start. ... :wub:

[Kirby]

A week is like you starting a new job and your boss is expecting you to know EVERYONE'S names by heart in that amount of time!!!

You can't expect Daisy to feel 110% safe and comfortable around you and her new home this soon coming into your life!
Her lunging at you and either biting or threatening to, is her way of telling you to back off in

Here are some things you can do to help her adjust better:

[B]~ Let her mellow in her cage and have some time to absorb her surroundings.
~ Give her lots of treats in a separate dish and slowly show her that you're not mean and you offer yummy things
~ DON'T try to grab her and force her to be with you, birds (macaws, lovebirds, tiels, budgies ALL BIRDS) have their own time schedule and Daisy will come to you in her own time
~ If her cage is in a low traffic area, try to put her somewhere you spend a majority of your time. If you spend it in your room, move her cage there or if you are in the living room, have her there.
~ If her wings are clipped, you can leave her cage door open when you are home and have maybe a play gym on top with TONNES of treats there to invite her to explore.

Forcing her to do things (And yes I know it's hard to not try to make them feel comfortable and snuggle them) will only push her back and her trusting you will take longer and longer to gain.
If she was hand tamed before, her adjustment time MAY come around faster than an untamed bird.

Hang in there, I know what you're going through. My lovebird Kirby was downright NASTY when I first got him and now he is a changed bird. But I had to learn to have patience with the little guy!!!

[arcadiareptiles]

Are you the person who posted on my youtube video? The one whos cockatiel only eats sunflower seeds? Sorry if it isnt. i just know i got a message saying that that person had joined the forum.

[Jean]

Hello! Welcome too Birds of a Feather,

I moved your thread to Understanding Parrot Behavior.

Many birds are not going to respond to a stranger they don't know or have trust in. They bite out of fear. Other then flying away, that is their only way of defense. You must allow your bird time to earn trust in you. You must be committed to devote what ever time and patience it will take to become your birds friend. If you continue getting mad because your bird bites or doesn't respond to your commands you will prolong or possibly destroy your birds trust in you. Please, practice kindness and be patient as you learn to understand your birds needs.

I believe Shirley began to answer this question in another thread.
http://thebirdforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6507

[Shirley]

I merged the two threads together.

[Sunflash]

something that hasnt been said yet. Dont let the tiel on your shoulder right now. For birds the higher you are on the tree the more dominance you have. If a new bird is on your shoulder sometimes it kicks in that it is in control, that its your boss now. Its also the same thing with eye level, if the bird is looking down at you its going to think it has authority over you. Latter on tho its fine to put a bird you know and trust on your shoulder, but right now you guys have to bond first. Learn each other, respect each other, then you can move on to better things :)

[Jean]

Good thought Larry!

Also, the reason birds try to run up your shoulder is usually because they feel less volnarable in the higher part of your body. That is a safety zone for an insecure bird. Step outside at any given moment to see where the birds when not flying. They are perched high above out of harms way. Try to earn enough friendship with your bird that he/she will first feel secure with you before letting it on your shoulder. There are many people that frown upon parrots on shoulders, and that is fine. I have no fear of allowing my cockatoo on my shoulder only, because of the faithful bond and trust we share. My cockatoo loves spending time on my shoulder. I have earned his trust for several years. He doesn't go there for security, he goes there because I'm his human tree which he crawls all over. He often rides there when we go somewhere in the car.

I would love to see you view and exercise the information in Dr.C's Happily Ever After with Parrots.... A Learning Game -by Dr. Ellen K. Cook . (avian training video) http://shirleymorgan.com/companionparrotmedia/
It is an excellent avian training video. :dance:

[j3r3my_m16]

well thanx everyone ill do just those things ive read all this carefully and yes im the one from youtube thanx for recommending this site

[arcadiareptiles]

well thanx everyone ill do just those things ive read all this carefully and yes im the one from youtube thanx for recommending this site
your more than welcome. i seriously consider you try weaning him onto pellets somehow. sunflower seeds are extremely fat and he could get seriously sick from deficiency's on a diet of sunflower seeds alone. or ever seeds alone.

[j3r3my_m16]

what is the most liked cockatiel treat anyone know? il need to save up

[arcadiareptiles]

well. you need a real food before a treat. from what ive been told and from my own experience. you guys can correct me. My cockatiel converted from a all seed diet(with food scraps and treats) to the zupreem all natural pellets pretty easilly. id suggest you try him on a pellet. see if he can eat that. you can try mixing it in with his seed at first and see if he'll touch it. Just dont try to starve him to make the switch. He should still get a bit of a seed mix but just like a small percentage of his diet. the pellet should be the large part of his diet and then fresh fruits and vegetables and treats like millet and such. and have a nice cuttlebone in his cage.

you guys can correct me. this is just personal experience with my guy. i converted him to the zupreem with no problems he seemed to like it even better than his seeds and still does.

now for treats anything from fruits, streamed vegetables(cooled first of course) , mashes, to millet, avi cakes, birdie bread.