Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 4: Socializing a cockatiel
• Part 2 of 4: Teaching your cockatiel to walk
• Part 3 of 4: Training other tricks
• Part 4 of 4: Tackling biting behavior
• Tips
• Warnings

Tame cockatiels can be great for petting, playing, or even dancing to music, but it does take some time and effort to get to that point. When taming a cockatiel, it is important not to go too fast and to train the cockatiel in short sessions and in a quiet area. If your cockatiel is young, you will likely have better luck and go faster in training.

To step

Part 1 of 4: Socializing a cockatiel

1. Stay calm and careful with a new cockatiel. Do not start taming until he has been able to get used to his new environment for a few weeks. Keep the cockatiel in a quiet area.
2. Talk to the cockatiel from outside the cage. You can say anything you want as long as your voice stays calm, without sudden changes in volume. Also try to speak softly, not loudly. If you are taller than its cage, lower yourself to just above the cockatiel's eye level, which will make you less threatening without appearing submissive. Do this for a few days before attempting to train the bird.
3. Make sure your bird is comfortable with you. Now that your bird is used to the sound of your voice, he or she will begin to move towards you when you sit down to talk to your cockatiel. At this point you can start training your bird, but take it very slowly.
4. Give the cockatiel a treat. A sprig of millet is often used to train cockatiels as the birds generally love this, but you can use any kind of cockatiel food in small quantities. Stick it through the bars of the cage, but not directly in his face. This will encourage the bird to come to you voluntarily. Keep it still while the bird pecks it a few times, or let it peck for up to 5 seconds if it is showing particularly good behavior.
   • Only use the millet, or whatever you have chosen as a treat, as a reward. The cockatiel can become less motivated if he is also given the same treat without having to do anything for it.
5. Repeat this workout daily. Set aside some time each day to talk to the cockatiel, keeping your hand still near the bird and giving it a treat as soon as it calms down. To avoid frightening the cockatiel, do not allow these sessions to last longer than 10 to 15 minutes, and no more than once or twice a day. Make sure the cockatiel gets closer to your hand at the end of each session to get the treat.
   • Even if a young bird is eager to play with you and appears happy, do not allow these sessions to last longer than 15 minutes, as a young bird will need to return to its cage regularly to eat and rest.

Part 2 of 4: Teaching your cockatiel to walk

1. Do not open the cage until the cockatiel is comfortable. If the bird is comfortable with you, it will remain calm when you approach it, and may even eat the treat straight from your hand. This can take weeks or months in an adult bird that is not used to human contact. Once you reach this stage, you can invite the cockatiel to come out of its cage, although older birds that have not been previously socialized will not voluntarily do so.
   • Before opening the cage, make sure that all windows and doors in the room are closed and that there are no other animals.
2. During training sessions, keep getting closer with your hand. Once the bird comes up to you and eats from your hand, begin to approach it with an empty hand in a similar fashion, extending two fingers horizontally. Keep the hand still until the bird calms down, then reward it with a treat. Again, keep these sessions for 10 to 15 minutes, once or twice a day.
3. Have the bird step on your finger. Finally, move your hand directly to the stick the bird is sitting on, or touch its legs.Once you can hold your hand there without upsetting the bird, you can press gently on the bottom of the bird's chest with your fingers. A light nudge should be enough to push the cockatiel a little off balance, causing it to step on your finger with one paw.
4. Encourage that behavior. Every time the bird starts to mount, say a short command such as get up or on. Praise the bird and give it a small treat when it does this. Praise him again when he steps on with both feet. Keep limiting training sessions to a few minutes at a time, and always make sure you end on a positive note.
   • The cockatiel can use its beak to test the stability of your finger. Try not to snatch your hand when it hits your finger with its beak.
5. Teach the cockatiel to dismount and climb stairs. Once the bird steps on your finger on command, re-train it to get off to another baton using the same method. Reinforce these behaviors by teaching him to walk up stairs, or repeat it get up command from your left hand to your right and back again. Train the bird daily to make these moves until it does it on command without reward.
   • You don't need a special command for climbing stairs. Instead, repeat it get up command.

Part 3 of 4: Training other tricks

1. Consider using clicker training. As training gets more complex, your bird may have trouble figuring out what you're rewarding him for. Try one clicker or make a clear, short sound by pressing a pen each time the bird displays the desired behavior. That way you get the bird's attention, while you grab the treat. Once the bird is properly trained, you can only use the sound of the clicker or pen as a reward, but until then, the treat is an important part of the training.
   • It is recommended that you use a clicker or other clear sound rather than a verbal command as it will sound the same every time and there is little chance of encountering it outside of training.
2. Continue to use clicker training for additional tricks. Clicker training remains an excellent pet training tool. When you start teaching the cockatiel a new command, use a clicker or make a conspicuous sound by clicking a pen when it shows good behavior. Immediately after, grab a treat and keep training daily until the cockatiel responds to the command using only the clicker as a reward.
3. Teach the cockatiel to be comfortable in a towel. If the cockatiel is comfortable outside of his cage, you can place him on a white or beige towel on the floor every day during his training session. Gradually lift the corners of the towel, but stop when the bird begins to struggle. Repeat this every day, rewarding the bird when it stays calm until you can completely enclose the cockatiel in the towel. This training will make it much easier to take your cockatiel to the vet or get it out of a dangerous situation.
4. Teach the cockatiel to talk. Repeat an expression a few times, with an animated facial expression and tone, at a time when the cockatiel is relaxed and content. If the cockatiel looks at you and shows a reaction, such as moving its head or dilating its pupils, it may find that word interesting. Repeat that word regularly, but stop when the cockatiel gets bored. Reward him with a treat when he tries to impersonate you.
   • Male cockatiels can make more noises than females because they call in a more complex way to entice mates. Female cockatiels can also talk, but the voice may not be as clear.
   • Most cockatiels can talk by the time they are eight months old, although you can try teaching them from the age of four if the bird appears to be interested. It can be more difficult to train an adult bird that is not used to talking.
5. Encourage the bird to whistle and dance. While looking at the cockatiel, move your head up and down or move your finger back and forth to music with a steady rhythm. When he starts to move back and forth, reward him with a clicker and a treat. When you continue with his training and find music that catches the cockatiel's attention, he can swing more energetically while spreading his wings all the while. Likewise, flutes during these dance sessions can encourage the cockatiel to make its own sounds.

Part 4 of 4: Tackling biting behavior

1. Try not to react when you get bitten. If the cockatiel bites you, try to react as little as possible. Pulling away loudly, reacting loudly, or ending the session can encourage the bird to bite again. This can be difficult to avoid because the bite hurts, so to start with, try to avoid serious biting by leaving it alone when it starts to hiss, when it raises its crest, or when its crest is flat against its head.
   • Wear thick gardening gloves if biting is a recurring problem.
2. Don't try to punish the cockatiel. Cockatiels don't usually understand what you're doing when you're trying to punish them. They may like it when you yell at them, put them back in the cage, or otherwise react to bad behavior. Instead, focus on praising the cockatiel when it does something right, or use mild forms of punishment such as ignoring the bird or gently pulling away the piece of jewelry it is nibbling.
3. Only pet the cockatiel when it stays calm. Many cockatiels will only let you pet their crest or beak, and some don't like being petted at all. Pet slowly, and slowly pull back as the bird hisses, nibbles, or flattens its crest.

Tips

• Train the bird in a quiet place where you are alone to minimize distractions.
• Cockatiels test things that catch their attention using their beak and tongue. If the cockatiel's crest is half raised, and the beak is exploring rather than closing, the behavior is likely a sign of curiosity, not hostility.
• Be patient! It is not a bird's fault for biting, NEVER blame the bird. The bird is biting because of something YOU do, be it not working with it enough, or moving too fast, etc. Most of the birds will catch up with good training and become nice company.

Warnings

• Grab never the bird by force, and certainly not from behind. Cockatiels can turn to bite you.