Basic Cockatiel Tricks?

Question

I have had a cockatiel for several years now. He is really nice and very rarely bites. (When he does it doesn't really hurt.) But I want to teach him some pretty cool tricks. Does anyone have any tricks that I could teach him that are basic and easy for cockatiels to learn?

Answer 1

You will get results when you are training your cockatiel if you teach them to obey your command to get one of their favorites: food, affection, gestures such as preening, or scratching its neck. You have to teach them lovingly and consistently. Never do the training in a hurry; dispose at least of half an hour. Cockatiels have a short attention span; so then your lesson should not be more than 20 to 30 minutes. Affection as a reward works sometimes better than food treats. A tame pet that really loves you has a motivation to please you. Remember to praise your Cockatiel when it performs what you are teaching.  Cockatiels learn fairly complicated tricks, for example, putting a penny in a piggy bank.  Cockatiels may not learn how to talk but they learn how to whistle very easily.

A good starter trick is teaching your Cockatiel to come to you.  To start to train your cockatiel, make sure that his wings are clipped and place him somewhere that allows him to easily walk over to you. Then tell him to "Come" in a firm, pleasant voice. Since he's tame, he may hurry over because he wants to be with you, not because of the command. Reward him for his good behaviors, but never praise your cockatiel until it does what you are asking.  Soon it will be coming over to you on command.  Teach your bird to come from across the room, starting with small distances and gradually lengthening the distance your cockatiel must walk or fly to you.  Some cockatiels are much more cooperative about stepping backwards when you come up behind - rather than in front of - with your finger or a stick and ask them to step onto it. This approach is only an option, when you have problems with your bird climbing onto your finger from the front. Make sure there are no distractions when you are in training, and if there are, get rid of them.