Is hand tame the same as silly tame for cockatiels?

Question

I am asking because I found a place which claimed to have silly tame cockatiels and another which claims to have tame ones. I don't know the difference.

Answer 1

I believe silly tame is an expression meaning "very tame" and refers to hand-reared birds, while hand tame means they will step up onto your finger. The hand tame birds may be less tame, and they may not have been hand-reared.

Answer 2

If your looking at newly weaned young birds (weaned is the term used because young birds of the parrot family are fed a pre-digested liquid food by their parents or the breeder if they are hand reared) hand tame and silly tame are both likely to be hand reared.However silly tame birds are likely to come from breeders who don't just feed the chicks but also get them used to playing and being gently stroked by humans.

Be careful though-some breeders idea of silly tame is the same as some other breeders idea of hand tame and in any case a hand reared young bird will become silly tame very easily once you get it home and start handling it.

The best thing to do is visit both breeders and compare the birds yourself if they are both close to you.

Answer 3

are you sure that they did not mean hand fed?  if they meant hand fed then you will be getting a very loving bird that will bond with you more than a non hand fed bird will.