My 19month old cockatiel who we've had about 3weeks has started to attack us. what can we do ?

Question

we have had our male cockatiel for about 3 weeeks. recently he has started to attack us when we walk past if the cage wasnt there then he would bite us! please help us we are trying to correct his behaviour but this is the worst thing he has done. can you please tell me what we can do??

Answer 1

The first few weeks with a new bird are often called the "honeymoon period," where your bird exhibits calmer, quieter behavior than he will later on in the relationship. This isn't a sign that he's happy, though, it's a sign that he is afraid and uncertain in a new place. What you're starting to see are signs of his normal communications techniques as you and he try to make a connection. Now is the time when your actions are very important to create a bond with your new bird.

You need to look at your activities from a bird's-eye perspective. Do you pay more attention to him when he is lunging and attacking than when he is not? A LOT of birds learn early that if their humans are ignoring them, they can get attention for bad behavior. Make sure to pay attention to him when he is being calm, and then ignore him or go away from the cage when he starts lunging. Take him out of his cage, using a stick to step him up, before you work with him on stepping up with hands, just to minimize any cage-aggressiveness he might be developing.

Also, never do any correcting with your hands (beak tapping, swatting, etc.) Your hand is already big and scary to your bird, and if that hand inflicts pain or scares him purposely, that's only going to make him perceive your hands as something bad. Positive reinforcement is the key with birds, and deprivation of attention is the only negative reinforcement you should use, never for very long at a stretch. This is a phase for you and your bird, and if you handle it well now, you can build a lifelong good relationship with your new friend.

Answer 2

Real biting is a form of communication. It usually means that the parrot doesn’t trust a person or doesn’t trust what the person is doing. It is often a clear message to leave them alone. Parrots usually respond aggressively if they perceive that someone is being aggressive with them; aggression is usually met with aggression. It is the parrot’s perception that matters, regardless of whether the person approaching it is aggressive or not.

The first real bite from a tame parrot should be thought of as a single incident rather than the start of a pattern. When people become afraid that their parrot will bite them again, it changes the dynamics between the parrot and the person who has become afraid. The parrot picks up the different energy in the person, and its behavior to them changes. This can create a downward spiral that can end in a loss of mutual trust.



**For the full article, pick up the August 2008 issue of BIRD TALK**

Answer 3

remember after 3 weeks your bird still doesnt trust the new owners

they will have to bond to you and that may take some time

never force the bird to try anything the bird has to to willing to come to you

try feeding it throught the cage with treats so it can build up the trust

Answer 4

I’m new to this Bird thing myself but George C said a mouth full there Because I have done it, I tried to force the birds to like me And that didn’t work it went the other way now I'm trying to get them over to my side again

Just take your time with them and they will come around.  If you can let them out an hour or 2 during the day while you are there

There worth it

I never thought I would be a bird person, and now I wouldn’t be with out them

I know I rambled on some sorry about that and good luck

Answer 5

my cockatiel when we got her she didnt want to go with me the first few weeks either i would leave her in their and takeout my male cockatiel out to play for a while and then i would put him back into the cage and after a while she wanted to start getting out with him and this took about 4-6 weeks maybe you should consider getting him a mate.