Cocktiel

Question
I just bought a male cockatiel about 5 days ago.Im having a little trouble with him.Whenever i put my finger next to the door of his cage he hisses and tends to peck.Also he wont eat seed from my hand and usually just ignores me.Ive tried removing him from his cage to let him fly around for a bit but he doesn't let me anywhere near him and he wont come out by himself.Also I'm going to be travelling next month and will be leaving him with a friend for 3 months I'm worried he will bond with her and that ill have a problem with him later on.This is the first time I've got a cockatiel and I'm really stressing please reply.

Answer
Hi there,

I am sorry to hear about your difficulty.

Please don't give up on your new member of the family. So many people seem to expect too much too quickly and give up before the bird has chance to settle. They bird then goes from pillar to post and lives a very unhappy life.

Pet shop bought birds are often aviary breed and therefore aren't used to humans. Their first contact with humans is when they are caught it a net, or grabbed and examined often un lovingly, then they get grabbed again and put into a box. They when they get shoved into a cage in a place away from their friends in a place they don't understand or know. They then get grabbed again and transported in a little box to yet another place they don't know or understand.

Imagine how confused and frightened he must be. New noises, new sounds, new smells and new people. At the moment he has no reason to trust you. 5 days is a really, really short time. He will be traumatised for a little while longer yet. For the first couple of weeks, I would just let him be and get used to his surroundings. Don't push him into being tame. You need to be quiet and tender around him. Just reassure him with your voice while he settles in. Don't get him out of the cage for now as he may panic and fly into something and do some damage to himself. While he is settling, poke little treats through the bars, so he leans that your hand wont hurt him. Just concentrate on getting him used to your every day movements around the house and him having his cage cleaned. Be consistent with what you say and do around him. This will build up a good understanding in your birds mind and will help him settle allot better. They need to feel secure and that their cage is a place of refuge and is not going to be invaded by humans.

Don't force him and be patient. I know he is a new pet and you want him to be like other birds strait away, but just try to leave him alone for a couple of weeks. The hissing is pure fear and a sign that 'if you come to close I will bite.'

Let me know how he is doing a couple of weeks and I will let you know some stuff that you can start practicing to get him tame.

Charlotte