I’m new here and would like some help

wondermexican99

Registered
I live with my girlfriend we recently got 2 cockatiels that are about 1.5 years old and came paired Mango is the male and Klover is the girl. We’ve had them for about a week and I think they’re making great progress. I try to hold millet by the opening and Mango will usually get up and eat it after a period of waiting for him to build up courage and they even will both come up and chew together. They will do the same for my girlfriend. (I will add that we have a new lovebird named Pico and he is in a separate cage across the room and he can be a bit much for them so I try to keep him off their cage). I recommended perhaps trying to have some of their food from their cage and saving it to try to feed them ourselves so they can get positive reinforcement (even if they may not like it as much I think they’ll still come up to eat with patience)My girlfriend didn’t like the idea of taking their food away so we decided not to do that. My girlfriend said that if we don’t get them to step up or put our hand in the cage they will begin to feel like they are in charge and that they’ll start to just be like that and won’t ever want to step up if we don’t get them to. But she will stick her finger in the cage opening and put it up to them and they usually walk/ hop away or flutter around the cage as she tries to get them to step up. Is this ok? I’m willing to listen to any advice that is being given.
 
:welcome: @wondermexican99 and congratulations on getting Mango and Klover... and Pico! You are absolutely doing the right thing by letting them come eat the millet that you are holding. This is GREAT progress! Especially in just a week! What you are doing is pairing the delicious millet with the close proximity of your hands and eventually all of you. This way your hands become something to look forward to, and eventually your presence in the room.

There is no need to remove their main food from their cage. You have already found something they will work for which is the millet. Feed them as normal, but use the millet to train them. Using the millet as positive reinforcement (reward) for behaviour you want to see (approaching your hands and eventually stepping up onto them) is the way forward.

On the other hand, if someone puts their hand into their cage and they walk/hop away or flutter around the cage, these hands are being paired with a negative experience (this is punishment in behavioural terms), which you really don't want. This is undoing all the hard work you are achieving with the millet. You actually have all the time in the world to tame them. Birds don't think like we do - they won't feel like they are in charge. All they are doing at any given time, is reacting to their environment. If their behaviour is positively reinforced they will choose to do more of that behaviour. If their behaviour is punished, they will do less of that behaviour. Much better to go forward slowly at a pace that creates as little fear as possible. That is the best way to earn their trust.

I wrote an article about how to tame fearful parrots which might be of interest to you:

thinkparrot.com

Fearful Parrots and How to Tame/Gain Their Trust | ThinkParrot

How to gain the trust of a nervous, fearful or untame parrot. Advice including using simple observation skills and reinforcing consequences.
thinkparrot.com thinkparrot.com

You have already found a wonderful reinforcer in millet. When they are confident in coming up to you and eating the millet from you, gradually pull the millet up your arm so that they first have to put one foot on your hand to reach it, then two feet. But go really, really slowly. If you rush, you will lose their confidence. Training is like a dance... you push slightly further than is comfortable and then go back into their comfort zone. Again, push slightly further and back again. If you try to push too far too fast, confidence is lost.

You are doing so well. Keep going!
 
Roz said:
:welcome: @wondermexican99 and congratulations on getting Mango and Klover... and Pico! You are absolutely doing the right thing by letting them come eat the millet that you are holding. This is GREAT progress! Especially in just a week! What you are doing is pairing the delicious millet with the close proximity of your hands and eventually all of you. This way your hands become something to look forward to, and eventually your presence in the room.

There is no need to remove their main food from their cage. You have already found something they will work for which is the millet. Feed them as normal, but use the millet to train them. Using the millet as positive reinforcement (reward) for behaviour you want to see (approaching your hands and eventually stepping up onto them) is the way forward.

On the other hand, if someone puts their hand into their cage and they walk/hop away or flutter around the cage, these hands are being paired with a negative experience (this is punishment in behavioural terms), which you really don't want. This is undoing all the hard work you are achieving with the millet. You actually have all the time in the world to tame them. Birds don't think like we do - they won't feel like they are in charge. All they are doing at any given time, is reacting to their environment. If their behaviour is positively reinforced they will choose to do more of that behaviour. If their behaviour is punished, they will do less of that behaviour. Much better to go forward slowly at a pace that creates as little fear as possible. That is the best way to earn their trust.

I wrote an article about how to tame fearful parrots which might be of interest to you:

thinkparrot.com

Fearful Parrots and How to Tame/Gain Their Trust | ThinkParrot

How to gain the trust of a nervous, fearful or untame parrot. Advice including using simple observation skills and reinforcing consequences.
thinkparrot.com thinkparrot.com

You have already found a wonderful reinforcer in millet. When they are confident in coming up to you and eating the millet from you, gradually pull the millet up your arm so that they first have to put one foot on your hand to reach it, then two feet. But go really, really slowly. If you rush, you will lose their confidence. Training is like a dance... you push slightly further than is comfortable and then go back into their comfort zone. Again, push slightly further and back again. If you try to push too far too fast, confidence is lost.

You are doing so well. Keep going!
Click to expand...
Wow thanks this has helped with my confidence I appreciate it so much and am looking forward to getting more of their trust
 
Welcome and that’s awesome they will accept treats like that so soon!

My little baby has taken a year to take treats! Patience and as Roz said positive reinforcements with treats all the time for desired behaviours :)

It’s sure working here!
 
Roz said:
:welcome: @wondermexican99 and congratulations on getting Mango and Klover... and Pico! You are absolutely doing the right thing by letting them come eat the millet that you are holding. This is GREAT progress! Especially in just a week! What you are doing is pairing the delicious millet with the close proximity of your hands and eventually all of you. This way your hands become something to look forward to, and eventually your presence in the room.

There is no need to remove their main food from their cage. You have already found something they will work for which is the millet. Feed them as normal, but use the millet to train them. Using the millet as positive reinforcement (reward) for behaviour you want to see (approaching your hands and eventually stepping up onto them) is the way forward.

On the other hand, if someone puts their hand into their cage and they walk/hop away or flutter around the cage, these hands are being paired with a negative experience (this is punishment in behavioural terms), which you really don't want. This is undoing all the hard work you are achieving with the millet. You actually have all the time in the world to tame them. Birds don't think like we do - they won't feel like they are in charge. All they are doing at any given time, is reacting to their environment. If their behaviour is positively reinforced they will choose to do more of that behaviour. If their behaviour is punished, they will do less of that behaviour. Much better to go forward slowly at a pace that creates as little fear as possible. That is the best way to earn their trust.

I wrote an article about how to tame fearful parrots which might be of interest to you:

thinkparrot.com

Fearful Parrots and How to Tame/Gain Their Trust | ThinkParrot

How to gain the trust of a nervous, fearful or untame parrot. Advice including using simple observation skills and reinforcing consequences.
thinkparrot.com thinkparrot.com

You have already found a wonderful reinforcer in millet. When they are confident in coming up to you and eating the millet from you, gradually pull the millet up your arm so that they first have to put one foot on your hand to reach it, then two feet. But go really, really slowly. If you rush, you will lose their confidence. Training is like a dance... you push slightly further than is comfortable and then go back into their comfort zone. Again, push slightly further and back again. If you try to push too far too fast, confidence is lost.

You are doing so well. Keep going!
Click to expand...
Hey so it’s been a while and It seems mango the Male is no longer as eager to step up or even exit the cage my girlfriend said they were previously used for breeding so they weren’t held so they may not ever want to bond with us and she feels that perhaps revoking them may be a better route for them because they cat bond with us
 
Your girlfriend isn't actually correct.
Ringnecks are one of the hardest parrot members to maintain a bond with that's why wild flocks exist so easily they revert rapidly. Socialization with humans must be done daily. Just because a bird has been bred doesn't mean it can't include a human into it's flock. And humanized birds - human imprints/hand reared birds can and do revert very easily with this species as well.
 
Advice is back to basics on your training. Out time must include them wanting to do other stuff not just what you want. Your bird still needs to have out time to keep muscle structure, fitness and clean air sacs. Try and figure out why your birds has decided to not come out ... Has something changed or something scared it?
 
Nothing I can think of has scared them but he the girl cockatiel is still coming out and stepping up with millet but once I walk far enough away she looks back at mango in the cage and flys back realizing she’s not close to him
 
She's at least getting exercise
Take some treats with you and don't rush.
Walk a few steps and out comes a treat walk a few more and treat. Reward for staying with you.
For him it's reward for coming to cage door reward for sticking head out of door they soon catch on that you are the treat person and it's well worth staying with you to get those yummy rewards.
 
Are there easily accessible perches outside of the cage that the tiels can sit on? Floor-standing perches are great for this as are perches that are suspended from the ceiling. If you want to see the tiels spending time out of their cage, you need to supply facilities that are not linked to you and which the tiels can use with no strings attached and no pressure.

I find that training needs to be modular.
Stepping up is one set of training, encouraging out of cage time is a separate endeavour. Attractive external perches, especially if they seem to feature "free millet" or other favourite treats, can coax reluctant birds. Especially if you step back from the initial phases and are careful about making eye contact at that time. When both tiels are comfortable out of the cage - first one, then the second one who is perhaps more timid but who "doesn't want to miss out" - then you can cautiously try approaching them. Watch for body language & discomfort and take it really, really slowly. It's all about building confidence and trust and you just cannot take for granted that the tiels will trust you in the early stages.

My Coco took months and months to trust me and that was with the help of Quincy, who is an actual velcro cockatiel. Coco, despite a strong fear of humans, eventually worked out that if I was OK for Quincy, I might be OK for her. She's still a little cautious but she does like to sit on me and will now hop onto my arm if I ask her to (but she still will not step-up onto my hand!)
 
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