Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hi im basically a beginner and i bought a baby cockatiel supposedly hand fed but yet when i put my hand near my bird it bites me soo many times and runs away from me like crazy and screams! whats wrong with me?? please help thanks.

There`s nothing wrong with you, and nothing wrong with the bird.
`Hand fed` can have many different meanings, depending on your source. From some sources `hand fed` means `forcefully shoving formula down the bird`s throat as quickly and efficiently as possible to move on to the next bird.` There`s a huge difference between lovingly tamed and hand-raised, and production hand-fed birds.
However, it could still be that your bird was lovingly hand-raised and it just unused to all this change. I would recommend getting your bird away from the cage for a little bit everyday (10-15 mins or so) and sitting with it while offering treats like millet spray, or a favorite fruit or nut. Try to pick a small space, possibly even a bathtub. Preferably a space the bird isn`t familiar with. If the bird will stand on your hand you can start patterning the `step up` command, gently asking it to step from one hand to the other, slowly, while saying `Up` or `step up` each time. Always reward and praise dramatically.
Talk to your little guy during this time, sing to it, keep things calm, friendly and fun. Keep this up once or twice a day and you`ll become friends soon.

Also: if you ever notice your bird making a whinning noise that sounds like static from your TV, this is your baby begging for hand-feeding. Big moves can unnerve them and even a weaned chick will want the reassurance of a warm hand-feeding. Heat up some healthy baby food (sweet potato, squash, etc...) or a whole-grain, organic warm breakfast cereal (like oat meal) to spoon feed to your little baby. Make sure the food is only WARM, and not HOT. If it`s not you can burn his throat and crop.

its normal.
how long ago did you get it?