Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Well getting my cockatiel to love me is a slow process lol. He Is more used to having me around, and has pretty much stopped hissing when I walk by the cage. He is very stubborn though. He will whistle at me to get my attention; then when I walk over to the cage, he will move away from me and act uninterested. Another thing I wonder about is why he is not interested in his toys, they just hang in his cage un touched. Can anyone reccomend a type of toy that is universally adored by cockatiels, or is every bird unique when it comes to the type of toys they enjoy? I only ask because I read in the last post that you can use a toy to distract your bird and keep him from biting.
Also, My Cockatiels wings are not clipped. Will in be impossible for me to tame him w/ unclipped wings? I would really not like to have to clip them, as building trust is already a slow process, and I am sure he will hate me If i am the guy who takes him to the place that clips his wings. thanks in advance.
-Dustin

In my experience, what works for one bird may not work for another. My male cockatiel (the one with the social problems) absolutely adores the shredder toy I gave him. It comes as a roll, about an inch wide, of woven palm fronds. You should be able to find something similar in any pet store that sells bird toys/supplies. He is beside himself when his "friend" is not in his cage, and when he spots it outside his cage, he goes ballistic and eventually gets the nerve to fly out and follow it.
In the few months that I've been giving him this particular chew toy, he's destroyed about 6 feet of the stuff.

My female 'tiel on the other hand, could care less about the palm fronds. She had a feather-picking bout when I first got her, and I strung the palm all around her perches to help distract her...which it did. But now, she's not feather-picking, and really hasn't touched the toy.

And, some birds are slow in responding to stimuli like toys. My male at first really didn't like the palm--or anything new or different in his cage. He hissed when I gave him a small bit of corn-on-the-cob (bought from a bird supply store, perfect size for cockatiels). He at first hissed at the palm fronds too; he didn't know what to make of it. But after awhile he got over his fear, and now I have to make sure I always have some at ready hand. (he's also grown acclimated to the once-scary corn on the cob.)

Also, if you haven't already, try a bell toy. Make sure the "chain" or whatever the bell is dangling from is a material safe for 'tiels, and not metal. My male *Loves* ringing his bell, and again...my female has one too, but she doesn't get into it like he does. (Hm, this reminds me to find something new for her. She's been partial to mirrored toys...my male just hisses at his reflection.)

As far as building trust... A clipped bird will be easier to manage out of the cage than an unclipped one. Both of mine are unclipped now, but I kept them both clipped for about 6 months after I got them. I kept my male clipped awhile longer than she because he would literally bite the hand that feeds him, which I didn't blame him...new environment, new people and all. I didn't want him getting up high and out of reach, or me risk getting bit to get him back down to safety. When he depends on you for everything, he should calm down.
I would recommend taking him to someone who knows firsthand about clipping avian wings; I never got to the point I could trust myself enough to clip my own birds' wings. There are websites and books to tell you how to do it, but it's a different creature when you have a squirming bird in one hand, clippers in the other. (*shudder*)

I hope this helps. Remember to be patient, try not to rush things. =) Good luck!

Thanks for the reply, I will keep an eye out for toys that look like they might interest my tiel' Where do you go to get birds wings clipped? Do you have to go to a vet, or can they do it at a pet store? And what does it usually cost? Thanks again
-Dustin

I know many vets offer bird grooming, but some pet stores do as well. You could call around and find out what they charge, if they offer the services.

If you have friends who are also bird owners you could ask their recommendations on folks in your area, or if pet stores don't offer the service, find out where they get their birds trimmed. Most birds in pet stores come pre-trimmed...reduces the risk of fly-a-ways with the doors opening

When I got mine done, I went to a pet store, they charged about $10 per bird. Maybe less, it's been awhile. It's not as involved a process as, say, getting a dog groomed, so they shouldn't charge an exuberant amount for getting wings clipped.

Hope this helps!

I would suggest only having a petstore do the clipping if they are an avian pet store. I have seen pet stores that do not specialize in birds do a wing clip that was absolutely horrible. My first choice would be an avian vet but there are some good avian pet stores out there, just be careful. Like the other post said maybe check with friends or a local bird club for their ideas on where to have this done.

Also I definitely agree with the other post, you do not have to have their wings clipped but it definitely helps when beginning to train. At the rescue on the tamer birds we never clip their wings. On birds just coming in that are not used to human contact (except on african greys and eclectus) we do a wing clip. We do them ourselves but I would never suggest this for a first timer. Then after they are trusting and getting tamer we let their wings grow out. We have actually found on many of the cockatiels that wing clipping has helped their personality profusely. We had on male here that as long as his wings were clipped he was the sweetest little guy ever. The minute they grew out he would bite anyone and everyone so his wings were always clipped. It just depends on the individual bird.

Again on the toys as you asked and the other post mentioned all birds are individual on choices. I would steer clear of mirrors especially until competely tamed (we don't use them at all). Bells will usually promote interest, metal is okay as long as it is stainless steel and not zinc plated. Stainless steel is fine in any toys. Also paper shredders, cardboard pieces (like in childrens puzzles) and sometimes ones with lots of popsicle sticks or dangling pieces will draw their attention. One of the cockatiels in right now loves the woven palm leaf shredders, another likes the puzzle pieces and still another is more interested in plastic/acrylic type toys but most like the bells.

Good luck, let us know how it goes!