no caps.i only hvae one hand to type with so i can’t tes the shift key. my pet cocktiel parker charles yardbird is sitting on my hand happily chowing down on the veggie burger i am holding. this is supposed to be my dinner, dammit. i don’t mind sharing my people food with him, but does he always have to perch on my hand end eat what i’m holding? if i break some off and put it on my plate, he pecks at it a bit, then hops back up onto my hand to eat out of it. if i’m eating something that requires the use of a fork or spoon, he sits on the hand i’m holding the utensil in. what gives? why does the food in my hand seem so much more exciting than a bit of the same food on a plate?
It’s called ATTENTION. He doesn’t want the food as much as he wants you. Many pet birds will act like this. Most of the parrot family use food as part of their bonding behavior. Just wait till he starts trying to feed you!
You can either put up with it or make him stop. You can train him out of this habit, but it will take some work. I’d suggest simply refusing to allow him to climb onto your hand. Give him small bits by hand rather than laying a large piece on a plate. Fuss over him while he’s eating. Work up to laying larger bits on a plate.
You do need to be careful about feeding him people food, though. An amount that seems tiny to you is huge to a cockatiel. You can cause nutritional problems or even make him sick with your food.
Do you have any good bird books? Those should cover both the nutritional aspects and some training suggestions to correct behavioral problems.
Good Luck!
redtail
PS: you should try reading with a Macaw on top of your book!
“Why can’t you take a little responsibility for your own actions?”
“Because they would take away my National Denial Coalition card, not that i’m a member.”
Also, I think birds’ claws were designed to clasp around something like a branch, not to stand flat-footed on a table. Maybe it’s just more physically comfortable for him.
“Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast!” - the White Queen
Mmmm, yes & no. That is true if you’re talking full-time or long-term, but probably not for this kind of behaviour.
I don’t have my references handy and I’ve never kept cockatiels, but the parrots in general do a lot of climbing and walking, not to mention grabbing. Their feet are pretty multi-purpose. My macaw much prefers to stand flat-footed on the floor & chew my toes than sit ‘comfortably’ on a perch a half-meter away.
On the other hand, it sure wouldn’t hurt to use a small perch for the training. At the least, it slows them down a bit, since they have to climb down off of the perch to get to you! And if you work it right, you can scold them for getting off of the perch, rather than for coming to you - always a better method.
But like I said - get a good, cockatiel-specific book. Or better yet, several. They will have their species-specific quirks that I don’t know.
“Why can’t you take a little responsibility for your own actions?”
“Because they would take away my National Denial Coalition card, not that i’m a member.”