Required items:
Hard leather gloves, towel to put under the bird or old cloths and of cause the necessary bird items, cage and food.
- Get A cockatiel from three to five weeks of age. I would suggest A male it will learn faster and not lay eggs.
- Pat your bird at least 30 minutes A day I would suggest when ever you're watching TV try to pat it all around its body so it can get used to you especially the beak area. And don't let it onto your shoulder yet it will get attached. Try and get it to climb from finger to finger to get it used to your hands.
- After about one or two days you will find A very big difference. Now try and pat the cockatiel with your bare hands it should let you pat it basically anywhere. You could try this around the end of step two.
- Start teaching it some words simple ones like “hello” or “birdie hungry.”
- When you have taught it A couple of words try and form sentences out of them. The cockatiel will learn sentences faster this way example teach it “hello” then “your name” then when it has learnt these two words start saying them together and there you have it A talking bird.
Cage setup:
Put in A couple branches from your back yard into the cage for climbing toys and A couple bells so you're bird doesn't get bored when it's not with you. Do not put A mirror in it's cage or he will think that the reflection in the mirror is his/hers friend and not you.
Note:
At the start of training leave the bird in it's cage in-between patting. When it is tamer you may let it roam free (mind the mess though).
