Any animal can bite. Cockatiels, which have strong, sharp beaks, can bite for a wide range of reasons, including fear, affection and even just trying to get your attention. Fortunately, it is relatively simple to train a cockatiel to keep his beak to himself.
Step 1
Observe the conditions when your cockatiel decides to bite. Is it late in the day when the bird could be tired? Is it a young male cockatiel? Are other animals around? (In the latter case, cockatiels sometimes bite to "warn" you of perceived danger.)
Step 2
Handle your cockatiel frequently. This will get him used to being around you.
Step 3
Keep your cockatiel off your shoulder until he learns not to bite. This is a form of negative reinforcement, withholding something your bird wants until he behaves.
Step 4
Pull your hand away whenever your cockatiel bites. Do not scold him, as cockatiels cannot distinguish between positive and negative attention.
Step 5
Ignore the bird whenever he bites. Almost any attention could be viewed as positive, which reinforces biting as a negative behavior.
Step 6
Clip your bird's wing feathers if he is a young male. This seems to calm young males down and make them less nippy.
References
Tips
- Always remember: if a bird does something good, reward him with attention, treats or affection. If he does something bad, ignore him. Cockatiels often view any attention as good attention.
Warnings
- Do not hit or thump your bird's beak to punish him. This just makes tim afraid of people -- and more likely to bite.