Adopted a 4 year old

[Sunset101]

Hi everyone. I just adopted a 4 year old parrotlet he is very aggresstive and he is wants to bite. How do I calm him down? I have 2 cockatiels and they are so loving. Please help!!

[Hannah]

What is his background? Was he tame and friendly before you got him or has he been left sitting in a cage.

[blymor]

Hi and welcome to the Forum :)
Congratulations of adopting your little guy.
As he is an older bird and it doesn't sound like he has been socialized recently I would start with clipping his wings. It will take time and patience to get him friendlier - he may not become fully tame. I have seen written on here, to use a perch with millet attached to encourage him out of his cage, once you have him stepping up onto the perch you can slowly move your hand closer. Again, this is something that will take time and patience. You may never have a super friendly bird (like your cockatiels) but you should be able to live in harmony :p

[jeannepp]

Really do need more information before answering but if he was tame and hand raised. It could be new environment and you need to let him adjust and get used to everything. Until we know more like how long you have had him and his background. I would say patience. Do not towel him or try to grab him. Does he know step up? To many questions and not enough information. Sorry.

[Jinx n Noodle]

Welcome to the forum:) Definitely more information would be good. It sounds like you haven't had him for long, so give him time to settle in the home first. You can try sitting next to the cage and just talking to him or offering him millet through the cage bars.

Cockatiels are totally different from parrotlets. Tiels generally are pretty mellow and mild. P'lets are known for being more interactive, independent, and aggressive. In my opinion, that's what makes them so fun.

I got a never handled 3 year male and it took me a month for him to step up, but many more before that before he really "settled" down. I recommend millet training, worked great for all my birds. It's under the training section sticky called less stress, faster bonding or something like that.

Good luck:)

[RookieBlue]

Walking into a relationship with a "second hand" bird can be tough. However, by keeping a few things in mind, you can completely help ease the situation.

Patience is the key to earning the love of this little soul. Take your time, speak with him, sing to him. Let him settle in to the house. Have him in one of the fairly "busy" rooms in the house - do you have room and a safe spot in the living room? That's a good location. Avoid windows, and make sure 1 of the cage walls is against the wall in the room - it helps encourage a safe feeling.

Consistency is the next step. To help avoid the aggression - make sure you always 'fearlessly' (you can be scared - just pretend your not) change his food and water bowls. Hold your hands hard against the side of the cage for about 10/15 minutes at a time, 2/3 times day. This way he'll get used to your hands being around his cage. Also get him used to common movement - sweeping the floor, dusting off some pictures, reading a book, rocking your chair, etc. etc.

Gentleness can tremendously help a bond. Gentle voices, gentle movements, and when you get there - gentle touches. Huge. Key!

Positive Praise is the only way to go! Never scold for bad behavior - any reaction will encourage for them to continue acting out. Ignore what you dislike, and encourage what you do. This is the law of "positive praising". Your bird may warm up more to treats such as millet spray, sunflower seeds (not too many!) or other bite-sized treats, or they may be like my bird and act better with words. Whenever I got excited, my bird would get excited to know that she was doing what I wanted.

Understanding is the final key. By this I mean, understanding your birds past - if you know, or understanding that it may have been rotten, if you don't know. It means understanding that your bird may have just been so messed up by it's past that you really need to stay consistant, etc.

I have heard many a time - "My bird is untamable", "I can't snap him of his aggression", "She is too wild" - NO. The thing is - if you are consistant, and you reach an 'understanding', your bird will, too. For example, my bird prefers if I make a larger opening for her to 'exit' the cage through - she doesn't fancy the small door. By using a larger one, I can surpass all of the aggression. You don't want to change the bird, per say, you want to learn how to interact with them on mutual grounds. It's like making a new friend - that friend is NOT going to change 100% just to please you, correct?

My bird, Lola, was 5 when I got her, never handled, always in her cage. Hands were always scared of her - but little kids hands were always yanking the door open, poking at her, scaring her. Kids were always screaming, yelling, throwing toys at her cage. She was pretty terrified. About a month and a half/two months after I got her, she became a velcro bird. You understanding your bird creates a safe territory for your bird to understand, and trust, you. End of story. :)