i have had my cockatiel jasper for twelve months now and he is still not tame any ideas on how to ta

he bites but never hrd he more nibbles on your fingers he likes people alot but when you put your hand in the cage he tries to bite lately hes been letting me touch him for small amounts of time and stepping onto my fingers for about 3 seconds please help

If you have an older, never tamed bird or a lapsed hand-fed you will have to take things much more slowly. The initial period of adjustment will be a bit longer and the taming will go much more slowly. I begin with a good wing clip since a non-flying bird can't run away as easily and is more dependent on me. Then I start by simply holding my hand inside the cage while talking to the bird in a soothing voice. It doesn't matter what you say -- you can read the paper, recite poetry, discuss politics (if you can keep your voice calm ), whatever. When the bird has settled down from its initial reaction to your hand you can either end the session with a bit of praise for the bird or you can move your hand a bit closer and keep talking. Just be sure to hold your hand still, the bird will never settle down if you are wiggling it around.

After you've made progress with the hand in the cage you will want to get the bird out to interact with it outside its secure territory. Some birds will come out on their own, others are cage bound and will not venture outside the only oasis of security they have ever known. If your bird will come out you may be able to get him to step onto a spare perch so that you can move him to a small, enclosed room where the two of you can be alone in an environment where the bird will be inclined to cling to you as the only familiar object. If not you will have to towel the bird to get him out of the cage (gently cover him with a medium size towel so that he can be handled without fear of being bitten, because the bird's eyes are covered it can't see any danger and is more tolerant of handling). This is best done in a steady, no-nonsense manner that is neither aggressive nor so timid that you fail. Do not begin unless you are sure that you have the stubbornness and the patience to maintain your efforts until your bird is out. If your bird is extremely nervous you will do nothing but take him out and then return him to his safe place. If the bird accepts the toweling without panicking carry him to a small, enclosed space such as a shower enclosure, a small hallway that you can block off, or a closet that isn't so cluttered as to be dangerous. The point is to get the bird into a place that's too small for it to be able to easily run away from you.