My cockatiel is so mean….I am getting really tired of it~H E L P?

Question by Shelby: My cockatiel is so mean….I am getting really tired of it~H E L P?
I’ve had my cockatiel for a year in July. I got her from a friend who just let her fly around a room for 2 years. Lulu (my bird) didn’t have any human contact for the first 2 years of her life.

I got her a year ago, and had her wings clipped and got her toys and stuff, but she is still SO mean.

She bites whenever you move your hand near her. If she is on my sholder, she bites when I move my head. And when she bites, she usually spazzes making squaking noises and bitting over and over again.

She is SOO mean. I rarely hold her anymore (about 20 minutes a day) because she hates people so much.

I love her to death, but can’t stand her

Please, I need help with my evil bird. What should I do about her????
She does know how to step up, and shake where she puts her foot on your finger and “shakes” your hand

that took me like 4 days to teach her.

Best answer:

Answer by justsueandthebabiesnow
click on this link,it will explain things to you.

http://www.cockatielcottage.net/bite2.html

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Getting my cockatiel so get on my hand.?

Question by SK<3EC: Getting my cockatiel so get on my hand.?
So I’ve had this male cockatiel for 3 weeks now he lets me put my hand in his cage and change his food and such I let him eat millet out of my hand and he loves it. Sometimes if I wat long enough he will put one of his feet on my hand so thats good. But if I try to touch he avoids my hand so I stop cuz I dont want him to fear me. And one time I opened his door just to see what he would do and he flew on the floor and he was really scared his crest was up all the way. So I just set his cage down to let him go back in it. What should I try to get him to trust my hand and get on it??

Best answer:

Answer by Miss Kayla
When your bird is comfortable with you being near his cage and responds to you by getting close to the side of the cage you are near, it is time to introduce him to your hand.

Offer him a small piece of millet or a broken sunflower seed but do not try to touch him if he moves away from your hand. Hold your hand in the cage doing nothing, just to get him used to your hand. He will start to realize that the hand will not hurt him, but this may take a day or two of patience.

When your Cockatiel stops trying to get away from your hand, you can slowly move closer until one day he allows you to gently stroke his breast.

Continue to quietly talk to him when you are doing this. When he seems comfortable with your hand touching him, you can gently press against the abdomen and push up a bit. There is a good chance that he may put one foot onto your finger.

If this does not frighten him, you can give another slight push and he may put his other foot up and be standing on your hand. He will probably jump off immediately – but remain calm and try again if he is not frightened.

Although it is very exciting the first time your Cockatiel steps up for you, please stay calm and continue to talk quietly to him. A Cockatiel will usually test a branch (or a finger) before stepping up by grabbing with his beak. This is not a bite, does not hurt and is very normal. Be ready for this to happen, and don’t pull away if he does test your finger before stepping up.

Please do not rush to take him out of the cage when he first steps onto your finger. Your Cockatiel is still getting to know you and although he is now comfortable with you while in his cage, he may become frightened when you take him out of the cage.

Before you take him out of the cage on your finger, you must be certain that he can not be injured in the room. If you have other pets, please remove them and close the door. Close the curtains over the windows so your bird does not crash into the glass.

After he has been stepping up regularly, you can move your hand towards the cage door to take him out. Your bird might panic when he is outside the cage and begin to fly wildly around the room.

If your bird flies, he may not know how to land properly and you may have to go and pick him up by having him step up on your finger. Do not chase him or throw things at him to try to get him to stop flying. Just wait patiently until he lands and slowly go to pick him up, talking quietly to him.

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Cockatiel not eating after 3 days of getting him, dark green watery poo?

Question by SunConure: Cockatiel not eating after 3 days of getting him, dark green watery poo?
I got a Cockatiel 3 days ago. He is between 6 months to a year old, the breeder had 2 1/2 sets of babies in the same cage and didn’t know the ages of each. He is wild and very scared of me although I think he is warming up. He did eat half a cheerio from between my fingers though the bars but that is all he has ate. I made sure I got the same pellets the breeder was feeding them, gave him another bowl of veggies/fruit, a third bowl of seed and 2 strings of millet and I see no evidence that he has touched anything, not even the millet. I did witness him drinking water though. He has pooped recently but it to me does not look normal, at least compared to my budgies. It is dark green and very watery. Nothing solid in the mix, or sometimes just a light green stain on the paper towls on the bottom. I’ve tried giving him lots of privacy, quiet warm room, sheet over 3 corners of the cage and still nothing. I’m really worried about him but my avian vet is booked up until next Tuesday. What is the longest he can go without food?

Best answer:

Answer by J Bone
Birds do need to eat. Does he know where the food is? Sometimes if the bird is not used to the type of bowls or dishes you put in there they are scared to eat out of it. Sometimes cockatiels do poop like that but i would watch to make sure it doesn’t happen every time. I would limit the amount of time you are reaching into the cage because it will scare him more. Also, until you can take him to the vet try putting seed in one of his dishes. Cockatiels love seed because it tastes good to them. That should help him get by until next tuesday.

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Soon I am getting a cockatiel….i need help?

Question by Haley: Soon I am getting a cockatiel….i need help?
Ok in about 5 or 6 weeks i am getting a cockatiel and i have beed reading about them and was wondering some things….How big should its cage be?….How many toys should i have for him?…How many perches?….What other kinds of food should I feed him besides pellets?…..And most important…..What are some good cockatiel name…..Before I get it…..i want to no losts about it and if anybody can give me some good sites that will help me have a healthy bird i would apreciate ( srry idk how to spell that )

Best answer:

Answer by cybert
square cage provides more room than rounded, should be no smaller than 3x3x4 to avoid feather damage. Instead of a lot of perches, get a tree branch that provides different-sized perch diameters and angles, but don’t overcrowd the cage. Usually a perch up at the top (low enough so the bird can raise its crest w/out touching top of cage) and one near food/water source and perhaps a toy area (depending on cage size). Cockatiels like to lean forward and “flap” their wings so it should have room to do this. Only 1-2 toys and rotate them, birds are very curious and playful. I made toys by stringing wood beads, peanut butter (or other non-meat) dog biscuits and bells together. Avoid mirrors, they tend to fixate on the “other” bird. Your bird can eat ANY healthy food in moderate amounts, the more variety the better. Mine loved pasta. Feed a quality cockatiel diet in the cage and share small amounts of fresh fruit, vegetables, breads, crackers, etc with your pet while its out interacting with you.
Cockatiels are smart, curious, affectionate, comical birds and crave attention so be prepared to spend lots of time interacting.
PS: I called my cockatiel friend Drumstick.

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Getting my first Cockatiel.?

Question by mark: Getting my first Cockatiel.?
I’m getting my first cockatiel this Saturday(IT BETTER NOT RAIN). It’ll be mostly an outside bird, but will come in when it’s cold and raining(or either or). I also have more questions.

1)How can I introduce my new cockatiel to my two not so tame parakeets. One’s female and the other’s male. I have a table and the two cages will be put next to each other on the table, but this will be after the quarantine. So how can I introduce them properly? How long should the quarantine be?(one month?)
2)Is “Ash” a nice ironic name for a cockatiel? As they release some dander so that’s where the irony comes in .
3)Do you think it’d be able to learn this song?-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzNQ4m2qn3I -I don’t expect to learn the whole song, but do you think it can learn to whistle the beginning of it? It’s pokemon (another source of irony )
4)What’s the best food brand for them? I read people feed theirs zupreem for parakeets, is that healthy?
5)I plan on getting a hand-fed tiel, but if I don’t, how can I tame it? How long should I wait to bond with my new bird?
6)How to discourage screeching, and how to get them not to fly away.
*****Thanks!!!*******
If I do get a hand-tamed cockatiel, would him/her being around my two not tamed parakeets make the cockatiel untamed?

Best answer:

Answer by Daniel R
If you get a tame bird, don’t put it in the same cage as the other birds. They are raised completely differently and the parrots will reject the cockatiel.

Call your bird whatever you want.

It could learn some of it yes.

Get a food brand that looks good. In Australia we have Trill. Zupreem looks healthy. It also depends on what the bird is currently eating. If you go from seed to pellets it wont work. You need a gradual transition.

If you don’t get a hand fed, tame bird your chances to taming it are near impossible. If its tame you can bond immediately. Birds are such social animals. I would advise getting 2 cockatiels for that reason. Theres only one up front cost.. the seed and care costs next to nothing anyways.

If you want a bird that can learn that song, get a male. It’s kind of a catch 22.. if you get a bird that will learn the song (male), it will be loud.. if you get a female.. it will be quiet and more than likely wont learn the song.

If you don’t want it to fly away then you need the wings clipped by a professional. DO NOT DO IT YOURSELF.

Unless you are handling the bird outside.. i wouldn’t advise it. It puts a lot of stress and discomfort on the bird.

P.s. after a while without bonding with you the bird will become un-tame.

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why are my cockatiels not getting along?

Question by dee-dee: why are my cockatiels not getting along?
I bought a cockatiel recently and one is a girl and one is boy. Thing is they aren’t getting along. Its mostly the girl that’s aggressive towards the male. For example when he’s on the swing she threatens to bite him and when they are on the floor playing with their toys she does that too. He looks passive and like he would get along with her but she’s very aggressive towards him. she’s a lutino and he’s like a mix of grey. they aren’t killing each other or biting each other to death but I’d wish they’d get along more. someone help.

Best answer:

Answer by Tinkerbell
In my experience try to make them do activities that they both like and enjoy. But, if they like the same toy or thing make sure you have more then one so they can play with it and each other. And, in general female cockatiels are very aggressive. One of my cockatiels is super aggressive to the other. But, in some cases when there agressive it can mean they like each other. You should also let them try to share the same cage over the night. But, I’m not sure how agressive your cockatiel is because I don’t want the other one to get hurt.

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My bird (Cockatiel) keeps getting sick!?

Question by Bella: My bird (Cockatiel) keeps getting sick!?
My Cockatiel keeps getting sick about once every ten days. It started out with a horrible sneezing fit for a few hours late one night in June. (I had been working with some fake flowers and some all-purpose gel glue. I wish it had just been the glue or dusty flowers that night, but it has since continued.) He was back to his normal self by morning, but I still took him to the vet asap. He was put on antibiotics for a possible respiratory illness for a week. About a week after the antibiotics were done, he had another sneezing fit and was throwing up (NOT regurgitating) for about 1/2 hour. After the 1/2 hour, he seemed fine and was back to his normal self. I took him to the vet again, and he was put on different antibiotics this time plus an anti fungal medicine (in case he had developed a crop infection from the previous antibiotics). About a week after the 2medecines were finished, he threw up again and only sneezed a few times.

This has kept going on, and we cannot figure out what is causing it. Sometimes he only throws up, sometimes he only has the sneezing fit, and sometimes it’s a mix. I had been excited when he was healthy for about three weeks, but it [sneezing only] just happened again tonight. I had cooked some potatoes in the toaster oven (with olive oil, dill weed, salt, garlic powder, a bit of pepper, a bit of rosemary), made pudding, and cooked a few slices of cucumber in a (stainless steel) frying pan. It has happened when we don’t cook things at all, too. I am not taking him to the vet for it anymore, because I am not going to torture him with the medicine when it doesn’t help him.

I have owned Cockatiels for 15 years (not this little guy though), so it is nothing obvious like teflon, drafts, food he eats, fragrance/soap, cage/toys, etc.. Sadly, this has gotten to be a normal thing, and it breaks my heart when it happens, as there is nothing I can do for him other than clean his little beak out with Q-tips, talk to him, sleep in the living room with him if it’s at night, and leave his door open so he can come out to see me. He is my baby and a wonderful, sweet bird, and all I wish for him is to be happy and healthy!

Best answer:

Answer by gail
Since I’m not a vet I don’t have anything to offer in the way of a diagnosis. Maybe ask your vet if there could be any permanent damage from the glue fumes that would cause this chronic problem.

Also, since antibiotics kill of good flora as well as any offending bacteria in the bird, ask if yogurt (or some other pro-biotic) could help to restore the normal balance of bacteria in the birds gut. If you feed yogurt make sure the label contains the phrase “live active cultures”. The brand I eat (and feed to my dogs and very occasionally a bird) is Stonyfield Organic.

Maybe someone else will have a more definitive answer or at least a helpful suggestion. Hope all goes well for your pet.

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Cockatiel keeps getting head stuck in bars in cage?

Question by cozmo: Cockatiel keeps getting head stuck in bars in cage?
Well, my cockatiel has got his head stuck in between the bars in the cage twice while we’ve been home. Then he starts squealing. I think he does it because he wants to get out of the cage. Yesterday, he got his head stuck in the bars on the front of the cage, the time before that, he got his head stuck in the bottom where the metal grate is. Both times we managed to free him but I am worried about him because we have spens a lot of money on him and the cage. Will he learn not to put his head through the bars or not?

Since yesterday, he has been spending most of his time on the cage floor, there is water and seeds in the cage feederd but he is stayng on the floor biting on the metal grate on the bottom, sometimes I even see him eating his own faeces. Whatis wrong with him?
The cage i have at the moment is on here

http://www.bhdiyandpets.co.uk/junior-parrot-cage.html

Best answer:

Answer by afreshpath_admin
You need a different cage with less space between the bars. Your bird is going to try just about anything to entertain himself and sticking his head between the bars is just one tiny example of what he might try.

As for the other behaviors, it sounds like he is bored. Birds need entertainment and can become bored with toys very quickly. You need a variety of different types of toys so you can swap them out every few days or so. If he does seems to enjoy a certain toy, leave that one in the cage for longer periods of time.

I once actually went so far as to make a “bird frustration” toy for a conure I had. It was a hollow block of wood with big rubber bands running through it and beads on the ends of the rubber bands. My bird would try to pull off the beads and when she tried to grab them with her foot, it would just snap back to the block of wood. Kept her busy for hours!

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Need suggestions for getting my cockatiel used to children?

Question by PrincessJinx: Need suggestions for getting my cockatiel used to children?
Starting next week I am going to be babysitting everyday for a 16 month old girl. She isn’t loud or anything but she loves birds. My male cockatiel is the nicest, playful, and biggest attention hog ever.
He has never been scared of any person or animal. He walked up to my hissing cat on several occassions without so much as a pause. He is very much bonded with my husband, but he loves any visitors. He will jump to them right away and chitter away and beg for attention.
We have a friend that we see once a month and he is most vocal with him.
So anyway the kid came for a visit so the mother could see our place and get to know me and i was surprised when my baby boy bird flew away. He stayed on her arm for a few seconds and then ran up the mothers arm.
The little girl didn’t touch him or make any noise and we were laughing that he was afraid of short people. He liked the mother when she wasn’t holding the kid. The little girl was very nice and content to just look and point. I did hold her up to their spot and let her nicely stroke his tail. He didn’t mind that much just turned around so she couldnt do it again.
So will time make him become the normal, annoying little bird I know and love? I tried to get her to feed them but she kept trying to eat the bird food so that is out.
We have another cockatiel too that can’t fly but she is not social so I kept her up high around the little girl. (My female likes to bite and quite hard, never breaks skin but to a little girl that still would be scary)
Just looking for suggestions to get him used to to the girl.

Best answer:

Answer by lady g
i really wouldn’t worry about it too much right now. if your bird is social, and likes everyone else, he’ll come around to the little girl. right now she’s just a new experience, and he’s a little leery. thankfully, however, he’s not being aggressive. and, as long as the little girl is being calm and not trying to go after the bird, he’ll acclimate just fine. i’d be willing to bet it’ll just take a week or two. but, allow him to make small steps at his own pace. trying to force him to be on her arm may actually make him more worried.

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im getting my cockatiel in 6 days??

Question by volleyball freak!!!: im getting my cockatiel in 6 days??
any more advice from people with experience???trust me i have read sooo much about care/food/etc. but i just want to know of any more experiences/warnings/etc of owning a cockatiel??

Best answer:

Answer by Cockatiel Expert
Here are some things a made on MS Word from a very good cockatiel book. Also i added some links:

Available At All Times:
* Half seed, half pellet mixed together
* Egg and Biscuit Dry Mix (with a very tiny bit of hand rearing formula mixed in)
* Cuttlefish bone

Breakfast:
Cooked brown rice, Cooked pasta, Cereal (Just Right, VitaBrits or Cheerios), Apple, with any of the following that I have at the time:
* Green peas
* Carrot
* Banana
* Grapes
* Broccoli
* Cucumber
* Green Beans
* Canned apricot or pears
* Spinach (only a little bit)
* Orange (only a little bit)
* Tomato
* Pineapple (only a little bit)
* Corn
* Dandelion Leaves
* Grass
* Lettuce (only a tiny bit.. mostly there just to encourage them to eat all the other veges mixed with it)

Dinner (about 5:00pm):
Dog biscuits (little bit), Grated Cheese (little bit), a little bit of a vegetable with any of the following I have at the time:
* Eggs (including shell)
* Cooked Meat (red, poultry, or fish)
* Whole wheat toast

Food Dos
Mangoes- Peeled & diced
Blueberries
Cranberries
Sweet Potatoes
Corn-on-the-Cob
Carrots
Peas
Pomegranates
Sprouts
Broccoli
Kale
Bananas
Cooked Pasta
Cooked Beans
Cooked Eggs
WELLCOOKED Meat

Donts
Chocolate
Avocado
Rhubarb
Pickels
Prossed Meat
Fried Foods
Milk or Milk Products
Mayo
Onions
Garlic
Uncooked Meat or Fish

When To See a Vet
1] If your birds toenails are very overgrown and curling
under. This could be a sign of mites, foot deiese or nutritional disorder.

2] If your birds beak is widely overgrown and is curling
in on its self, or is strange looking and bumpy.

3] If your bird is over grooming.

4] If there are bald patches where feathers where
before.

5] If molting last more than a month or two.

6] If there is a big color change.

LINKS:

http://www.cockatielcottage.net/…

http://fischerlovebird.top-site-list.com…

http://ca.geocities.com/beeddy@rogers.co…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0z4zom8x…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffqf_tnxa…

http://cockatieltalk.com/

http://www.birdtricks.com/training_parro… [safe]

http://www.pet-parrots.com/cockatiels/co…

PLEASE IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS AT ANYTIME JUST GO TO MY Q&A AND EMAIL ME!

As you will read may places tefflon pans are very dangerous. Also cadels.

Here 2 great books:

The Cockatiel Handbook
BY: Matthew M. Vriends, Ph.D.

&

Cockatiels: A Complete Pet Onwer’s Manual
BY: Thomas Haupt

Both published by BARRON’S

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