upatsix.com - Your Source For Pet Bird Information

Hi all. I used to be a regular on the budgie board, but haven't been here since he passed on - about 5 years ago.

My husband and I are looking after a cockatiel for a few months and are enjoying having a bird in the house again...but I could use some advice! She's certainly very different from our old budgie and we're not sure how to proceed, but want to make sure she's as happy as can be. Here's the lowdown:

She is 16 years old and had the same owner from the time she was a baby until a year and a half ago when her owner went away to work on another continent, at which time the owner's sister and husband took her in. Now the woman is having allergy troubles and so we're looking after the bird until the original owner returns, hopefully in October.

She is more or less hand-friendly. She apparently prefers women, so has warmed up to me quickly - I scratch her head and lift her out of the cage onto my shoulder a couple of times a day, which she loves. She reluctantly lets my husband scratch her head but is more or less afraid of his hand and doesn't want much to do with him. Is there anything he can do to win her over?

Her wings are clipped, so she is flightless and seems to be quite unsteady, especially when she's on my finger. She has fallen a couple of times which was quite upsetting.

The first issue is that she calls out constantly when she's in her cage, even when the top is open. She's used to having the cage open whenever someone is home (normally evenings and weekends), but because I'm home all day, she wants to be free all the time. With her being so unsteady and also prone to jumping out of her cage, I just can't keep it open all day. I work at home and don't mind her on my shoulder for awhile, but I'm so worried about her falling off, I can't get my work done properly. As soon as I'm not paying her any attention, she starts calling out in this monotone chirp. Is there anything I can do about this, aside from covering her and putting her in a dark room? This is what they told us to do, but I feel terrible doing so, and she starts up again as soon as she's back in the light anyway. I hope there's a better solution.

She has no toys in her cage - only two perches near the top and a food and water dish. We were told she isn't interested in toys, but I wonder if there are any that might win her over to amuse and occupy her? She was out on the floor for awhile today and was chewing on things, so maybe there's a chew toy she might enjoy? Any thoughts?

She is currently eating budgie seed and has been her whole life. She gets Nutriberries as well. I would love to try to get her onto pellets, but is it worth trying, when she's already trying to adapt to a new home and new owners? I don't want to traumatize her any more than she already has been. She does eat fruits and veggies (no avocado or rhubarb, of course), so that's good, but I know she will be prone to liver problems very soon with all this seed.

I'm probably going to have more questions as the days pass with this little cutie. Any suggestions for the above issues would be very much appreciated. I'm growing fond of this bird very quickly and want her to be happy while she's with us.

Thanks!
Laurie

I wouldn't cover her or put her in a dark room because that seems cruel and I know I couldn't do that and feel good about it. I imagine it might mess up her sleeping patterns. I don't know how long you've had her, but it sounds like it will just take time for a routine to develop and her behavior to settle down. She just hears that you are home, so chirps to communicate with you. If you just whistle back to her occasionally and then have a routine of getting her out to play, then she may eventually stop chirping for you all the time. Our cockatiel Raisin was always perfectly quiet all the time. When we brought her to live downstairs instead of in my daughter's room, she could hear us all the time and started chirping for us constantly. It took a while, but eventually, she got used to hearing us, but not being able to be out with us all the time. I would try to get her out when she was being quiet so that she wouldn't associate coming out to play with her chirping. I also left the radio on for her sometimes when I shut myself in the office to work. Getting used to your husband could also take time. I would definitely try to find some toys to interest her and play with them with her when you have her out before putting them in her cage. I think the cage should be made to be a like a little home for them with things in it that they like and find comforting. This may eventually help to keep her occupied and interested in her cage also. Hopefully someone more expert than I can answer about the diet and the unsteadyness. I'm so glad that she enjoys attention from you!

One of my rescues hated men and would cry if one came near her. When I had Lucille out of her cage I would take her in the other room to watch TV. My husband would just sit next me and leave Lucille alone. It took about year of just sitting next to her before she would warm up to him. There is no magic cure, just patience.
My tiels love toys made of chinese finger pulls (paper). they love to chew them. They like toys made of tiny plastic chains too.
I would continue to give your bird nutriberries (I crush them up) and add more veggies to her diet.

Get toys and teach her how to play with them. Many birds aren't "interested" because they don't know what to do with the toys. Shredders are great, the cheap olympic ring toys are great too. String a piece of millet in the rings to get her used to them. Shredable boxes with treats inside are good too because they will keep her busy. She is calling because she is bored and wants to be entertained.

Some older birds can be unsteady, just keep your movements slower to accomidate for this and she will be fine.

It's true.....I always thought my tiels weren't interested in toys too, but if you put them in the cage....eventually they check them out! Mine also love the chew toys! Love toys to chew up and destroy.....it's good for them to have something to do when they are in the cage. She may not pay any attention to the toys....but you'll see, in time she will! Birds are funny.....sometimes I have put things in their cages that ignored for a year! then suddenly they love it!

16! Wow! I wouldn't be too concerned about her diet in that case, especially since she eats fruit 'n veg.......I reckon at her age she won't be keen on change.
I do feel sorry for her not having any toys though
Are you able to give her natural branches to chew and shred?
I guess I'm lucky living in Oz, I cut a few branches of any of our native trees in our garden and the birds go crazy over them
Those cheap Olympic rings already mentioned are great, all my birds love those and they only cost a couple of bucks
I guess a swing for her would be out of the question being so unsteady, shame though as that is what entertains my birds the most
Good luck looking after this older girl anyway and good to hear you enjoy having her around

Hi all and thanks for your replies.

We bought some things for her and are trying to get her to understand what they're for. She's not even interested in the millet yet, and is avoiding it - seems quite bothered that it's in her cage at all. I've shown her the other things (an orange vitamin block thing, a tube with paper on it that can be shredded...) and she looks at them and seems mildly interested, which is a good sign. She just doesn't really seem to want anything inside her cage. I'll keep trying.

Right now, she's really only happy when I'm near her, scratching her head or talking to her, or when she's out of the cage.
I'm taking her out twice a day to play and hang out, but she wants so much more and feel just terrible that I can't have her out all the time. When I have her on my shoulder at the computer, she sometimes seems like she's going to fall off, and it's a long way down. It makes me nervous.

I'm trying to teach her a wolf whistle, but I'm not sure she's ever had any vocabulary, except that call she does over and over, which she's still doing. My husband was home alone last night and she was silent, so it's only when I'm here and not looking at her.

I've also noticed her droppings are much more watery than they were the day she arrived - I hope this is stress and just her adapting, but I'm definitely concerned about that.

She had a vet check up before she was brought to us and the owner and vet both agree that it would be too much stress for a bird that age to have blood taken for testing. I would gladly foot the bill for anything she needed, but I wouldn't know what to do, other than what she had done at her check up, which was apparently everything other than blood work.

I just don't know...I find myself worrying about her constantly, to the point I'm almost in tears. She seems so fragile compared to how my budgie was. She's such a little sweetie and I don't want anything to happen to her.

One thing I'm wondering about...when I lift her out of the cage, I put one hand behind her and a finger from the other hand in front of her so she can step up, which works fine. If she's on my shoulder, she will not get on my finger because she knows this means she has to go back in. I've had to lure her off my shoulder and onto a cushion, using a treat, and then lift her into the cage. Can anyone suggest a better method?

Also, when she's sitting still on her food dish, she sways back and forth. She seems okay on her perch, although she does lean on the bars when she sleeps at night. Is this swaying a sign of anything?

Sorry for the long post again - I'm just feeling so unsure about things and need to talk them out - and I know this is the best place to do it!

Then could I safely assume that a fecal was done? Blood work would tell you if there's anything wrong... I don't suppose anyone would be interested in getting a second or third opinion about taking blood from her? If there is something medically wrong with her, getting blood work done and her treated could potentially lengthen her lifespan, assuming that any damage could be undone and getting the blood work is not too stressful on her.

You may not want to allow her up on your shoulder if you are worried about her falling off... perhaps getting a stand for her to sit on instead? Otherwise, you need to teach her that coming off of your shoulder doesn't necessarily mean going back to the cage... maybe it could be a treat, or perhaps scritches for a few... so don't give her scritches if she's on your shoulder, but if she steps up, give her a few scritches and set her back down. Or, perhaps setting her down somewhere else that isnt' the cage and allow her to be there for a few.


I can't say about the swaying on the food dish, but I've got two cockatiels who like to snuggle up to things... could be a wall, cage bars, or perhaps some upright object that is bigger/taller than the cockatiel.

FIDS is right your tiel may be unsteady on your shoulder so I would perch her on a lower level (maybe have her sit on your lap?)
As far as the swaying on the food dish goes; does she hiss and look at you while swaying? If so, she is being territorial. I'm not sure how old my Lucille is. She was a rescue too. I would guess she is about 12 years old and she isnt as strong as she used to be.
Some cockatiels live to 25 years but some, like us, age a lttle differently so we have to be aware of that and treat them a little more carefully.

Hi All,

Just an update...I think she's settled in a little more. Now I'm just hoping this calling will stop soon!

Her droppings are still watery a lot of the time and she goes down to the bottom of the cage and tries to eat the dried ones occasionally. I read this can be a sign of illness/deficiency or merely boredom (and with little interest in toys or playing, it would be no wonder) and the watery droppings can be illness or stress (probably from moving?). It's been ten days and the droppings have been like this for about eight. At this point, will it go away, or is it vet time? She appears to be doing well and has been quite spunky the last couple of days, trying to explore more and getting into things when I let her run around on the floor. All other things point to healthy, but I know birds hide their illnesses. Her owner says she is prone to watery droppings when she's stressed or when she's moved around.

If we were close to our old avian vet, we'd take her there for sure, but it's a two hour drive for us now and the car stresses her out immensely, which is why I ask your thoughts on whether it's vet time. I just want to be sure.

Also wanted to ask about this paper tube we bought her. I finally got her to notice it today and she was chewing the paper that I'd peeled off it. But I notice she's actually eating it - is this safe?!? It's a bird toy, so it seems like it should be okay, but I'm nervous. She's definitely into chewing things...the seams on my clothes, the drawstring on my pants, etc.

Finally, I have Nekton-S vitamin powder for her water and don't know how much to put in - there are no instructions on the bottle and the secondary owners were totally clear about how much they put in. Anyone know?

Thanks everyone for your responses!