upatsix.com - Your Source For Pet Bird Information

I don't know about other cereals.......the reason I started giving him Cheerios is because it's low in sugar, low in salt and they love to crunch it!! I had read that it was a good treat for birds. Also - if you are interested in a good cooked meal for birds, check out Beak Appetit. I order different blends on a regular basis and he LOVES them. Most are made with couscous and they're easy to fix.

Hi Sherwin's mom,
Welcome to the board. I'm usually on the cockatoo page, visit here sometimes as I also have a Tiel. Her name is Twinkie-Dink.
My cockatoo (Annie) is a rescue, she was also very ill when I got her. She had an intestinal infection and she'd been so neglected that she chewed her wing and tail feathers off! I've had her for almost a year now and she is the happiest little goffin. She is in charge of the house! I also have a Sun Conure (Pebbles) who's a rescue. She came with a better story though. Her owner of 9 years had to go into assisted living and couldn't take Pebbles so, lucky me, I got to adopt her.
Twinkie-Dink came from a pet store (the best in St. Louis). My daughter bought her for me for my birthday. They're all princesses and spoiled.

Your babies are all so lucky to have you!!! I love adoption/rescue stories, they make us all feel good! My sister rescues dogs and has some good dog related stories. Of course, I'm partial to birds! It's so nice to take a bird out of a bad situation and give it a great home! Sherwin has the run of the house but he prefers to be where everyone else is. The fun thing with Sherwin is that a lot of things were completely new to him, so I was fortunate to be able to see his reactions to things for the first time. In some small way it makes me feel like I'm making a difference! I'm sure others feel the same too! Nice to meet you!!

I am a new member to this forum and am interested in any info on a cockatiel vs. a parrotlette. I am a previous owner of a beautiful Jenday Conure named Tuki. He was definately a one person bird and would constantly scream when I wasn't around. I miss him terribly and would love another bird, but one that my husband could share in the joy. Are tiels as high maintenance as conures. I worked around them quite a bit while at PetsMart but I know birds are different when you get them home. I want a baby that will interact with me like Tuki did. He loved to shower with me, was with me constantly in the evenings and loved to go for drives in the car. He was really beginning to talk and mimic sounds and would yell at me 'Poor Baby' in the mornings until I came downstairs and let him out of his cage. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Hoping to be a new mom soon!!!
Sally

Sherwins mom,
There is a web-site with TONS of pics of cockatiels, and I love looking at it! They are SO cute! you said that you like looking at pics and videos, well this is the web-site to check out
http://www.flickr.com/groups/cockatiels/pool/page13/

I will definitely check out the website! I do love to look at pictures and videos and love to hear stories. I can't go in PetSmart without spending an hour......gotta check on all of the birds!

To SallySolis - I don't know much about parrotlets but I know that I love cockatiels! The behavior and disposition really depends on the bird and the sex. My first cockatiel (Buddie) was a female and was much more quiet than my male. Buddie LOVED to take showers and pretty much be with me wherever I was. My male (Sherwin) is totally different. He is equally as sweet but much more vocal and demanding of my time. He still has a bit of separation anxiety. Given his history though, it's understandable. I have also thought of getting a parrotlet, so let me know what you find out!

Noel,
I am the same way! anytime I am near the pet store, I gotta go visit the birds! I used to work across the street from one and sometimes on my lunch break I would go over, and usually buy a toy or treat for my cockatiel too! That website is just too cute! Some of the pictures have cute little stories, and it gives you a chance to post your own. My favorite one is of a cockatiel looking at himself in the mirror! It looks like he is saying to himself------WOW, who is that good looking birdie in the mirror? Cockatiels just have the funniest personalities, so adorable. Currently mine is not very tame yet, but I'm working on it, and he is starting to come around,I can't wait til the day he will come out with me and be happy on my shoulder!

Oh he will come around!! If Sherwin came around, I believe any bird can do it! There is something addicting about cockatiels. They are these little creatures with the most enormous personalities and the little things that they do just seem to make it all OK. I don't have children, but I can only imagine that I would be the most obnoxious parent always talking about her kids!! Heck - I do that now with Sherwin!! I love all animals but it just melts your heart when you walk in the door and hear your bird mimicking a kiss, or hanging off the side of his cage because he's so excited to see you!

Noel,
Thanks so much for the reply. I'm leaning towards a cockatiel, in fact I think s/he picked me out yesterday. I can't seem to stay out of pet stores and expecially away from the birds. A little pied cockatiel at PetsMart came over to the window and climbed up the cage so she could get closer to me. I went in the aviary and held her. She is so cute, making little birdy noises and cocking her head listening to me. I even got kisses from her. We'll I'm not sure if it's a her or not. How can you tell. Anyway, I have a name picked out - Piper -as in pied (maybe not the most original but it would fit either boy or girl).
Sally

Sally, We did the same thing! Picked a name that really could be both. Casper was named before we found out. Our vet told us that (most likely), she is a girl. But she does exhibit the girl behaviors now that we have had her 5 weeks.

Does Piper have an orange spot? My vet said the males usually have darker spots. Females have lighter ones. Not sure how much merit there is to that.

They do have a tendency to pick you!! My cat, who just turned 19, reached out and snagged my sweater as I was walking by. I stopped and said she's the one! My first cockatiel did the same thing! I love the name Piper, so cute. Let us all know what you decide and share pictures if you can!

My bird picked me too, and I know he will come around to be tame because he gets on my finger now when I put it in his cage. I think being handled will be easier for him to accept, it's the coming out of the cage that scares him I think. I want to get his wings clipped because he flies into the wall sometimes when we got him out before, and I don't want him getting hurt, but it's cold out now and I don't want to take him into the cold, I know they are supposed to stay in the warm only.

The more you interact with him, the more he will feel comfortable with you. Also - I would recommend a wing clip if he is flying into walls accidentally. I have to keep Sherwin's wings clipped to keep him from doing the same thing. His were not clipped when I first got him and he flew into everything, no sense of direction at all! I have traveled with him when it was cold but I had already warmed up the car and put a blanket over his carrier to keep the wind out. Short trips will be fine. Good luck!!

I had a few problems after Smokey and Coco regrew their flight feathers a couple of years ago with them flying into walls, windows, and the patio door, but I've read that if you take a flighted bird and hold them up to things they could perceive to take as an "escape" route, and put their beak up against that window, wall, etc., they will soon learn it's a hard surface and will stop flying into it. On occasion, Smokey will still fly into the curtains over the window if he's spooked or panics, but it's not very rare. Biggest concern is them getting a concussion from hitting a hard surface, or injuring their beak, not so much breaking their necks. I know there are many ways for 'tiels to injure themselves during flight, but I try to make our house bird safe for flight. I take them all over the house on my shoulder and let them learn the whole place, showing all the windows, mirrors, etc, and letting them feel it's a hard surface, and not an exit. Don't know how the new kids will be when they regrow flight feathers, but I'm hoping I won't have to clip them. I personally feel a bird should have all their abilities. I realize the risks of full flighted birds, but am willing to accept those risks. Many people do not want a flighted bird, and there have been more arguments pro and con for ages about both. This is one point that is best left to individual situations, and personal preferences without trying to force an opinion on others.

cheers!

Sam

I must say that I agree with having a full flighted bird....I never clipped my previous tiel's wings and never had any problems with her. However, I do think that given a new environment or ner surroundings they should be clipped until familiar with the space. Everyone's different and so are the birds. I never worried about Buddie flying around, but Sherwin is different. He has flown into walls and windows and thank goodness was not hurt. Thanks for sharing Sam.........