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Hi,

My name is Mary and I'm about to bring home a new tiel (my first bird) and have a few questions. I have been visiting my bird at the pet store to get acquainted while he is still being fully weaned. He will readily step up on my finger and sit on my hand, but he keeps making a "growling" type sound. I'm trying to figure out if that means he's mad at me, scared, or contented (kind of like a cat purring). I was asking the lady at the store and she said he does that with her too, so maybe it is just a "hey! where's the food!" sound. Any one have any input?

He (okay, I hope it is a he and the pet store lady says that with the vocalizations she gets from him that he probably is a boy ) is about 3 months old and has been hand raised. He readily lets me stroke his back like you would pet a dog or cat, but when I tried to rub his neck last night he definitely indicated that he didn't like that. Is that an acquired like, since everything I have read so far says that they like to be rubbed, but don't like to be petted?

Any help to the newbie would be appreciated.

By the way, his name is Tag - short for Tag Heuer. He will be joining his new siblings - Rolex (Cocker Spaniel) and Seiko (Calico cat).

Hi mary!
I have two teils, woody and boss. Neither were hand tame when I got them and woody has come a long way-----so easy to handle now! boss we just got a month ago, so still got a ways to go with her. Neither of my two make any noises like that, and neither of them hiss either, so I can't really be of any help with that question. One thing I noticed you have a dog and a cat-----tag may not be too happy about that! and you really need to be very careful about having a bird with dog and cat in the house. Personally I think dogs tend to work out most times as long as the dog is not hyper and doesn't show interest in birdie, but me, myself, I would never have a cat with a bird------although some people do and it works out ok for them. I would just make sure tag some time with no dog or cat around to relax, especially when you first bring him home. The change of coming into a new home will be enough for him to handle.
Welcome mary! and congrats on your baby!

Thanks for the welcome, and I'm glad that Woody is feeling better.

Now to your concerns. My brother has had a cockatiel for years and when she passed away got two more birds. My dog is often at their house and the only interest he has shown towards the birds is to the fruit flavored nuggets that get flipped on the floor. He's as good as a vacuum cleaner. Their prior bird didn't like the ones that looked like bananas. Also, I will crate the dog when I'm not present until he is used to having a bird at our house and not just at my brother's.

The cat actually lives in the garage to keep the mice out. She only comes in on really cold nights during the winter. On those nights I can move the bird's cage into an area that the cat doesn't have access to, so I don't see her being much of a problem.

The lady at the pet store has a cat also and didn't seem concerned when I mentioned that I also have the dog and cat. I think it's just a matter of common sense and not taking foolish risks. I have no plans of leaving the bird free when I am not at home.

The noise Tag is making doesn't really sound like a hiss (the kind you would hear from a snake) but it isn't a chucking sound either. Since he is being hand fed I'm hoping it is the "I want food" type of noise. Last night he was testing his limits more than he did on my prior visit. He was trying to nip a little, but calmed down right away when I jiggled my finger and told him no. He also decided that he liked my rings on this visit - he had totally ignored them previously. Luckily, there is nothing that he can accidentally pop out of a setting and swallow.

Hi Mary,

Welcome to UAS..

Let me make a couple of suggestions that *might* have something to do with birdie's different behavior. First and foremost, do you by chance wear any red or similar color nail polish? If so, try something neutral, or none at all. Also, any type lotion that has a pungent smell might trigger some reactions as you describe. "Tiels are not dummies -- they have extremely good eyesight and although it might not be nail polish color, I have seen it happen with my kids. The do NOT like red! It could also be color of clothing, something different from what was seen before.. lots of variables, but at any rate, it also could be he's been handled by other people, and is confused.

'Tiels are also very sensitive, and have no idea of what NO means nor do they understand scolding or punishment. They are birds.. they don't think like other critters, and never will! At any rate, good luck with your endeavors.. I hope you two make a great pair..

Sam

Hi Mary - glad you came in for a visit!

That sound you described sounds like he's grinding his beak!! That is a GREAT thing - means he's content and relaxed. He likes you!

As for the color red - my bird seems to like red - beads, shirts I wear, pellets, I even have a little red clothes hanger for small items like socks that she loves to play on!

As for scratches (scritches) Luna doesn't like it on top of the head too much - on the other hand she LOVES it when I scratch her under her lower mandible (chin). With two fingers I start in the middle and spread her feathers outward towards her ears or there about. She stretches her head way back and closes her eyes and revels in it! So darn cute. Maybe Tag will like that type of petting.

Good luck with him and please come back.

Jo

We are a fairly new birdie family too. We got "Spike" in February and went throught the same things that you are. He was almost finished being weened when my son fell in love with him. We brought him home and he made a noise that was similar to yours. I described it as a static from a radio type noise. We all think it was because he was hand fed and he associated hands with food. That has subsided now that he is a bit older. We too are not sure if Spike is a Spike or a Spikette also. But he is very affectionae and loves to be tickeld on his beak and back of his head. Not so crazy about his back. He is also a traveling birdie as we camp quite a bit and he goes with us in a smaller traveling cage. He rode in the care well and actually had ariot playing on his swing and it moved with the trucks movements on the highway! Spike is quite vocal but has yet to learn any specific song but We love his little chatter in the am and early evening. He whistles to be let out of his cage and they get more intense if you dont respond! We are trying not to raise a brat birdie but he is so cute that it hard to ignore him. We are trying the positive reinforcement so when he sings or whistles sweetly we respond quicker than if he screams!!! Every day is a new experience and we love have him. Who knew???that spike could be as much fun a dog????

Thanks for all the great scratching/petting suggestions. I'm really looking forward to Tag coming home this weekend and all the great suggestions to make him happy will really help. He is still developing his personality, so I hope we can work on it together. Luckily, this is my three-day weekend so we will have some great bonding time together before I go back to work.

I have read that you should leave the TV or radio on to give the bird some stimulation, does anyone on the board do that? Do you think it helps?

I also read that if a bird is comfortable they will comb through you hair like they are preening their feathers. I set Tag on my shoulder the other day and he moved around to the back (I have short hair) and did preen the short hairs at my nape. It tickled so much I had to move him though.

I really hope he's a boy. I have already taught my brother's birds to wolf whistle and they aren't much more than 3 months older than Tag, and I would like Tag learn to whistle too. Not that I'd send him/her back he didn't, I'm already too attached. If I can teach him to talk that would be a bonus.

Does anyone have any good suggestions for toys?

Toys are pretty much up to your imgination.. ours like the really simple things, like Q-tips, plastic straws, paper clips, beaded chains, and even some small baby toys, but business cards, paper and stuff to chew is great fun. Get a chunk of balsa wood at the craft store, and watch him chew it up. .. perfectly safe too.. they have a ball chewing wood. Of course, it will take a little time before they will be interested in toys most likely.. but after he adjusts to his new home, it'll be fun watching things he'll play with. Those chew toys that hang from cage are OK, but too expensive.. Try taking Q-tips, and tying a few together to make a strand of about 4-5 and hang from top of cage.. they will spend hours on end chewing the ends off the Q-tips!

Maybe others can tell you what their kids like..

Good luck....

Sam

Welcome to the wonderful world of tiels. Sounds as if others have covered the bases for the sound he makes. A good beak grind is a very special noise - one of my favoritesin the world. He is young so Im leaning toward the staticy "feed me".

Huey loved to put his whole head in my palm and let me work every feather on his head with with my finger tips. Back and forth and up into his little down covered skull. Over and under his beak. He would almost go into a flop headed trance!! After my hand got tired he would just sit with his head in my palm and rest. When he would decide he had enough he would come out so dishelved that he would give his head a good shake to rearrange his feathers. I truely miss that time we had.

Hueys favorite toys were shoelaces- he loved to chew off the tips. Also business cards or other thin cardboardy stuff. The only oher toy he ever showed interest with in his 17 yrs was his little ball and bell chain. (had red balls too). He never took a shine to anything else. Prefering the company of his people other than toys. Take good care of your baby and you will have years of wonderful companionship

Freddy

I got my tiels in October of last year (can't BELIEVE it's been that long already!) and I remember writing a similar question about toys when I first found this board. My babies were both hand fed by the breeder than sold to the pet store (so I'm told, never can be 100% sure in this particular case). They were approx 3 months old (I think) when I got them.

Petting: One loves it, the other tolerates it when she's ready to be petted. Misi will lay down on my shoulder or chest and let me scratcher her head and neck, sometimes even down her back. Mandi... not so much. She likes a good neck scratch, but that is only after I've had her out for a while and she gets a little tired out.

Toys. OMG... mine would not play with ANYTHING! And I bought them everything, lol. They just wanted to sit ON me and were complete Velcro birds. Still pretty much are, but they will play with a few things in their cage.

#1 toy (drum roll please) Kleenex! They love kleenex. I should buy stock in the compnay. Between cleaning up poop and them shredding it, I go through it like water.

I tried q-tips... they're afraid of them, lol. I don't know why. They are silly little things.

What they both seem to love is their cotton wreaths. They sleep on them every night. I think it's the soft surface. I had bought just one at first, but Mandi is not as found of Misi as Misi is of Mandi, so they bickered over who could be on it. (Mainly Mandi shooed Misi off), so I got another one.

Also, my local pet store (mom and pop place) sells little parts so you could make your own bird toy. I bough 5 or 6 of them and put them on the bottom of their cage and they pick-em up, toss em, chew em... they like that. And those little parts are cheap.

I am new here too.
Hank makes those sounds as well. My husband does not like the sound close to his ear but that is where Hank likes to sit and make the sound.
Hanks likes his head to be scratched but will put his wings out just a bit for kisses on his back. He hates being touched on his back other than by lips.

We have a dog and three cats. Hank has a safe place away from the cats and we put the cats outside daily for Hank to have some freedom. The dog loves to sit under Hank's safe place to catch falling food.
Hank established his pecking order with the pets as well. He will attack the dog and one of the cats, but the other two cats are a threat. He used to sit for hours with the fish and talk to them through the glass.