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Background: I had a grey male 'tiel who died just short of his 18th birthday early this year. I finally felt like I was ready to have a new feathered pal so I bought a charming hand-fed 6-week-old lutino about a week ago.

My previous 'tiel was very friendly to people but he was definitely independent. He had no problem keeping himself amused flying around the house without direct supervision. So that's kind of my baseline for 'tiel behavior.

The new lutino is friendly almost to a fault - if I try and walk even a few feet away he yells and flies after me, and if I lock him in his cage and leave the room he screams loudly for several minutes. Is this normal for younger birds / something he'll grow out of? I did notice that n the last few days he's started at least taking off and wandering around the room I'm in without any drama, although if I try and go away from him he still gets upset.

Six weeks is extremely young. Are you handfeeding the baby? If so, the clinginess is easy to explain as not wanting the syringe to leave his sight. If you're not handfeeding, my first worry would be about whether he's eating enough. I'll let you say which before proceeding.

I had a brain malfunction, he's not actually that young. (They showed me some 6-week-old babies when I got him, I forget his exact age). Anyway, he's old enough to be able to eat/drink by himself fine - they had him on pellets when I bought him and I've put him on pellets as well with occasional small amounts of seed mix and other goodies for him.

Glad he's a little older. You might be happier knowing his hatchdate so you'll know when to celebrate each year The longer you wait to ask, the less chance the breeder will still have the information. Regardless, it seems he's probably still very young and, with you only a week, he's been through a life-changing event quite early in life. He's likely to feel a bit insecure for another week or so, not wanting you to leave him for fear you'll disappear as everyone he's known since hatching did just a week ago Make a habit of calling or whistling to him reassuringly whenever you're out of sight elsewhere in the house.

Cockatiels often don't do well on a heavily pellet diet. They need more seed than most parrots. If you'd like to talk more about good nutrition for 'tiels, we love doing that!

Great, thank you. I'll ask so I know when to give him a seed cake next year

I am at work during weekdays and I live by myself, which I'm sure doesn't help. Is there some way to help keep him from getting too frazzled when I'm out? I've been leaving a radio on with some music for him which seems to help a little, and of course I have several toys in his cage to play with.

And I'd love to hear what the latest diet recommendations are for 'tiels

I've got to thank you again. I just gave him a cup of seeds along with his cup of pellets and he dove in and is now much more relaxed, so I guess he was hungry even though I saw him eating the pellets. Now that I think about it his behaviour got worse when I switched him to primarily pellets, but I never made that connection.

ischmidt wrote:... I just gave him a cup of seeds along with his cup of pellets and he dove in ...

WHOA!!! Glad he's happy, but we don't want him fat My tiels each get a level tablespoon of seed (Volkman w/o sunflower seed) each morning, with the same amount of pellets (Roudybush mini). I'll tell you tomorrow about the fresh food they get. Busy getting the flock to bed this evening.

ischmidt wrote:... I'd love to hear what the latest diet recommendations are for 'tiels

Sorry for not getting back with you sooner. Turned into a busier day than I'd expected, and still is. But I just spotted MFids' reply to another thread and thought of you. First, let me say that this isn't a joke But it certainly might seem that way to some who haven't read about natural, whole food diets for parrots. It's the last post in this thread:

cockatiel/topic95246.html#p131620

Notice the comment at the very end that these lists are just to give you ideas of ingredients that are good for birds. No one would use them all in one meal

I really appreciate the list as well. I had no idea the little rascals could eat such a large variety. My vet gave me a partial list, but it was nowhere near as complete as that one. I will definitely try some of those on Julie and see what she likes. My son got her to eat bits of a whole grain cracker when he was home, so it's up to me to find out what else my little girl might enjoy. She's from an abused background so she's very tentative about things, and worries.

Crackers are hard to find without salt and even sugar, both not good for birds at all. Does your family eat brown rice? If so, save out a small spoonful for Julie. It can be saved in the fridge for as long as 3 days. Just try fingertip offers of a few pieces while you're eating your meals. Have it on the side of your own plate, so she thinks of it as a treat. Some like it at every temperature, so experiment if she gives your first few offers a head shake. If you can persuade her to eat brown rice, you can then mix tiny pieces of healthful vegetables and greens into the rice. One step at a time!