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Hi. My name is Sandy, and I am new here. I also have a new bird! Today I brought home a 9 week old hand-fed (weaned) baby cockatiel. His name is Bohdan, which is Hebrew for "Gift from God". I call him Boh-Boh. Right now he is asleep on his perch, after having a long, tiring day. He had a 30 minute ride home in a box (poor guy!) and then to top it off he had his wings clipped. I thought it better to clip them, at least initially, until he gets used to me and his new surroundings. Anyway, it is nice to "meet" everyone, and I hope to get to know you all soon.

Peace,
Sandy and Boh-Boh

That's a cute birdie, Sandy. Welcome to you two. Thanks for bringing your new baby here for us to enjoy too. Is he your first bird? If so, you sound very well prepared

wow. He is a just a baby.Keep him warm and well fed

Thank you for the welcome! I have had a cockatiel before, but it was about 15 years ago. I have forgotten a lot. I have been reading up on them again. The breeder told me that she thought he was a male by his colors. Of course, you can't be sure until they are DNA tested (or they start laying eggs! ). I am just *assuming* he is male. I guess time will tell.

I could use some advice on helping him to get adjusted to me and his new home. How much should I handle him during the first week? I used a perch and took him out of his cage today. I have a little play area for him on a table, and I put it right next to the chair I usually sit in in my living room. I put him on a perch on the play area, and just sat next to him for a while and watched TV. I am hoping that if I do this frequently it will help him to get used to me, to know that I am not going to hurt him, etc. He did step up onto my finger today, but hissed at me at the same time! lol Do you think this is a good idea, or am I pushing him too soon?

Also, I know absolutely nothing about the color variations. Could someone tell me what color he would be called? Is he just a "normal grey"? His yellow is so bright, that I wasn't sure what color variation he would be called.

Thanks for any and all suggestions, and thanks again for the welcome! I am hoping that Boh-Boh and I can form a wonderful partnership.

-Sandy

Your Boh-Boh looks like a very light pied to me, Sandy: http://members.optusnet.com.au/~geoffwatts1/Pied.html I could VERY easily be wrong

What you're doing with him, or her, sounds very good. Letting him have a lot of opportunity to see you without your reaching for him while he's still scared helps him learn who you are and that you're friendly. Once he decides he can trust you (3 days max, I'm betting ) you'll find it hard to get him off you, even with his wings clipped. He'll find his way to you, so watch where you step!

boh boh looks like a pied with his patchy coloring.....he is adorable! Congratulations on your new feathered friend and welcome!

(s)he is definitely a pied and will therefore be hard(er) to visually sex
If you have another look at my post with the pictures of the babies, you will see a picture Christie posted and her explanation of visually sexing a pied tiel........
Your little one is gorgeous though!

Thanks, everybody. Boh-Boh is doing well. He sat on my lap for a while today while I watched TV, and he let me pet him for the first time! A couple of friends of mine dropped by for a visit and to see Boh-Boh, and he climbed up on my shoulder and sat there. It made me realize that he is starting to bond with me by the way he behaved around others. it was neat!

-Sandy

Thanks for the credit, but it is Mfids/Monica that does the fantastic descriptions of how to visually sex a pied tiel. I usually go on behavor. Mfids/Monica's photos of her tiels are so wonderful too!

I always say to wait until after the first molt, spread the wing or tail feathers in a bright light and look carefully for spots or bars. If there are none, then male, if there are some, then female.

Here is a link to the post with one of her wonderful photos. cockatiel/topic96620-15.html#p133914

Hi Sandy,

Welcome to UAS. I think you'll find a large group of knowledgeable folks on here who will assist you in getting back in touch with Boh Boh. You mention some friends coming over and he stayed on your shoulder. Since you are the only one in his "flock", he does that because of some trust that has already developed. Given time, he will be a great companion. At 9 weeks, he is nearly fully grown, but might gain some weight. You can tell somewhat the sex by looking at tail feathers too, but normally after a molt. Females will have yellow bars in the tail feathers, and the males will be all gray or even black looking. I see light pied in him as well, so you may be in luck with a male birdie. As was suggested, peruse back through the topics (a lot) and just read what interests you. I would also like to recommend a website you should read everything on it about birds, and that is Dr. Wissman's website called Exotic Pet Net http://www.exoticpetvet.net/index.html for information on just about anything you would want to know about a cockatiel or other small animals.

Sam

christie wrote:Thanks for the credit, but it is Mfids/Monica that does the fantastic descriptions of how to visually sex a pied tiel. I usually go on behavor. Mfids/Monica's photos of her tiels are so wonderful too!

I always say to wait until after the first molt, spread the wing or tail feathers in a bright light and look carefully for spots or bars. If there are none, then male, if there are some, then female.

Here is a link to the post with one of her wonderful photos. cockatiel/topic96620-15.html#p133914

sorry Monica

He is beautiful! Start introducing him to different foods while he is young (if you haven't already) Greens like kale, collard, turnip. Other veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, corn, carrots, and other cooked grains like whole grain rice, millet, rye etc.

Food is a great way to bond with your new friend. If he doesn't seem interested in the foods you give him, eat it in front of him while making yummy sounds and he'll want it.

Also with birdies whatever is yours is theirs!!

Jo

Well, Boh-Boh has been with me for a week now, and I think he is coming along well. He will eat nuts out of my hand (he loves almonds!) and just yesterday and today has let me "preen" him. I love his crest! it is all yellow except for one grey feather - it is so cute. I only wish I could convince him to stop sleeping in his food dish. I don't know why he does this, but it is frustrating because of course he ends up soiling his food. Today I put his food in another dish, and put it on the bottom of the cage (making sure he knew where it was) and then put the empty food dish back in the holder. That way, he can sleep in the empty dish if he wants to. We'll see how it works. Anyone have any suggestions on this or reasons why he might be doing this? Thanks!

(BTW - I have been reviewing the posts and clicking on the links you all have posted for me. Thanks for all your help and info! )

-Sandy

I've always removed all my birds' food bowls at bedtime, put them through the dishwasher, and filled them fresh each morning. 'Tiels are infamous for pooping in their bowls

I keep extra food dishes and change them out whenever one tiel sleeps on the food dish. They will always do it, so just get used to the changing of the food. I take the seed that is left outdoors and grow it into greens for them to eat.