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4 month old untamed cockatiel?

8.4K views 11 replies 6 participants last post by  yokobirdie  
#1 ·
I finally posted last night that I am waiting to get my first cockatiel today. That is not working out. Long story. :( (Earlier I was supposed to get a different baby from another breeder only to be told the baby bird I wanted had died.) I feel like the cards are stacked against me getting a bird.

Earlier this week I contacted a woman who lives near me who raises tiels and she has a 4-month-old beautiful boy. He is not hand tamed but is caged with his sister who is very tame. She told me she thinks he will be tame, or can be, if he is separated from her. She also clipped his wings but one side is missing the long feathers.

I've never had a cockatiel before. Would this particular bird be too much for me? Could I tame him since he is still very young? I also think if I do get him, I'll be getting him out of a not so good situation...

Any advice? I'm attaching a photo of his back.
 

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#3 ·
So, do you not want the sister because it is female, or is she not willing to part with the female?

If he is four months old and not tame, I think it may be a slow process taming him. I could be wrong. I have only had two tiels. One I got at three months old. I have had her for a year now. She's not very friendly toward me, but that may be because she is caged with two other birds. My other tiel I got at eight weeks old, and he was finger tame when I got him. He is very friendly. Just my experience, for what it's worth.

He is cute. I see what you mean about his wings. Did she clip him that way? I would like to see them more balanced in the way they are clipped. I don't mean to sound negative, but is it possible she tried to clip him, and gave up in the middle because he was too hard to handle?

Can you get an agreement with her where she will take him back if he won't tame?

I'd love to see this little guy get a good home, and I'd love to see you get a bird.

I can't tell whether he is a male.
 
#4 ·
So, do you not want the sister because it is female, or is she not willing to part with the female?
Thank you for the reply! She is keeping the female. I would be happy with a male or female but was hoping to have a male for my first tiel.

I have all the time and patience in the world so I'm willing to do what it takes. I've read every thread on this forum about untame birds and I know each situation is different... and he is still young or at least I think 4 months old is still young. He was hand tamed when he was very young but I think the lady started handling his sister all the time and not him. He did not freak out when she put her hand in the cage. But he won't step up on her hand and then she tried to catch him and had him flying all over that little cage. :(

Not sure how to explain it, but I almost felt as if this bird was silently communicating with me. I saw intelligence in his eyes and haven't been able to quit thinking about him since.
 
#6 ·
What a little cutie! If you feel a connection to this bird then it's the right bird for you. I believe any tiel can come around with time and patience. As for its' wings, it's really not good to have one side clipped and not the other. I'm not really in favor of clipping but in this case it probably would be better as Diane said for them to be more balanced. I hope you get him. :)