So hello i just wanted to start out by saying hi everyone and i am glad that i found this forum im going to introduce myself a bit. I am 18 and i have 2 bird currently. Both are parakeets. One is a green and yellow named polly who is a male and is 8 years old or so :green budgie: I also have a new budgie who i named Poseidon and he is a small blue male who is about 5-7 months old :cobalt: I am planning on possibly adopting another bird very soon however
I either want to buy a cockatiel from a pet store but i would rather adopt my grandmas cockatiel that she has. She just had cancer surgery and even though they think they got it all out she still has to do chemo and radiation therapy.
Her cockatiel is an old male who isn't in the right conditions anyways and it'll be harder on him when my grandma can barley do anything so i was thinking about possibly taking him in and retraining him again. He's mean and grumpy but when he was young he use to be sweet and sit on your hand and let you pet him threw the bars. He even use to shower with his old owner. But now he has been cage bound for years. And i feel sorry for him because he is always covered and he always hisses at EVERYONE!! He has a decent size cage but if i got him i would obviously plan on getting a bigger one somehow. HE had one wooden dowel perch and one mirror in his whole cage with no toys.... i know he shouldn't have the mirror anyway but he really should have it since that's all they have given him. I really want him so i could help him. He doesn't seem like a lost cause and even if he was i could still help him
I was just wondering if you guys could help me with a few questions because if i take him in i really want to reintroduce him to human contact and maybe help him not be so mean and eventually a loving pet again.
So my questions are:
1. Can you re introduce a bird like him to human contact? i have no clue how old he is but i know he's at least 8 years old because that's how long my grandma has had him. Idk how long my great aunts son had him before that.
2. I know all he eats is just pure, cheap seed. But i know he liked it when i bought him some orange flavored seed. That being said do you think i could wean him onto some fruity flavored pellets very slowly?? i don't care if he's picky about the color or flavor because if i can make him eat the pellets then i can wean him from that to one where they are all natural and he can't pick and chose between flavors. I think he isn't that picky so it should be kinda easy. Also, if i did this, even if he has eaten seeds almost all his life, could this improve his number of years he has left??
3. Would i be able to introduce him to other people like my boyfriend if i could get him to like me in the first place?
4. Would he be able to be trained at all since he's so old and lost all human contact for years? i want to believe that i can reteach him to be a love able pet again but i just don't know. I have the love and patience to do it but has anyone dealt with this before?
5. Would i be able to shower with him if i got him to trust me? i would get a shower perch and he use to shower with his old owner so maybe?
6. Would i be able to reintroduce him other birds? like my two parakeets? he is a healthy bird for the most parts that i know of and im sure he would love to have some friends. He knows one of my parakeets because when we go on vacation that's were my older bird goes and stays.
7. Would i be able to introduce him to toys?? i know cockateils love to shred and chew stuff up so would he be able to be introduced to toys again after no having ANY for so long? and how should i go about do it? plus they would all be homemade toys so i could make them anyway he would like.
So yeah as you can see i have a lot to work with if i get him. I have a lot to introduce him too but the first thing i need to do is get him toys and change his diet. I will eventually try and feed him fresh food too but for now he needs to be switched from seeds. I need to help him and make him happy again so all you guys could do to help me would be very much appreciated!! thank you
I either want to buy a cockatiel from a pet store but i would rather adopt my grandmas cockatiel that she has. She just had cancer surgery and even though they think they got it all out she still has to do chemo and radiation therapy.
Her cockatiel is an old male who isn't in the right conditions anyways and it'll be harder on him when my grandma can barley do anything so i was thinking about possibly taking him in and retraining him again. He's mean and grumpy but when he was young he use to be sweet and sit on your hand and let you pet him threw the bars. He even use to shower with his old owner. But now he has been cage bound for years. And i feel sorry for him because he is always covered and he always hisses at EVERYONE!! He has a decent size cage but if i got him i would obviously plan on getting a bigger one somehow. HE had one wooden dowel perch and one mirror in his whole cage with no toys.... i know he shouldn't have the mirror anyway but he really should have it since that's all they have given him. I really want him so i could help him. He doesn't seem like a lost cause and even if he was i could still help him
I was just wondering if you guys could help me with a few questions because if i take him in i really want to reintroduce him to human contact and maybe help him not be so mean and eventually a loving pet again.
So my questions are:
1. Can you re introduce a bird like him to human contact? i have no clue how old he is but i know he's at least 8 years old because that's how long my grandma has had him. Idk how long my great aunts son had him before that.
2. I know all he eats is just pure, cheap seed. But i know he liked it when i bought him some orange flavored seed. That being said do you think i could wean him onto some fruity flavored pellets very slowly?? i don't care if he's picky about the color or flavor because if i can make him eat the pellets then i can wean him from that to one where they are all natural and he can't pick and chose between flavors. I think he isn't that picky so it should be kinda easy. Also, if i did this, even if he has eaten seeds almost all his life, could this improve his number of years he has left??
3. Would i be able to introduce him to other people like my boyfriend if i could get him to like me in the first place?
4. Would he be able to be trained at all since he's so old and lost all human contact for years? i want to believe that i can reteach him to be a love able pet again but i just don't know. I have the love and patience to do it but has anyone dealt with this before?
5. Would i be able to shower with him if i got him to trust me? i would get a shower perch and he use to shower with his old owner so maybe?
6. Would i be able to reintroduce him other birds? like my two parakeets? he is a healthy bird for the most parts that i know of and im sure he would love to have some friends. He knows one of my parakeets because when we go on vacation that's were my older bird goes and stays.
7. Would i be able to introduce him to toys?? i know cockateils love to shred and chew stuff up so would he be able to be introduced to toys again after no having ANY for so long? and how should i go about do it? plus they would all be homemade toys so i could make them anyway he would like.
So yeah as you can see i have a lot to work with if i get him. I have a lot to introduce him too but the first thing i need to do is get him toys and change his diet. I will eventually try and feed him fresh food too but for now he needs to be switched from seeds. I need to help him and make him happy again so all you guys could do to help me would be very much appreciated!! thank you