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Hiya all! I'm a bit new to using forums, so apologies if I'm posting in the wrong place.
I'm the owner of a young male cockatiel (Pi, short for Pythagoras; he came into our hands on pi day! I'd say he's about two/three years old, but this is just a guess) and have had a few questions in my mind regarding how to best keep him happy.
He was rescued from another owner who kept him in a pretty crowded cage outdoors and was never interacted with much by the owner themselves, so he's a bit wary of direct handling and to date I haven't had him out of the cage. I understand taming can be a very slow process and we've made progress (I can touch him when he allows it albeit briefly, I can put my hand in his cage and let him know I mean him no harm, he likes to sit by the open cage door with me, he's a very vocal little guy and I can have chats with him, etc) but I still worry about him not getting enough stimulation, especially because he's a bit picky when it comes to new toys and his situation prevents him from roaming outside the cage.
He has bells that he enjoys and is especially fond of foraging toys and swings, he also seems to enjoy the room (he's situated in the living room so we talk to him plenty and he has the sounds of the radio and television during the day), but him getting bored or being "cooped up" is a concern of mine all the same, especially because I know handling can be an important part of bonding with your birdie. He has his "spots" that he defaults to in the cage and sometimes I worry he's a bit limited in what he can do, or if it's normal for him to have places he feels most comfortable.
TL;DR is that he was never used to handling, so is currently not at the stage that he can leave his cage, and I don't want him to suffer for it. Does anyone have any tips for keeping a birdie enriched when they're currently not at the stage that they can leave their cage? Toys for 'tiels that are a bit new to the concept of them?
Another related question: what perches are best recommended for a cockatiel? His current ones are due replacing and I wanted to see what others rec.
Thanks in advance! Hope everybody is keeping well. I'm a newbie bird owner in general, so if anyone has any other general tips or good experiences with uk based sites to buy cockatiel supplies from, links would be much appreciated 😊
I'm the owner of a young male cockatiel (Pi, short for Pythagoras; he came into our hands on pi day! I'd say he's about two/three years old, but this is just a guess) and have had a few questions in my mind regarding how to best keep him happy.
He was rescued from another owner who kept him in a pretty crowded cage outdoors and was never interacted with much by the owner themselves, so he's a bit wary of direct handling and to date I haven't had him out of the cage. I understand taming can be a very slow process and we've made progress (I can touch him when he allows it albeit briefly, I can put my hand in his cage and let him know I mean him no harm, he likes to sit by the open cage door with me, he's a very vocal little guy and I can have chats with him, etc) but I still worry about him not getting enough stimulation, especially because he's a bit picky when it comes to new toys and his situation prevents him from roaming outside the cage.
He has bells that he enjoys and is especially fond of foraging toys and swings, he also seems to enjoy the room (he's situated in the living room so we talk to him plenty and he has the sounds of the radio and television during the day), but him getting bored or being "cooped up" is a concern of mine all the same, especially because I know handling can be an important part of bonding with your birdie. He has his "spots" that he defaults to in the cage and sometimes I worry he's a bit limited in what he can do, or if it's normal for him to have places he feels most comfortable.
TL;DR is that he was never used to handling, so is currently not at the stage that he can leave his cage, and I don't want him to suffer for it. Does anyone have any tips for keeping a birdie enriched when they're currently not at the stage that they can leave their cage? Toys for 'tiels that are a bit new to the concept of them?
Another related question: what perches are best recommended for a cockatiel? His current ones are due replacing and I wanted to see what others rec.
Thanks in advance! Hope everybody is keeping well. I'm a newbie bird owner in general, so if anyone has any other general tips or good experiences with uk based sites to buy cockatiel supplies from, links would be much appreciated 😊
