Hello all,
I am pet-sitting a cockatiel while its owner is overseas. I'm trying to do my best by this little guy, but this is the first bird I've ever cared for and there's a lot I don't know. I'm hoping you guys can help me understand one of his stranger behaviors.
Summary: I made a movie of the cockatiel acting strangly, and I'd really appreciate it if you could tell me what it means: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yVzBcwkGXU
Back story: It took a couple days, of course, but he seems to have adjusted to us and our apartment pretty well. He likes being in the same room as us quite a bit, and is totally down to sit on shoulders. However, he hates hands. Sometimes you can offer him your finger as a perch, and if he's really eager to move he'll step on it. But otherwise, he hisses and snaps at hands and fingers. It doesn't bother him at all, however, if we cover our hands with a particular red washcloth and then try to have him stand on them. Out of sight, out of mind, I guess. It works with any cloth over our hands, but he's definitely grown particularly fond of red things/this washcloth.
So, the weirdness: One day, he flew around our living room and into the kitchen, where he landed on the microwave on top of the fridge. I stood on a chair and tried to get him to climb onto my finger with the washcloth over it, but he would not climb. Instead, he bent his head really low, lowered his crest all the way, and started making a constant chittering-talking noise. I thought he sounded scared, but I'm no bird expert. I could not get him to stand on my finger, even by pushing into his stomach a little; instead he just let himself get pushed backwards. Eventually, we got him to climb by putting something behind him so he couldn't slide, but I was scared I'd have to just pick him up, which I obviously did not want to do to him!
Now he does this head-lowering-chattering-thing every day or so. It always seems to be triggered by the same red washcloth I used to try and pick him up off the microwave. He definitely recognizes it, and when he sees it he sometimes starts chittering, lowers his head, and stops moving around. When he's like this, I can pet him with the washcloth, but he doesn't really react one way or the other-- I can't tell if he's enjoying it, or if I'm traumatizing the poor thing. Sometimes he moves his head away, but he's never hostile like he is with fingers. It's really strange, and neither my boyfriend nor I can make heads nor tails of it.
If you want to see it in action, here it is! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yVzBcwkGXU I just want him to be happy, so please tell me if I'm doing something wrong
Thank you so much!
I am pet-sitting a cockatiel while its owner is overseas. I'm trying to do my best by this little guy, but this is the first bird I've ever cared for and there's a lot I don't know. I'm hoping you guys can help me understand one of his stranger behaviors.
Summary: I made a movie of the cockatiel acting strangly, and I'd really appreciate it if you could tell me what it means: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yVzBcwkGXU
Back story: It took a couple days, of course, but he seems to have adjusted to us and our apartment pretty well. He likes being in the same room as us quite a bit, and is totally down to sit on shoulders. However, he hates hands. Sometimes you can offer him your finger as a perch, and if he's really eager to move he'll step on it. But otherwise, he hisses and snaps at hands and fingers. It doesn't bother him at all, however, if we cover our hands with a particular red washcloth and then try to have him stand on them. Out of sight, out of mind, I guess. It works with any cloth over our hands, but he's definitely grown particularly fond of red things/this washcloth.
So, the weirdness: One day, he flew around our living room and into the kitchen, where he landed on the microwave on top of the fridge. I stood on a chair and tried to get him to climb onto my finger with the washcloth over it, but he would not climb. Instead, he bent his head really low, lowered his crest all the way, and started making a constant chittering-talking noise. I thought he sounded scared, but I'm no bird expert. I could not get him to stand on my finger, even by pushing into his stomach a little; instead he just let himself get pushed backwards. Eventually, we got him to climb by putting something behind him so he couldn't slide, but I was scared I'd have to just pick him up, which I obviously did not want to do to him!
Now he does this head-lowering-chattering-thing every day or so. It always seems to be triggered by the same red washcloth I used to try and pick him up off the microwave. He definitely recognizes it, and when he sees it he sometimes starts chittering, lowers his head, and stops moving around. When he's like this, I can pet him with the washcloth, but he doesn't really react one way or the other-- I can't tell if he's enjoying it, or if I'm traumatizing the poor thing. Sometimes he moves his head away, but he's never hostile like he is with fingers. It's really strange, and neither my boyfriend nor I can make heads nor tails of it.
If you want to see it in action, here it is! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yVzBcwkGXU I just want him to be happy, so please tell me if I'm doing something wrong
Thank you so much!
