[aimz]

hi everyone im new to the site so i dont know where to post to get advise, im not even sure im posting in the correct place ...
anyway about me , i have a male cockatiel that i have had for years he is very sweet but i need some help but i am very nervous to talk about what help i need regarding him as i have been to another group a while ago and people where pretty mean and saying things that made me feel like i was a terrible owner .
i hope to meet some nice people who will be understanding and who will try to help me rather then judge me and make me feel bad ...

thank you for taking the time to read this and thank you in advance for any replies i might get have a great day and stay safe , aimz.

 

[Robert Seale]

Well Aimz, Don't feel too bad, I myself have been on a few "other" bird sites where members were less than friendly! My situation is like this: I now have 12 cockatiels and 2 sun conures along with 5 more tiel eggs that we're hoping will hatch in the next few weeks so....Since I've discovered my love for Birds, I seem to get along with THEM better than most people in my older age! I'll do my very best to answer any questions you may have regarding your bird and promise NOT to pass judgement. When you have time, let us know your birds name along with a photo if you have any.

Robert

 

[aimz]

Well Aimz, Don't feel too bad, I myself have been on a few "other" bird sites where members were less than friendly! My situation is like this: I now have 12 cockatiels and 2 sun conures along with 5 more tiel eggs that we're hoping will hatch in the next few weeks so....Since I've discovered my love for Birds, I seem to get along with THEM better than most people in my older age! I'll do my very best to answer any questions you may have regarding your bird and promise NOT to pass judgement. When you have time, let us know your birds name along with a photo if you have any.

Robert

hi , Robert thank you so much for getting back to me, you have a lot on your hands with all those feathered babies of yours
ok so i got my boy (Tigger) years ago (the owner grabbed him and shoved him in a box) since ive had him hes been very fearful of hands which i put it down to the way he was handed to me , ive tried holding treats through the bars , holding them in my hand and letting him come to me when hes ready . ive left his cage door open incase he wants to venture out but he has never come out of the cage.
i sit near his cage but far enough that its comfortable for him but everytime i go near him he will hiss and fan tail and lunge at me (i move slowly ) hes only ever bit me once which i think was my fault , he just seems really aggressive towards me and im not sure what to do ..
a few years ago he had an accident which he broke his wing in two places and the vet told me to take his high perch out and keep it out because if he falls again he wont survive this one so of course im worried , he has a few night frights so i keep a night light on for him ...im just at a loss and feel like an aweful owner , i would love for him to be happy with me touching him and for him to come out the cage but he just seems so scared and aggressive .

Thank you for taking the time to help me

 

[Robert Seale]

Amiz,

First of all I want to commend you on the way you have handled the situation you described above! Secondly, I have NO tolerance for ANYBODY that handles a bird the way this ( so called ) owner did! I would guess one of two things in your case: Either the poor bird you have is actually wild or just traumatized that bad from his life before you. I DO actually know what your going thru because we just happen to have a 90% wild female whiteface! My daughter (not knowing what she was doing at the time) bought her off the side of the road!!! We have had her for a little over a year and can just know walk up and look at her sitting on top of the cage without flying off in terror! She is in a big cage with two other females and one male so she has plenty of company. The way I get her BACK into her cage is feeding time. I put the bowels in and she see's the others eating and just climbs back in for her share....as long as I back away from the open door. Sadly I'm afraid you may be in a very similar situation. Only TIME may or may not fix the problem. I would say just keep on doing what your doing.....be there for him. Are you in a position where you might consider getting him a companion bird? Male or female would be nice. Here is a picture of our "wild child" Harper.

 

[Robert Seale]

Ok....well, I guess you ignored my last post on this subject or you don't care!

 

[aimz]

Ok....well, I guess you ignored my last post on this subject or you don't care!

hi robert sorry for the late reply , ive been having issues with the internet, your wild child is adorable and looks like she is the queen of the cage sat up there.
i have thought about maybe getting him a friend but because he is aggressive im worried he might bully the other bird and thats the last thing i want .
im just wondering if there is any fruits or veggies that are safe for cockatiels that i could try and maybe with something new a tasty he might see that im not a bad person after all and start to come closer ..

please bare with me in replying and thank you for helping me .

 

[Robert Seale]

hi robert sorry for the late reply , ive been having issues with the internet, your wild child is adorable and looks like she is the queen of the cage sat up there.
i have thought about maybe getting him a friend but because he is aggressive im worried he might bully the other bird and thats the last thing i want .
im just wondering if there is any fruits or veggies that are safe for cockatiels that i could try and maybe with something new a tasty he might see that im not a bad person after all and start to come closer ..

please bare with me in replying and thank you for helping me .

Hey.......GREAT to hear back from you! We've just suffered the WORST winter storm Texas has ever had with snow and 0 temperatures! Millions lost power for DAYS and it's been a real mess!! My birds all stayed warm and dry but I've been feeding the wild birds outside all week! Thanks for your comments about Harper but actually she doesn't rule anything. While the others are not actually mean to her, she seems to be the "red headed step child" of the entire flock! I do feel sorry for her. Yes, Fruits and veggies are fine for tiels.....especially broccoli and carrots! Now I will warn you here, not EVERY tiel will eat them. Some of mine do, others don't. Another great thing ALL tiels love is spray millet! Cockatiels love it like we do popcorn!!! As for a 2nd bird. IF you get one, I wouldn't put them in the same cage straight away. Let them interact and keep a close eye on them. If after about a week or two, if they seem to hit it off, then you could maybe pair them up.

 

[aimz]

Hey.......GREAT to hear back from you! We've just suffered the WORST winter storm Texas has ever had with snow and 0 temperatures! Millions lost power for DAYS and it's been a real mess!! My birds all stayed warm and dry but I've been feeding the wild birds outside all week! Thanks for your comments about Harper but actually she doesn't rule anything. While the others are not actually mean to her, she seems to be the "red headed step child" of the entire flock! I do feel sorry for her. Yes, Fruits and veggies are fine for tiels.....especially broccoli and carrots! Now I will warn you here, not EVERY tiel will eat them. Some of mine do, others don't. Another great thing ALL tiels love is spray millet! Cockatiels love it like we do popcorn!!! As for a 2nd bird. IF you get one, I wouldn't put them in the same cage straight away. Let them interact and keep a close eye on them. If after about a week or two, if they seem to hit it off, then you could maybe pair them up.

hiya , oh no i hope things are getting back on track with the power and i hope no one was badly affected , oh my boy LOVES his millet , do you cook the broccoli first or give them it raw? i will deffinetly try it and see how he takes to it, oh i wouldnt put a new bird in the same cage as tigger until i was absolutly sure they were ok with eachother ..

i think for now i will try him with different treats and different approaches and see how that goes as i dont want to bring in a new bird an things dont work out, i would rather have tigger be happy and comfortable first and then maybe think about another fur baby..

how is the new clutch of eggs have they hatched yet ? do you sell them or keep all babies that arrive?

 

[Robert Seale]

I think your taking a really good approach regarding Tigger. I guess birds are like people......there's just really no way to tell if they'll get along or not. As for broccoli, I give it to mine raw but I'm sure they would love it just the same cooked. I get some really strange looks when I buy a VERY small amount in a bag! I can't stand the stuff but many birds love it. Yes, with 12 tiel"s, I'm sure we will sell all but one. This will be Kiwi and Woody's 2nd clutch. The two we WANTED to mate didn't seem interested even after leaving the nesting box in there cage for 2 weeks! I have a real weakness for the whiteface mutation. Buzz is a male whiteface pied, and Auzzie is a cinnamon pearl whiteface! Those two will make some BEAUTIFUL babies if they can ever get there act together......there already cage mates just not interested in kids right now! LOL!

 

[aimz]

I think your taking a really good approach regarding Tigger. I guess birds are like people......there's just really no way to tell if they'll get along or not. As for broccoli, I give it to mine raw but I'm sure they would love it just the same cooked. I get some really strange looks when I buy a VERY small amount in a bag! I can't stand the stuff but many birds love it. Yes, with 12 tiel"s, I'm sure we will sell all but one. This will be Kiwi and Woody's 2nd clutch. The two we WANTED to mate didn't seem interested even after leaving the nesting box in there cage for 2 weeks! I have a real weakness for the whiteface mutation. Buzz is a male whiteface pied, and Auzzie is a cinnamon pearl whiteface! Those two will make some BEAUTIFUL babies if they can ever get there act together......there already cage mates just not interested in kids right now! LOL!

haha omg i love all there name's ive always wanted to name a furbaby kiwi...
so will you hand rear the babies for a while until they are ready to fly the nest ?
i think im gonna try raw and cooked broccoli for tigger and see if he likes one better ..
is there anything else i could give to him as a treat ?
thank you so much for all your help and advise , tigger decided to have a little sing song at 1.00 am which led me to say " its bed time,go na'nights we can have a sing along in the morning " of course he didnt listen lol

Buzz and Auzzie sound like they have there priorities right lol

 

[Robert Seale]

LOVED your last post! It's a shame you don't live next door! I'd let you have FIRST pick! We still don't have any of the five eggs hatched yet but Kiwi has already fathered 9 beautiful babies from two different mates!!! Sadly his first mate Dacey passed away while STILL feeding the first clutch we had! Our vet think she asperated some of her food she was eating to feed the babies an got an infection in her lungs! Kiwi stepped up like a real trooper and fed them for another week by himself until we took over and hand fed them. Yes, That's how you tame babies......by hand feeding them and them getting use to you handling them. The more you handle and talk to them at a very young age, the more tame the bird will be. THAT'S why so many people on here have half wild birds because people don't want to go to the trouble of doing it RIGHT! Could you post some pictures of tigger?

 

[aimz]

LOVED your last post! It's a shame you don't live next door! I'd let you have FIRST pick! We still don't have any of the five eggs hatched yet but Kiwi has already fathered 9 beautiful babies from two different mates!!! Sadly his first mate Dacey passed away while STILL feeding the first clutch we had! Our vet think she asperated some of her food she was eating to feed the babies an got an infection in her lungs! Kiwi stepped up like a real trooper and fed them for another week by himself until we took over and hand fed them. Yes, That's how you tame babies......by hand feeding them and them getting use to you handling them. The more you handle and talk to them at a very young age, the more tame the bird will be. THAT'S why so many people on here have half wild birds because people don't want to go to the trouble of doing it RIGHT! Could you post some pictures of tigger?

awww im so sorry you lost dacey, kiwi sounds like a strong and beautiful boy ..
i will try and post some pictures of tigger if i can get them onto my laptop and plus they might not be great pics as that little monster freaks out when im close (as you know) but i will try
im wondering if you know anything about this , tigger has been walking around the bottom of his cage , when i went to uncover him this morning he was trotting around the bottom of his cage , he dont seem to have any injures (thank goodness) but hes done it a few times now .. is that normal behavour ? i did read if a bid sits at the bottom of the cage its a sign that its sick but he just seems to walk about .
do i have anything to be concerned about ?
also please keep me updated on the chicks , when they hatch,how they are doing etc ...

Aimz

 

[Robert Seale]

Thanks for your kind words about Dacey and Kiwi. Even to this day, Dacey is STILL missed and Kiwi is STILL a cheeky devil! It should come as no surprise that he thinks of himself as the Alpha male around here although one of his own sons ( Tiki ) won't take any crap from him! LOL! As long as Tigger is trotting ( or strutting ) around the bottom of his cage, that's normal. It's when you find him sitting still in a corner of a cage fluffed up.....THAT'S when you better see a vet. As of this post, no hatching yet but we're watching them very close. Regarding pictures...do you have a smartphone with a camera in it? That's how I get most of mine. You might try getting one with Tigger and you in it!

 

[aimz]

Thanks for your kind words about Dacey and Kiwi. Even to this day, Dacey is STILL missed and Kiwi is STILL a cheeky devil! It should come as no surprise that he thinks of himself as the Alpha male around here although one of his own sons ( Tiki ) won't take any crap from him! LOL! As long as Tigger is trotting ( or strutting ) around the bottom of his cage, that's normal. It's when you find him sitting still in a corner of a cage fluffed up.....THAT'S when you better see a vet. As of this post, no hatching yet but we're watching them very close. Regarding pictures...do you have a smartphone with a camera in it? That's how I get most of mine. You might try getting one with Tigger and you in it!

haha well kiwi sounds like a right little joker and as for tiki well i think kiwi has met his match hahaha
yeah i was watching Tigger for half hour the other day and he was acting so weird , he would jump off his perch walk along the bottom of his cage and climb up on his perch by his water bowl , turn around on his perch in random areas , nudge his mirror then do his little jump off his perch again, he would bob is head in a random way then he also sat IN his food bowl with his beak sticking out the bars and he would stop near his door sometimes which i thought that maybe he wanted to come out so i opened his door but he just hissed at me and walked away lol he done a little whistle that ive never heard him make before which was really cute , more like a cherp .... i was a little worried with this because it was so out of charecter for him , he did fall at one point and was stuck because his wing was open and stuck on the floor kinda like if we were leaning on our elbow , i panicked and was about to open the door and try to guide him but he managed to get himself upright ...

i will see if i can get a pic on here .

 

[aimz]

 

[aimz]

 

[Robert Seale]

NICE! Thank you for the pics of Tigger, you did good. From your post it sounds like he's just running off a little steam! LOL! Does he get much out of cage time to stretch his wings? He does look similar to Kwi. BTH, GREAT news! We had a baby hatch sometime last night! It may turn out to be the only one as the other eggs didn't look so good the other day when we took them out for inspection. I'll leave them in the box until next weekend to see what happens.Kiwi use to be a big talker and whistler but not so much anymore. When he does though, he's always the loudest one! LOL!

 

[aimz]

NICE! Thank you for the pics of Tigger, you did good. From your post it sounds like he's just running off a little steam! LOL! Does he get much out of cage time to stretch his wings? He does look similar to Kwi. BTH, GREAT news! We had a baby hatch sometime last night! It may turn out to be the only one as the other eggs didn't look so good the other day when we took them out for inspection. I'll leave them in the box until next weekend to see what happens.Kiwi use to be a big talker and whistler but not so much anymore. When he does though, he's always the loudest one! LOL! View attachment 93077

Oh he’s beautiful ! Yay is the chick ok ?
aww I hope the others hatch soon , they might just be enjoying the warmth of the egg lol
No unfortunately Tigger don’t come out which I hate because I would love for him to come out and have a little fly but he’s just to scared , I will keep leaving his door open and see if he wants to come out .

 

[Robert Seale]

It sounds like Tigger is what we call "cage bound". For what ever reason there either too afraid or stubborn to venture out. I'd be willing to bet if you leave that cage door open long enough ( with you there of coarse ) his curiosity will get the better of him and he'll venture out! Even our wild child (Harpor) comes out fairly often now. She's not as scared as she once was. About the only place she'll fly is over to Pepper and Ziggy's cage and just hang out on top. MORE news about the babies.....we had yet another one hatch sometime last night!!! Three more eggs to go but we'll be shocked if they all hatch! I'll keep you posted.

P.S Have you given any thought to getting tigger a buddy? Or do you even want one? If you can find one that's hand tamed and raised and Tigger see's him flying in and out, perhaps that will encourage him.

 

[aimz]

It sounds like Tigger is what we call "cage bound". For what ever reason there either too afraid or stubborn to venture out. I'd be willing to bet if you leave that cage door open long enough ( with you there of coarse ) his curiosity will get the better of him and he'll venture out! Even our wild child (Harpor) comes out fairly often now. She's not as scared as she once was. About the only place she'll fly is over to Pepper and Ziggy's cage and just hang out on top. MORE news about the babies.....we had yet another one hatch sometime last night!!! Three more eggs to go but we'll be shocked if they all hatch! I'll keep you posted.

P.S Have you given any thought to getting tigger a buddy? Or do you even want one? If you can find one that's hand tamed and raised and Tigger see's him flying in and out, perhaps that will encourage him.

You know what I actually thought about looking for a hand tamed one and thought the same as what you just said , I don’t actually know how old Tigger is is there anyway to tell by looking at them ?
Oh that’s great news I hope they all hatch , how are they doing ? Do you know the sex of them yet ?
I brought some broccoli so I’m gonna try Tigger with it tomorrow ( fingers crossed ) and I also think I’m gonna try and leave his cage door open for him and see what happens .