# New cockatiel



## Rahularora21 (Feb 21, 2011)

Hello
I just got myself a cockatiel 4 days ago.*
Hes about 3 months old.*
I was wondering if you guys could guide me as to how to best make him feel happy and welcome.*
This is my first pet ever!!
Most of the time hes quietly perched up looking around.*
Today however, I saw him standing on one leg nearly the whole day. Interchanging legs in between *Whenever I would go close to him, he would look at me n start to yawn looking all funny with his head bobbed to one side and all puffed up.*
I put my hand inside his cage and he didn't really freak out. But on taking my finger close to him so that he would sit on it, he started to look a bit angry and his crest went up. I guessed he wasn't ready so backed off.*
He at times suddenly gets extremely hyper and starts to run around his cage. All over the food and water tray.*
And if I place him close to a window he just doesn't stop. Keeps running around the side of the window, probably hearing some bird sounds and getting excited. I have now stopped putting him close to the window.*

Thought I should ask you guys if everything is going fine and take some tips as to how to do the right job in raising him. I've named him koko


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## Rahularora21 (Feb 21, 2011)

a pic of my lil guy


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## Guest (Feb 21, 2011)

That's such a lovely post and he's a handsome boy  no experience of birdies but I'm just giving your post a bump so it doesn't get lost. 

Either way he'll be super happy with you no matter what, I'm sure 

Em
xx


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## Jess2308 (May 12, 2009)

He is beautiful.

His cage looks a little bare, try to get some natural perches (branches) of varying widths to keep his feet healthy, and for him to chew on. And some toys also.

Dont try to handle him if he is not used to it. It took about 4 months before I could handle my cockatiel, I had to spend a couple of hours each day just sat by the cage talking to her, and whistling - she loves whistling! Also, find out what treats he likes and try to tempt him into taking that from you - it will take a while though!! 

Patience is key for taming any bird. I have two aviary bred cockatiels, one tamed down beautifully in tame and is the friendliest bird I own. The other (her companion) never accepted any human interaction and will scream and flap if i put my hand in the cage, and has given me a few nasty bites! With perseverance most will tame enough to be handled, but its not a guarantee at all.


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## petzplazaUK (Feb 21, 2011)

hiya 
aww hes gorgeous.
as already said he does need some toys and stimulation as they are only small but are quite clever birdies (too clever sometimes) , i have cockateils and larger parrots and i would say theyre personality is that of a larger parrot in a smaller body.
in the wild theyre sociable and will hang about in flocks so company is important for them , ideally its best to have at least two together because of this, but obviously thats up to u.i have used bits of millet and fed it through the bars to get them used to my hands as they absolutely love millet and then gradually put ur hand in the cage with the millet on top of ur hand so they dont see ur hand as a threat, treats like millet are definately good for training them.basically he just needs to associate that ur hand is a friend and that u are no threat to him and u will see his character and personality come out, its all new for him too as he hasnt been there all that long. 

toys wise- toilet roll middles stuffed with shredded paper are good and u can hide treats amongst the paper for them, wooden toys , acrylic toys, most of my cockateils (i have approx 20) love something with a bell on it or love to chew, ladders,mirrors,ropes,swings. they love either a spray or a bath-they will hang upside down wings stretched out to have a good scrub lol

Food: a good seed mix and millet, fresh fruit and veg if possible - altho they arent keen on it , it is good for them, sometimes they prefer to eat fruit hanging from a kabob make sure u have cuttlefish for him, mine have mineral blocks aswell

Do u know anyone with an apple/fruit tree? or willow? you can use the branches after giving them a good wash , they have great fun destroying stripping the bark off and the branch varies in width so good for their little toes to keep them excercised, they can be used as perches, there are lists around of safe plants for birds , should be safe trees on them too .
anything hanging they will have a nibble at and chew.
takes them a while to settle in and trust u but once he does he will be ur best friend and i guarantee that just watching him will have you laughing, ive laughed so much watching mine cause underneath they can be quite mischevious and when he trusts u enough to handle him u will love it.

some of mine have learnt to talk aswell tho i raised some of them, only problem is now they know how they dont shut up lol keep hearing peek a boo hello pretty bird

hope thats of help to u , if i can help with anything else or ur not sure what i mean, just shout and ill help best i can 

:thumbup:


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## Rahularora21 (Feb 21, 2011)

wow... thanks for the response guys 
yeah hes fun to watch already!
he eats his seeds like machine... as if its the last day on earth and he wont get anymore tomorrow....
he had a night fright yesterday which freaked me out as well and broke 2 of his feathers.... 
i then kept him in my room and slept with the tube light on to ensure the lil guy doesnt hurt himself again.... thought i really didnt get a wink... but then he was fine 
i put my hand in the cage again and he didnt get scared.... i didnt dare touch him after what happened yesterday but managed to reach within a few cms... i hope thats a good thing that he aint too scared!!
did put a small spongy ball in his cage which he did try to climb over but when he realised that it can roll and throw him on the floor, he stopped... but that moment was hilarious!!

should i keep him close to a window?? cause he keeps running around whenever i do and im not sure if thats good or not...

i talk to him about 2-3 minutes every 1-2 hrs.... me still learning to whistle...
He doesnt eat veggies yet though will try feeding him apples!!


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## Rahularora21 (Feb 21, 2011)

oh and he loves to stand on one leg.....
i moved his cage to my room but he maintained that posture until he started to fall off balance.... 
now in my room and back to one leg yoga pose with the occasional yawn....


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## alan g a (Feb 23, 2011)

Having seen the picture that you included he seems to be in good health, however I Think he may be suffering from boredom. This is common among most of the parrot family. Try adding 1 or 2 more perches so he as a choice of places to sit. I would also suggest you get some toys for him to play with (be carfeful not to overcrowd the cage). In the mean time be patient. He will settle down in his own time and become a great source of joy. Tiels can be very noisy at times however. Trust me I know, I have 7.


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## Jess2308 (May 12, 2009)

I wouldnt keep a light on over him at night, birds need about 12 hours sleep a day. The best idea is to cover his cage at night so its completely dark and he shouldnt be able to see anything to give him a fright 

I try to keep all mine near a window, they wont benefit from the UV lighting as it cant get through glass, but it does give them something to look at 

The standing on one leg is just how they sleep, its good that he's feeling relaxed enough to sleep while you're in the room


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## Rahularora21 (Feb 21, 2011)

but each time i put him near a window, (i have a park right outside the window) he hears birds tweeting and gets super hyper!! should i continue to keep him near a window or stop??
thought i should try to get him out, but his wings were too big so clipped em a lil, yesterday, now it seems he's angry or scared.... doesnt let me put my hand in the cage 
hoping for things to improve in a few days....
no shops for his toys near my place, would go and search for one in a few days.... any recommendations as to what all i should get for him??
thanks for you interest in my koko guys


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## petzplazaUK (Feb 21, 2011)

they love any toys with bells on or mirrors, the rope types with little blocks, links joined together, swings are another favorite, u can find toys online 

did he come from an aviary before hun? it sounds like he is used to birdy company and gets excited when he hears them , generally they live with other birdies in the wild anyway which is why they are better in pairs , no matter how hard u try u cant be a bird that they associate with and watching them interact with each other is so funny, theyre little wind up merchants lol, his getting hy[per is probably excitement
they can be noisy yes!! a few of mine actually talk and go on and on with hello pretty birdie etc but i raised them myself so they have got used to voices from a very young age, then they try and compete with each other lol

if u cant get toys locally u might be able to get them online , where u can buy them and then have them posted to u, i have a few in my shop for smaller birdies if u want to take a look , otherwise ebay or similar, you can also have fun making your own - they will chew toilet roll middles:thumbup:


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