# new cockatiel owner



## herbertthebunny (Jan 24, 2010)

Hello there,
I have just become owner to a 4 year old cockatiel called George who was looking for a new home,ive kept budgies for years but was wondering if anyone had any tips on how best to get him to settle into a new home,his owner died and that is why i now have him.
i would like to get him as friendly as possible but have been told he wasnt handled much,is it too late?
Any advice greatfully received.
Thanks


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## Paws&Claws (Aug 29, 2009)

Congratulations on your new birdie! 

Cockatiels arent that different from budgies  They like having baths, eating millet, playing with toys etc

They sing very very loud though! 

If hes all by himself it will probs be easier to handtame him then if he was with a friend.
Heres a website i found that may help:
Cockatiels, Taming and Biting, How to tame cockatiels, How to stop a cockatiel from biting, stopping cockatiels from biting, how to tame a cockatiel, how to stop cockatiels from biting, stop a cockatiel or other parrot, bird from biting, hand taming 

I handtamed my Cockatiel Cookie by giving her a piece of food through the bars, eventually when she was confident enough to take it through the bars, i would open the cage and bob my hand in with my finger out and a piece of food in hand... if you keep very still they become interested. One step at a time and dont rush 

My Cookie was extremely tame and use to sit on my shoulder while i walked around the house  She also would come when she was called which was great. If you keep at it you will have a lovely friend 

Handtame or not, they tend to have abit of a talk and sing song, so if you join in with him he will listen and copy you!

For the first few days id leave him to get use to his surroundings and sounds of your house, is he in a room that you usually sit in? They usually like to hear things and have a good view of the room 

Hope that helps alittle x


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## herbertthebunny (Jan 24, 2010)

Hi,thanks for that advice,
He is in the lounge next to the sofa so we can talk to him and get him used to the noises etc,he seems happy enough,whistling and eating.

He is nervous when you go up to the cage so we talk to him as we approach so as not to scare him to much.he spends alot of time just scooting up and down the bottom of the cage,is that normal?
The only thing i need to watch at the moment is we have a house bunny who is very nosy and keeps trying to look in the cage which i think scares him a bit,but they need to get used to each other.

which toys are best?
Thanks x


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## Paws&Claws (Aug 29, 2009)

herbertthebunny said:


> Hi,thanks for that advice,
> He is in the lounge next to the sofa so we can talk to him and get him used to the noises etc,he seems happy enough,whistling and eating.
> 
> He is nervous when you go up to the cage so we talk to him as we approach so as not to scare him to much.he spends alot of time just scooting up and down the bottom of the cage,is that normal?
> ...


Our cockatiels sometimes sit on the floor and have a peck around its to pick up bits of food that might have dropped down etc  Our male sometimes pecks the side of the cage like a woodpecker too!! They are strange little things lol

They will get use to each other, our 2 cockatiels are use to lots of doggies and our house rabbit having a sniff now and again 

The best toys depend on the bird, but boredom busters are the best, so you need things that will keep them guessing and will reward behaviour. Our two love there bells and mirrors. Because hes by himself getting him a mirror would be good, as he has someone to talk to  they also love swings etc too

So its just a case of finding out what he likes to play with 

Heres some stuff that they like:
Cockatiel Treats | Pets at Home

Its good that hes in the lounge  They like to keep an eye on things and hear lots of bits and things to copy  x


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