Newbie Cockatiel Mom Needs Help

[mikeymmt]

Hello everyone, I am mikeymmt from Denver. I am so glad I found your site. I have read a great deal of your posts and really have enjoyed them and have learned a few things. I truly am a newbie at raising a cockatiel. I got Sweet Pea almost two months ago and it isn't until this past week her attitude changed. She is almost 4 month old. Her sweetness has disappeared. She thinks that she can sit in my shoulder 24/7 and you know realistically she can't. I have to ignore her pacing in and begging to get out. I have caught her trying to figure out how to open the cage door which she can't thank goodness. I take her out of her cage 3 or 4 times aday. She does nothing but shreak the whole time she sits on my shoulder. I walk into the room and the minute she sees me she shreaks. I ignore her when this happens too. I go out of the room for a while and I can hear her chirping nicely and playing with her toys in the cage. She paces, begs and shreaks so much this past week that she falls asleep around 4pm or 5pm and very soundly I might add. The shreaking sounds like some very bad radio reception. How many of you out there have experienced this? The shreaking brings me to tears. How can something so small be louder than some of the very loud men in my apartment building? Help. mikeymmt

[Bea]

Welcome to the forums!!

Rest assured you're doing everything right by ignoring her screams. It's an issue that a lot of tiel owners have to come, but if you don't reward her screaming by giving her attention she should get bored with making the noise (because it doesn't get her what she wants) and stop. :)

[Cannuck2007]

Welcome to the forums!!

Rest assured you're doing everything right by ignoring her screams. It's an issue that a lot of tiel owners have to come, but if you don't reward her screaming by giving her attention she should get bored with making the noise (because it doesn't get her what she wants) and stop. :)

Welcome!
Bea is right, we have one that is like Velcro:wacko:I love him but I have 13 birds in the house, many of which are quarantined so it just isn't practical.
He is getting better with being separated from me.:)

[xxxSpikexxx]

The static radio noise he is making is the sound baby tiels make when they want food or attention. I thought Spike would never stop making that noise but he did grow out of it and Iam sure your tiel will aswell :)

[mikeymmt]

How long did it take for him to stop? Sweet Pea will chirp prettily for a moment or two but when I go and tell her good girl she starts her static again. Did you have any hair left by the time Spike stopped his static? I know I am starting to pull mine out, but I am a patient person and Sweet Pea is not going to win this little battle. She is my companion and I am not giving up on her.

[Abigail Jad 123]

A friend of mine had a lovebird with the same problem. She did the same thing that Bea suggested, and her pet soon grew out of it, and I'm sure that Sweet Pea will too.

[xxxSpikexxx]

Spike did it for almost a month, than one day he just stopped and we were like oh my gosh he stopped :p It is something that worried me as well. When it stopped I was glad. But now if I see a baby tiel doing it I think it is cute :D

[mikeymmt]

I guess I have three more weeks hopefully. I just finished bird proofing my living room and kitchen Sweet Pea can have the run of both and I don't have to put her back into her cage when goes into her radio static mode. I certainly will not feel guilty then. I have her on the floor now and she is being pretty good, but she is snuggled up against my foot making tiny chirping noises. Opps spoke to soon. STATIC!!!

[xxxSpikexxx]

Awwww the many joys of cockatiels :p They are so worth it though :D

[Maya]

This is the noise they make when they want food. My first tiel, Cutiepie I got when she was still being hand fed. She wanted that food 24/7. She'd stop with the noise for a few minutes after the food then start again. She only did this when she saw me. Once they are eating totally on there own and get to 4 months or so, this should stop. Hang in there.