# new cockatiel help



## SnowballTheTiel (Sep 23, 2018)

i recently got a new cockatiel today and he is a cute white bird with short headfeathers. i used to have a cockatiel named pebbles until he flew away last year but i bought pebbles already hand tame. this new cockatiel is too scared of me. i also bought a hand tame budgie to keep him company because 2 cockatiels would be really expensive. i played witht he budgie because he was hand tame and he seemed to calm down when he saw me witht he budgie but he is still really afraid. i heard i need to wait like 3 days for him to get used to his environment but im afraid he will be scared of me for a long time. he is missing a nail in one foot and some of his feathers are dirty/messed up (probably from the times he went crazy when i went near him. he did let me scritch him through the bars of the cage but even then he gets mad. i need to find a way to feed him and show him water because he dosent seem to do anything. he took a long time to get to his perch too. he looks young but i am not sure his head feathers are really short though sorry i cant provide any pictures because my phone wont allow my computer to recieve pictures.


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## vampire (Aug 17, 2018)

how old is he ? he weaned ?.. when i got mine first 2 or 3 days was just observing and learning.. what do you want to feed him with ?


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## Vickitiel (Oct 10, 2012)

Hello there and welcome to the forum!

Can you post a picture of your new cockatiel? From your description he/she sounds like an unweaned baby. Is he/she eating and drinking at all?

It takes longer than 3 days for them to settle into their new home and environment. It can take a couple of weeks or longer and during this time you don't want to push your bird's boundaries too much. Have patience, sit by the cage and talk to your 'tiel softly. If he gets stressed when you try to touch him, stop. Try offering him a treat in your fingers through the cage bars.

If he/she is dirty, try using some warm water in a spray bottle on mist mode.


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## SnowballTheTiel (Sep 23, 2018)

Vickitiel said:


> Hello there and welcome to the forum!
> 
> Can you post a picture of your new cockatiel? From your description he/she sounds like an unweaned baby. Is he/she eating and drinking at all?
> 
> ...


i was told she was 9 months old but the guy who told me that looked busy and not paying too mutch attention to the bird he was picking. he chirps a lot especially when i play cockatial noises on my computer but i think i need to give him some time to get used to surrounding then tame him. should i leave him in only one room or move him around rooms?

he hasent eaten or drunken anything yet. same goes for his budgie friend. he was so active when i first saw him

for now i have decided to feed him seeds until he is tamed. i could leave an apple or lettuce through the bars but due to past experience with a cockatiel that dosent eat anything exept leafy greens (and im pretty sure he was just chewing it because it left a lot of little bits on the floor) i dont know if it would be good to start feeding him fruits.

and it would be nice to know if budgies can keep cockatiels company or not because i only have a budgie and 3 zebra finches (the finches are separate from the cockatiel)


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## Vickitiel (Oct 10, 2012)

Oh my, he is gorgeous! 

It looks like his crest has been severely plucked by another bird. It may grow back in time or it may not. Unfortunately I can't really guess the age from the photos, he looks fairly young though. Does he make a begging sound at all (sounds kind of like a dinosaur noise) or bob his head?

You should keep him stationary in one room. Don't relocate the cage while he is settling in, all this does is add extra stress. You want to make him feel as calm and comfortable as possible. Also it's quite normal for them not to eat anything on their first couple of days in a new home.

Cockatiels aren't natural fruit eaters. They are grainivores and also eat vegetables. You could try offering shredded carrots, celery, broccoli florets finely chopped and dark leafy greens such as spinach and silverbeet. Just because a 'tiel you had in the past didn't eat much else other than seed doesn't mean you shouldn't offer your new bird a variety of foods. The younger they are the easier it is to introduce new foods to them. Try offering him a millet spray, all birds typically go nuts over this and it might entice him (and your budgie) to start eating.

Budgies are known to bully cockatiels, but there are cases where they get along. Just keep a close eye on them and if you see any bullying or aggression, separate them.


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## SnowballTheTiel (Sep 23, 2018)

Vickitiel said:


> Oh my, he is gorgeous!
> 
> It looks like his crest has been severely plucked by another bird. It may grow back in time or it may not. Unfortunately I can't really guess the age from the photos, he looks fairly young though. Does he make a begging sound at all (sounds kind of like a dinosaur noise) or bob his head?
> 
> ...



thanks for the info. just a few minutes ago my cockatiel started acting up and going crazy and chirping. i opened the cage door to let him explore/see what he was so riled up about. he flew out and stood on the carpet for a little before i slowly came to him to try to attempt to make him "step up" onto my finger. he flew into some books then i noticed i could see his skin for a spot on his back and that made me worry. he did let me put my finger under his chest and he stood up on my finger with one foot for about a second before he dashed to the top of his cage and as i type this, he is still sitting on top of it.


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## Vickitiel (Oct 10, 2012)

If he won't fully step up on your finger are you able to get him to step up on a handheld perch to get him back into the cage? He may venture back into his cage on his own but it's important to have a way to get them back inside when you have to.


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## SnowballTheTiel (Sep 23, 2018)

Vickitiel said:


> If he won't fully step up on your finger are you able to get him to step up on a handheld perch to get him back into the cage? He may venture back into his cage on his own but it's important to have a way to get them back inside when you have to.


i got him to go on my finger but he tries to bite me when i attempt to pet him. he is not as scared of me as he used to be (maybe because he saw me handling the budgie) but he still dosent like it when i go near him. he makes a little sound that sounds like he is angry whenever i go near him. he wont go up on my finger most of the time. i feel like he is sad/mad because he tried to make a dash for the window but it was closed. he somehow was able to fly even with his wings clipped. i clip my birds wings because the last cockatiel i had flew away and he loved us. he would fly to my mother a lot for head scritches and stuff. but i worry that the other birds that he was n a cage with treated him badly because he was the only one on the floor while the others were on perches. i still play cockatiel sounds when he gets quiet and that really makes him chirp  but he still wont eat mutch even millet spray and sunflower seeds. (he definitely wont eat lettuce either) while my budgie chomps on the millet spray he sits there maybe takes a sip of water and stares at everyone in the room


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## Vickitiel (Oct 10, 2012)

That's okay, it sounds like he will take a while to feel comfortable in his new surroundings. Be patient with him and use slow movements, and leave him alone for a bit when you see him starting to get agitated. Leave the petting for now until he is more used to stepping up.

Do you cover the cage at night? You could try partly covering the cage during the day when you see him getting worked up, it usually helps to calm them down.

If your 'tiel is still not eating properly after another day or two I think you should contact the breeder you bought him from and ask again about his age, as he may be a lot younger than 9 months.


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## SnowballTheTiel (Sep 23, 2018)

Vickitiel said:


> That's okay, it sounds like he will take a while to feel comfortable in his new surroundings. Be patient with him and use slow movements, and leave him alone for a bit when you see him starting to get agitated. Leave the petting for now until he is more used to stepping up.
> 
> Do you cover the cage at night? You could try partly covering the cage during the day when you see him getting worked up, it usually helps to calm them down.
> 
> If your 'tiel is still not eating properly after another day or two I think you should contact the breeder you bought him from and ask again about his age, as he may be a lot younger than 9 months.


yes i do cover the cage at night.

i started to open the cage door and let him go out but he spends all his time on top of my zebra finch cage and on a little playground i used to use for my old bird. 

he took a few sips of water that i saw and ate about 5-10 seeds off my hand but then he bit me. i started to worry when he rejected millet spray and sunflower seeds witch my budgie and zebra finches ate (not the sunflower seeds). luckily i think the cockatiel and budgie are friends because i see them sleeping together.

he started hissing at me whenever he got angry.

just adding some info in thanks for your help!:

he took a few sips of water that i saw and ate about 5-10 seeds off my hand but then he bit me. i started to worry when he rejected millet spray witch my budgie and zebra finches ate. luckily i think the cockatiel and budgie are friends because i see them sleeping together.

just adding this because i noticed this today i noticed he hasent been trying to groom his feathers. i also noticed a small bald spot on his head. he went from a scared little bird to a bird that bites anything that goes near it.

thanks for the information you are giving me it has helped me so far just 
need to know if letting him have a way to walk out of the cage ok.


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## Vickitiel (Oct 10, 2012)

If you are having trouble with him being out of the cage perhaps don't let him out until he has settled in properly. He is probably spooking your finches by sitting on top of their cage. I have finches too and if one of my 'tiels lands on their cage it freaks them out.

Is the bald spot on his head behind his crest? This is normal, it's common for some mutations to have them permanently.

Have you taken him to an avian vet for a check up? Might be worth doing if you are worried he's not behaving normally.


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## Fran.bath89 (Jun 12, 2016)

What you need to remember is cockatiels are abit dramatic and bipolar lol they may hiss and try to bite yet not actually bite down and then out their head down for a scratch anyway! They are weirdos! Just be patient you will win his trust soon


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## kimberleykhan (Sep 8, 2012)

Your cockatiel is so beautiful but to me it does not look 9 months old it looks alot younger but that is just my opinion.


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## legacypgmr (Jun 29, 2018)

Was it a store or a breeder you bought the bird from ? If I were you I'd bring him(?) back and ask for another bird. Better still, play with whatever "babies" he has until you find one you're compatible with.

"They" say "you don't pick your bird, your bird picks you". IMO they're right.

I've never seen a baby bird "hiss".

Bought my first cockatiel, over 30 years ago, from a bird store. Had him for about 1 month and the bird would do nothing but hiss and bite. 

The book I bought back then told me if I have a baby bird, no need for him/her to "acclimate". Reach in the cage and grab a hold of him. He'll struggle for about 30-60 seconds, try to bite his way free and then, since a baby's jaws aren't strong enough to hurt you, after failing to free himself, will give up and is "tame".

2 attempts, a week apart, left me with 2 very painful bites and an untamed bird.

After a month of letting the bird acclimate, with no real success, I took him back to the store. Store owner said "Nice bird". I asked him how old he thought the bird was and he told me "Looks about 5 years old". 

I laughed and told him I bought the bird a month earlier from him and it was supposed to be a baby.

He said "No problem, my helper probably took him from the wrong cage.", called over one of his helpers and told him to put this one back and get me a baby.

Took "Oscar" back home that day and bravely (LOL) gave it another try. 60 seconds later I had a tame little baby bird sitting calmly on my finger.

My beloved Corie died about 5 years ago. I wasn't in a position to get another bird until 3 months ago. I'd begun visiting the bird store almost daily for 2 whole months and interacting with all the babies there. 

For the most part, at least 50% of them, once you'd get them up out of the "bin" and up on a finger didn't want to go back to the bin. And after that, most of them, seeing a hand reach down, would run to the hand and try to get up and out of the bin.

So now my little girl, also named Corie, is about 3 months in my home and she's the sweetest cuddliest bird you'd ever see. Of all the cockatiels I'd played with at the store, a "pearl" was my last pick. Corie picked ME and she's a doll; exactly what I was looking for.

Anyway, while there's a chance you can calm your bird down and get it used to you and have it turn into a wonderful pet, there's also a definite possibility it will never become the companion you're looking for.

Hope it works out for you.


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## Vickitiel (Oct 10, 2012)

legacypgmr said:


> "They" say "you don't pick your bird, your bird picks you". IMO they're right.
> 
> I've never seen a baby bird "hiss".
> 
> ...


I totally agree that your bird picks you instead of you picking a bird. I've had that experience with many of my 'tiels and yes, they have turned out to be lovely, sweet cuddly birds. That being said, I have also tamed cockatiels that were pretty much feral to begin with.

In regards to hissing: cockatiels hiss. It's a normal thing for them to do when they feel threatened, even babies.

To anyone considering this "taming" method from said book, I highly discourage you from trying it, this is definitely the wrong way to tame a cockatiel let alone any other animal. It is cruel and not the way to go about it at all. You will end up bleeding and also end up with a very angry, frightened bird. There are plenty of more accurate taming and bonding articles in the forum's Sticky Library and also elsewhere online.


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