# Tiel, darling, she's just not that into you...



## Philby (Apr 23, 2009)

I'm a bird novice and have been an owner over the last year, however I had birds when I was a child, which was some time, lets say, decades ago. Over the last year I originally bought a cage and two budgies. I then bought a bigger cage and two more budgies, then two more.

We have fun, but the budgies are quite independent as far the emotional connection to me goes, they'd much rather hang with their own, which is cool. This brings me to deciding on a more personal bird, such as a cockatiel.

One day by chance I see the tiel for me, only I don't yet have a cage for her, no worries, I have small cage to isolate for a few weeks. One thing led to another and I didn't get a tiel cage and ended up putting her with the budgies. I already knew they may not get along but it turns out they settled nicely with only the occasional squabble.

Two weeks pass, I get a cage for the tiel and begin some training, the bird is confident and quickly learns the step up/step down. Awesome! 
Unfortunately we got too confident and flew into a door, the next day I noticed one eye was closed, closer inspection revealed a dullness and some slight milky dots, off to the vets we go.

He checks her out and gives over some antibiotics and eye drops which have to be applied four times daily for ten days. No, we did not like that at all!
Pia took it well (she didn't bite me) for this period and her eye cleared up fine.

During this time, I tried to mend the shaky relationship with bribes of millet, playtime and "it’s for the best" conversations, which by all accounts seemed to be working. Once healed I reintroduce the budgies to the room and like a rocket Pia is all over their cage, in what can best be described "as look at all the pretty colours", fascinated. 

When playtime is over, the training is forgotten and she refuses to return to her own cage. I should say at this point I have barely heard a peep out of her, besides a generic: let me out - is that another tiel I hear - feed me call.

A few months pass and on each instance of cage cleaning day or if she sees/hears the budgies, pacing and calling ensues. As I often work late or for extended hours I decided on another tiel to keep her company.

I find this adorable inquisitive little tiel and over time introduce them, they get along okay. The little one is a bit of a hisser who is slowly reducing in frequency and vigor. Chicken has also grasped the step up/down, albeit a little clumsy.

They eat together, and that’s about it. Pia will attempt the scritch by toying with Chickens feet, who in turn rests, yes rests her beak on the back of Pia's neck, I'm not sure Chicken knows what to do. Neither gets scritches from me, although my nose is slowly making progress. They don't really play that much together, but if I take Pia to another room, Chicken starts calling but not vice versa.

One day out of the blue Pia finds a voice... budgie sounds! She coo's and twitters and attempts the budgie cackles, which from her sound more like a crow. Okay...

So last night we're all in the lounge room after I built a tree for them and I’m watching Pia and Smudgie. Its evident Pia loves Smudgie, and whilst Smudgie might be the most inquisitive budgie who always initiates the investigation for something new, she does not love Pia. She will nip and chase Pia around the top of the cage and Pia responds with presenting and following her everywhere, which has me thinking, is Pia a boy and why is she/he attracted to a budgie?

Here’s the thing, when the budgies are in the room all my training is forgotten, any attempt to remove Pia from the top of their cage is met with ignorance and avoidance. Whilst I don't mind the social aspect, last night Pia got a wicked bite on the foot from Terrance (who is a grump). I have tried covering the top of the cage to prevent this, then Pia just crawls around the sides, there is a huge door, but she never goes in.
If the budgie cage is around, food, water, home, sleep and the other tiel are all but forgotten.

I'm considering employing the budgies as a treat, a play day all together once or twice a week and I'm wondering if this is wise, however, given the choice Pia would sit on their cage forever, and is that healthy? 

I allow the tiels out each night while I am at home and they are well behaved, staying to their area and responding well to any training I offer. Pia will leap to my hand on command and as I increase the distance each time, it puts a big smile on my dial... as long as the budgies are elsewhere.

Wow, that’s a big post, my apologies 

Any thoughts?


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## kimmikefids (Aug 2, 2008)

ah...ok starting from the beginning....Pia thinks the budgies are her flock...she loves them and feels safe with them and also has picked her mate (Smudgie)....from what u have said i believe Pia is a boy...tho a pic would tell us for sure.....males generally change to females once the first few moults have happened....post a pic or if u can describe her we can tell u for sure.....the reason teh training is forgotten is because once with her flock...what does she need u for??? i would recommend (as hard as it sounds) ceasing all budgie/tiel play time....because it is confusing her.....she has a little buddie in Chicken who again if u post a pic or describe we can sex for u most of the time....and she wont bond with Chicken while she is longing for Smudgie! this is a quick break down cause dinner is ready  feel free to ask more questions but i would encourage playtime with both u and Chicken but not at all with the budgies...even as a bribe.....because all the work uve done in the week...and all the work Chicken has done...she will see her flock and Smudgie and say cya guys!! and all will be forgotten...this is also why she makes budgie sounds and doesnt call for chicken.....after seeing the budgies interact and being part of their flock...she thinks she is a budgie!


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## Philby (Apr 23, 2009)

Thank you for your reply, that makes perfect sense. She really turns it on when the budgies are around, it's quite funny to watch. Ive posted some photos here for your viewing pleasure


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## atvchick95 (Sep 17, 2007)

Pia looks like a cinnamon male to me also looks like he may have been born a Cinnamon Pearl, I see a lot of white "splotches" on his wings. Male pearls loose their pearling around 6 months some are left behind and they'll loose the rest at about a year SOME keep a hint of pearls though. I don't think the females get a pure yellow head on cinnamon's 

Chicken is a lutino - and unless you know the parents mutations including splits, You'll have to wait for her/him to show his gender. by doing either female things (being quiet most of the time) or male things(talking, whistling, heart wings, beak banging) All these are normally shown at the earliest of 4 months. by 6 months you'll know a bit more and by a year You should know for sure. But on lutino's it will be hard. as its hard to see if they have the "female" wing spots under their wings and the "female" baring on the tails. - The wing spots and baring will leave on males normally around 6 months they start fading away, by a year they should be completely gone if not 100% gone


your budgies are adorable just in case you didn't know you have 2 males and 1 female the one in the center is the female


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## Philby (Apr 23, 2009)

So Alice is a male, certainly makes all the noise of one. He's coming of age, such a timid little thing when I first got him, now he flirts with all the girls. Alice Cooper, there you go, Alice can be a boys name 

I think Chicken is going through a moult, quite a few white downy feathers on the floor this week. She is pretty quiet but is picking up confidence from Pia. 

Last night I was training Pia to jump over to my hand, we're a good 6ft from the cage and Chicken launches over, two tiels squeezing onto my hand was so cute


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## kimmikefids (Aug 2, 2008)

aww poor chicken!! moult time is not fun!!! they sound like lovely tiels!


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