# New birdie, lots of questions!



## Kestrel (Jan 1, 2009)

I brought home my new young cockatiel last friday. She is a cinnamon pearl female, and I named her "Bijou"  I gave her a few days to settle in to her new home, but since then I have been trying to work with her so that she sees me as her new friend.

There are a few things she does that I do not quite understand that I was hoping some light could be shed upon.

She does this thing where she opens her mouth and "nibbles" on my fingers when I go to pet her. Is this her way of saying "go away"? She never puts down any pressure with her mouth, she just kind of opens her mouth and touches her tongue all over my finger. I have gradually been making progress, and now she no longer nibbles me when I pet her head. She still will reach out and nibble me when I touch her anywhere else though. Is this normal? Is it something I should be trying to train out of her? When I pet her head, she also makes tiny, almost inaudible chrrps, too. Is she just talking about how she feels?

When I take her out to let her be with me, she is usually only awake for about a few minutes before she tucks her face under her wing and sleeps. She sleeps a lot. Is this to be expected just because she is young?

She doesn't seem to have any interest in treats. I have tried several different things, from fresh foods to human foods and cockatiel treats. She just won't take food or treats from me. Why?

She has at least 8 toys in her huge cage... But she doesn't play with them.  She just walks around her cage and chirps. I haven't seen her play with any of her toys. I also bought a play gym for outside of her cage, and she doesn't use any of the toys on it either. I got a pretty vast array of different kinds of toys, perches and treats, but she just doesn't seem to like anything...

Any insight is welcomed!


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## sweetrsue (Jul 8, 2008)

I'm curious how old she is. Very young ones do seem to sleep more and all 'tiel will nap during the day. 8 toys might be a bit of an overload at this early stage. I start them off with three and I don't put them all in at once. I put them in over the course of a few hours. The nibbling thing is not aggression she may be begging for food or just investigating you fingers. 'Tiels will almost always reach for your hand with their beaks first. If you react negatively to it it may confuse her.


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## Kestrel (Jan 1, 2009)

sweetrsue said:


> I'm curious how old she is. Very young ones do seem to sleep more and all 'tiel will nap during the day. 8 toys might be a bit of an overload at this early stage. I start them off with three and I don't put them all in at once. I put them in over the course of a few hours. The nibbling thing is not aggression she may be begging for food or just investigating you fingers. 'Tiels will almost always reach for your hand with their beaks first. If you react negatively to it it may confuse her.


She was hatched 10/02/08. She naps for about oh, I'd say maybe 5 to 10 minutes, and then she's awake for about 20 minutes to a half hour until she sleeps again. When she is in her cage, she's very rowdy, and travels all around the cage in circles crying at me. She only quiets up when I take her out to sit with me. 

I haven't done any sort of pulling away or yelled at her for her nibbling. I just kind of push back on her beak very very little, and touch her where I want so that she gets used to it. When she stops nibbling at me, I stop touching her. That's how I've gotten her to stop chewing on me when I try to pet her.


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## sweetrsue (Jul 8, 2008)

it sounds like begging behavior. She is still very young and probably want you to give her food from you hand. Do you give her millet? this would be a good time for it. She will be very dependent on you. Is she your only 'tiel? It's usually best to restrict petting to her head. Otherwise they can get the urge to lay eggs for you.


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## Kestrel (Jan 1, 2009)

Hmmm.. No, I do not have millet, but I suppose I can get some. I was told by the breeder that spray millet causes fatty liver disease and that it should only be an occasional treat. She said that she can tend to be a "seed junkie" so I haven't been giving her too much seed. I can't seem to get her to eat anything other than seed and pellets though (I have her eating ZuPreem Avian Maintenance diet, the fruity kind).

I certainly do not want eggs, so I suppose I can restrict my petting in other places! I thought it would've been a good idea to get her used to being poked from any angle so that if I were to have her out around friends and family that aren't used to being around birds, she wouldn't react badly. I'd like for her to be a well-socialized bird 

When you say she is "very young", I am a bit concerned... She's not so young that I shouldn't be having her yet, is she? I know that for dogs, cats, and most mammals, taking babies away from the mother/litter can be detrimental for the development of immunities, social skills and mental health. Is this the same for birds? I feel silly that I do not know this... I bought two cockatiel books and a magazine and did so much reading online, it seems kind of foolish of me to still have so many questions..

Oh, and yes, she is my only cockatiel so far.

I do want to thank you for the responses though, they are very helpful!


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## sweetrsue (Jul 8, 2008)

If they eat nothing but millet they can get fatty liver disease. The same hold true for an all seed diet. By the same token an all pellet diet can cause kidney damage. they should get a well balanced diet of seed, pellets, veggies, rice and beans. As far as how young she is I don't know how old she is. Some breeders will let a baby go the moment they see it eating seed. Some have a little more sense and wait 'till the see the baby drinking water. I like to wait 'till I've seen them drinking water for a week. It can be hard for a baby to adjust as in nature they will slowly switch from dependent to independent. They often lapse back into baby behavior. Like begging. As long as your baby is eating and drinking and gets plenty of attention it should be fine.


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## Kestrel (Jan 1, 2009)

I have tried getting her to eat fresh fruits and vegetables, but she wants nothing to do with them, the same with any other kinds of treats. I also haven't seen her drink water... But I know for the past few days, I have been trying to show her where the water bowl is. I know that water is important, though, so every morning to ensure that she gets at least a little, I take a mister bottle and mist her feathers, knowing that she'll preen it off and at least get it that way.

So far I have offered her broccoli, green bell pepper, carrot, cauliflower, orange, apple, and seedless grape.


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## sweetrsue (Jul 8, 2008)

They are more likely to try veggies first. I find their curiosity often overtakes their fear especially if you hang a green leaf of something like Bok Choy or Romaine lettuce. Plus the moisture content would be great for her if she's not drinking. I would contact the breeder if I was you to ask if she saw her drinking.


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