# Hyperactive tiel



## Chez (Feb 17, 2011)

I feel bad for getting to this stage of having to vent, but Billies' hyperactive behaviour is increasing, driving me crazy & causing me to feel annoyed & frustrated. 

I need your help & advice, please 

I have had Billie now for 8 weeks; so I'm estimating he is approx 16 weeks of age, at the least.

As I have mentioned here before, he doesn't sleep at all during the day & has 12 hours sleep each night. He has out of cage, sunlight & fresh air everyday for approx 5 hours, in which time he will not leave me alone. If I'm reading a book, he rips the pages to threads (won't play with shredded paper or any toys when offered), when I'm at the computer, he runs around the keyboard like & maniac & bites my hand when I touch *his* mouse - although I have given him his own!! When I'm giving him my 100% undivided attention he is chewing my specs & ripping them off my face, he bites my ears & hands when I am on the phone & is generally making spending time with him an annoying experience which I'm beginning to dread.

On the other hand, he will sit on my chest, under my chin, & take all the scritches & kisses I give him for as long as I will give them. Other than that, he NEVER keeps still. 

Oh yes, getting him back into his cage is still a major drama as he knows when it's coming & he attacks hubby & I drawing blood.

In case it's of interest, he eats seeds, pellets, lettuce, celery & is just starting to eat a bit of egg. 

Please please please, can anyone shed some light on what I am doing wrong/ how normal this behaviour is/ help me to modify Billies' behaviour

Cheers :blush:


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## lperry82 (Aug 2, 2010)

I take it he was tame when you got him


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## Chez (Feb 17, 2011)

The pet shop sold him as a hand reared baby, yes.


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## lperry82 (Aug 2, 2010)

Yeh iv discovered they turn out all brats lol My cookie is one of them ha ha


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## Chez (Feb 17, 2011)

So how do you handle your brat, Cookie?


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## nwoodrow (Feb 13, 2011)

it could be just a stage in his development he's 4 months old now so he's acting bratty, my babe piccolo is just going on 7 weeks old and he loves earings, him and his roomate actually ripped up the letter k from the keyboard, which took me forever to get back in, lol. has he started to moult yet.


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## lperry82 (Aug 2, 2010)

Have you thought on getting him a friend since it will calm him down a bit and he can play with him/her rather then being a brat all the time. You wont loose the bond you have with him


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## Chez (Feb 17, 2011)

Will a friend really help to calm him down? 

No, he hasn't started to moult yet.


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## lperry82 (Aug 2, 2010)

It should do yeh


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## nwoodrow (Feb 13, 2011)

i do notice that piccolo did calm down alot when i gave him a friend, he was a singleton chick and he loves my attention, but having someone to play with and snuggle with did help, they even do their own flock call when they are seperated as piccolo is still being handfed at bedtime 4cc's but were really close to getting him weaned.


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## Chez (Feb 17, 2011)

I was hoping to not having to buy another bird 

What if they don't get on after having to go to the expense etc of obtaing a larger cage etc?


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## nwoodrow (Feb 13, 2011)

hum, well except for working through it and seeing if he will out grow it, but you have to know that if he hasnt got a flock, you are his flock, which means your his only companion in good behaviour and bad, lol. i had a lone cockatiel and his behaviour was in stages of his development he always got testy during or just before a moult.


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## Chez (Feb 17, 2011)

Hmm.. I kind of guessed Pete & I are his only flock & so he may benefit from a mate. Do tiels need to be a part of a flock more so than a budgie?


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## Chez (Feb 17, 2011)

The big question - to ride it out & see if he grows out of this bratty/ bossy stage, or look for a mate to fulfil his need to be part of a real flock .... 

It's a huge decision & a huge expense


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## nwoodrow (Feb 13, 2011)

i know it is a big decision, as to them not getting along, if you do get him a birdie flock member getting one his age or younger does help, but ive never had birds that didnt accept the other just do it slowly, and yes cockatiels are major flock birds.


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## Chez (Feb 17, 2011)

Thanks for your advice nwoodrow & IPerry - much appreciated


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## Duckybird (Sep 13, 2010)

Is Billie flighted? Let his wings grow in and encourage him to fly everyday. It will make him feel more independent and give him some much needed exercise. My male, Ducky, loves to be tossed gently in the air and fly to me. I run through the house and he thinks it's a riot. We do it for a few minutes at a time, until he's almost panting. I did this even before I got him a buddy, and it calmed him down considerably.


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## Chez (Feb 17, 2011)

Hi Duckybird 

Yes, Billie is flighted & is free to fly both outside in a large sunny screen enclosed area & in the house, for at least 5 hours everyday. After a few rounds however, it's back to annoy me 

Until yesterday, he was free to fly & play outside his cage for a couple of hours in the afternoon also. I have decided to end this time as I am just so sick & tired of him stopping me from doing things I need to get done & being very nasty about returning back to his cage.

As he is definitely more cranky in the arvo & doesn't take a nap during the day at all, I'm figuring he is just plain tired in the afternoon


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## catalinadee (Jan 1, 2011)

remember that all birds have their own individual personalities and I find that a lot of hand tame tiels are very bratty  

a thing I use to keep some of my birds away for a little while is millet (or any other treat you know they love)...
I leave it somewhere in the same room as me (otherwise they scream) and they munch on that for a while and so I can get on with what I want to do. My tiel can be a real pain when he wants to be. He screams and screams and screams if I'm not around. And half the time I go over to him and pick him up, after 10 minutes he doesn't want me any more! They can be so annoying when they want to be but we love them all the same


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## Kaoru (Sep 14, 2010)

Hey Chez,

Do you let Billie step on your hand much, or only occasionally and when you want to put him in the cage?
try to let him step up more so he doesnt know when you want to put him in the cage.
give him a treat when he steps up, or a scritch.
and try giving him treats when you just put him in the cage, (drama or no drama)
they learn this in cage=treat time fast  .
O and when you try to put him in the cage, dont think it will be a drama, believe me they sense this state of mind ( starting to sound as the dog whisperer :lol: )

Hope this will help a bit


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