# Can they bond with more than one person?



## Tacotielca (Dec 3, 2013)

Our taco is very boned to me. If my daughter and I sit on the couch together she seems to always wants to come to me. This makes my dd sad as she wants taco to sit on her. Can a tiel love more than one person? Is it just a matter of my dd spending more time with her - it seems that for now I spend the most time with taco so she has bonded to me but I want her bonded with the rest of the family too. Is this possible?


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## LaurulCat (Jan 4, 2014)

Yes. She will pick her favorite person and be most bonded to that person, but she can also be friends with everyone else IF everyone else makes a point of keeping in touch with her. The less favored people should make it a point of giving the bird a treat she really likes at least once a day, of also taking out time to talk to the bird, perhaps interact with her with a toy or create a game for her to play them them.

The biggest reason some birds become one person birds is that other, less favored humans in the family stop interacting with them. If you want to have a relationship with a bird, you have to put in the time to interact with them and make that time valuable to the bird as well as the human.

My bff has my oldest cockatiel living at her house with my bff's cock cockatiel, Noel. Noel is mated with Mindy, who is 13 years old and was not doing well here at my house. I had Mindy staying with my bff because the younger birds were bothering Mindy, who has moderately severe kidney failure. Well, Mindy bonded with Noel and they became mates, so she lives with my bff although she is my tiel. I keep up my relationship with Mindy by giving her her greatest loved treat: MILLET! Every time I go to my friend's house, I give Mindy millet and she continues to interact with me like she always has. What is funny is that Mindy wants nothing to do with my bff; will not take treats from her, let her pet her or anything. Once in a while Mindy lands on my friend's shoulder, but refuses to allow my friend to scritch or touch her and flies away.

So, yes, birds can have their favorite person as well as have other human friends as well. But it is up to the humans to keep up the relationship, otherwise, the bird will start ignoring the humans because they don't give treats any more or personally interact with the bird. Bird seem to figure: out of sight/out of mind. You must stay in their world or they will freeze you out. It is a factor in the way flocks interact and is normal behavior for avians.


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## Peetenomax (Nov 23, 2013)

We adopted Dexter in November. The shelter guesses that he's 3-6 years old. He's friendly but shittish about hands. No touching. Since we've had him it's clear that he has a preference for my husband. He'll follow Jack aroind the house. Me not so much. 
He does have things he does with me but not with Jack. I make sure I have time for him every day. Evenings in the kitchen are part of the daily routine. He gets shoulder time. We talk & interact. he started to allow me fake preen his head. It started as a breif peck, now it's a thing. He gets a head massage given with my lips every night.

So my husband & I both are developing good relations with Dexter. Just in different ways.


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## CaliTiels (Oct 18, 2012)

Yes, a tiel can like more than one person. Beaker isn't really a people bird, but favors me more than my father. He will always step up for me, but only sometimes for my father. Jaid is very social and steps up for everybody, even people he hasn't met before, although a little hesitant, he does it by himself. I am the one who cares for them, so they bonded with me the most. Your daughter could offer her millet, or whatever her favorite treat may be, when she holds her. Food is a good motive


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## moonchild (Jul 29, 2012)

Most of my tiels like everybody, once they get a chance to ascertain that a stranger is not dangerous.  They sort of freak out at first, then get curious and have to fly to the stranger's shoulder to say hi. I'm the one that spends the most time with them, but they also know and like my boyfriend -- so when he comes in the room, they get excited. If we're both in the room, Solaire usually wants me to give him attention over my bf, but if it's just him and the birds, they will all act just as friendly to him as they do to me.


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## goose'smom (Jan 1, 2014)

My cockatiel loves me and my husband, but prefers me, calls for me only, and will only let me cuddle with him/her. I honestly believe its because I make him/her special meals and take care of all his personal care. I feed him breakfast and change his water in the morning, give him, special snacks in the afternoon, and spend a lot of time playing with him through the cage in between free play. My husband does not do any of that stuff. Because you are the mom you are probably doing all the little things that kids usually don't do for pets. Unfortunately, those are the things the birds remember most. If she can take part in the daily upkeep I bet their relationship would improve. Oh I also KNOW that Goose appreciates the time I spend "remodeling" his cage. I make new toys and move old ones around and he loves watching me do that and get back inside to play. She might love doing that for taco


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