# I think I may have frightened my new cockatiel



## Gittan (Jun 7, 2011)

Hi we just got a cokatiel girl some 3 weeks ago, she's 1 years old and was living with a family our size but they had to let her go since their daughter got allergies. 

I am working at home so she sees most of me during the day and at first seemed to like me. She would run up to my chin and rub her head against it and put her beak up to my lips allowing me to strich (? sp) her. When she had been here about a week I tried to mist spray her for a bath and SHE WENT WILD  Since than she seems to almost hate me. She will step up to my finger and she'll sit on my shoulder but she will not let me touch her. She's acting like that with my husband also, but our 10 year old son she LOVES and is kinda possesive with him. She'll jump over to him every chance she gets and she'll carress him and all that, witch is sweet, but also creating a problem since he's obviously not always around and the rest of us would like to have her with us without a fuss and a bite.

Another thing is that she seems to have a "divided" heart, sometimes (very rearly) she does want me and my husband to cuddle her but than the next second she'll scream at us and go for a bite. 

I do alot of sitting by her cage and just read to her and she seems to like that, *as long as my son is nowhere near.* I let her sit on my knee and play with her favourit toy for probably 2 hrs a day and she will get all cozy, putting her leg up and start to (what's it called) grinching her beak, sometimes even fall a sleep on my knee. And then she hears my son come home and has a fit - screams at me, and tries to fly away.

So - do you have any advices for me/us? Does she hate the rest of us? Will she ever come around? Did I do something terribly wrong that she just won't get over and befriend me again?

She has stolen my and my husbands hearts so we'd REALLY appreciate ANY input on this 

Thanks,
Ella


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

She seems to think of your son as her mate...which can cause issues. How many hours of darkness does she get a night. It sounds like she's hormonal which could by why she's acting as she is. To lower her hormones you can put her on the long nights treatment (12-14hrs of darkness a night) by covering her for longer periods. You should see results in about 2 weeks if its going to work. Also, when scritching her, do you notice any white pins coming in? She may be molting which would make getting scritches hurt sometimes if you hit the pin wrong. But she does seem to want to be with you so she's not necessarily mad at you just sees you as competition for your son. But she sure does sound like a little sweetheart.


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## Gittan (Jun 7, 2011)

Thanks.

Yes she is molting - the pins are there especially on her head. And she is losing her feathers and growing new fligh feathers.

I will try to cover her for longer - we also live in Iceland, the land of the Midnight sun, so this time a year we have about 23,5 hrs. of sunlight. We've been covering her up for about 11-12 hrs. but I'll try this, covering her for longer 

And yes she is a sweetheart (especially when my son is not at home, hehe). Her name is Lady - and she definatly is one


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

The molting would explain why she screeches when you try to scritch her, pin feathers can be sore. Once its over, she'll probably have no issues with head scratches lol.


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## Alfred (Jun 17, 2011)

Yes you have got the right reason the bird is considering the son her mate that is why the problem of remain always with you is being generated.Any how its good that you have loosed your hearts for her and have built a relation ship too with your bird.


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