# Will a second tiel help?



## goldenbrown (Jun 25, 2009)

I posted in this forum about a week ago about my pied female cockatiel and working with her to earn her trust. She's settled down a little bit since then. She doesn't race back to her perch when I walk in on her feeding at her seed cup, and she started chewing on the chew toy I put in her cage. She was vocalising quite a bit today and I would whistle back and say "Hi!" to her when she chirped. She still won't let me come near her and she still freaks out when I put my hand in the cage. If I move really slowly I can reach in without her trying to fly away, but she still sits there trembling.

Anyway, I was thinking about getting a second cockatiel. A breeder I know has a few very sweet babies available. I had planned on getting a second tiel sometime anyway, and I'm wondering if a second tiel might help the situation with the first. If she had another tiel in the room with her (after gradual introduction and quarantine, of course) would it help her calm down some and feel less stressed out? Also, I was thinking she would see me handling and playing with another bird and maybe start to tame down a little bit and maybe start to see me as less threatening. Any thoughts?


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## atvchick95 (Sep 17, 2007)

How long have you had her? 

it takes them a while to get used to their new environment. If she isn't at least hand tame getting a 2nd bird right now would not help it would deter it. Once they are around their own kind They'd prefer them over humans. A lot of people get lucky and once their 1st bird is tame, and bonded to the human bringing in a second bird doesn't break that bond 

but it doesn't always work like that. 

I have a couple tames ones, two I hand fed myself, and they'll be 1 year old this year the female stopped wanting my attention months ago she won't even step up any more BUT if you remove her from all birds and block out the sound of the other birds She's fine. 

the male will whistle to us and on occasion step up but its when he wants to not when we want him to. 

our adult female Still loves my son to pieces and will step up for him as long as he is where he can reach her If he can't reach her she runs away and she's just had her 3rd clutch(in 2 years) and she is still sweet as pie But its on her terms always has been If she doesn't want to be bothered she'll hit you with her beak (not biting just hits you with it) to let you know "leave me alone"

if you want your bird tame, I'd personally give it more time, Go slow, sit by the cage and read to her, talk to her, in a low loving voice. once she earns your trust, She'll be more entitled to step up, and be with you. But a bird must have the trust of their human before they will do anything. 

then after all that if you still want a 2nd tiel then I'd get one


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

If I were you, I'd get the first tiel as tame as possible before adding a second one. An untame bird tends to be more interested in another bird than in a human so you might lose her interest entirely. But tame cockatiels usually don't lose their tameness when you add another bird.


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## Renae (Feb 9, 2008)

If you want your bird to bond with you then don't even think about getting a second 'tiel YET. You really need to gain your first 'tiels trust first - it's a big must otherwise you're going to have an untamed 'tiel sitting in the cage with a second 'tiel and your bond won't be a good one at all. 

Give it some time, some take a lot longer then others, some don't take long at all, it all comes down to the 'tiel and going at their pace.


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## goldenbrown (Jun 25, 2009)

Thanks for the advice. From the look of things she might be a bird that takes a long time to tame down. She gets so scared when I come near her and I worry that everything I do is a setback and causes her to trust me less. Covering the cage at night is the worst...I have to cover it because I work an overnight shift so I usually cover her cage around 8:30 before I go to work and leave a little light on in the room so she doesn't get disoriented. She gets really terrified when I put the cage cover on but I have to do it otherwise I'll wake her up when I come home.


Another thing, I really want to let her out of the cage! She hasn't been out all week and I'd like to give her some freedom for awhile. I was thinking of putting the cage in the bathroom and sitting with her (maybe read a book) and just leaving the cage door open so she could climb out if she wants, maybe putting some millet on top to entice her to come out. Is it too early to do this or can I try? The bathroom is the smallest least-cluttered room so that would probably be the best place in case she tries to fly away. Thoughts?


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## Renae (Feb 9, 2008)

Have you had her wings clipped yet? might be a good idea to have them done if you haven't because it does help with the training process as well as crashing into things.

I don't know about letting her out though. . I wouldn't until you've got her a bit more tamer and or had her wings clipped, but that's just my opinion. If you think you could let her out and sit with her for awhile in a room big enough for her to have a fly then you can do so. You might come across some problems getting her back in UNLESS you can use a perch to get her to step-up onto to transfer her from wherever back into her cage.


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## goldenbrown (Jun 25, 2009)

She's definitely nowhere near stepping up yet, so maybe I won't let her out. Her wings are partially clipped and she can flutter but not really fly. Her cage is roomy enough that she can wander around a bit and climb on the bars and such and her wings don't bang the sides if she flaps them.

I'd like to add some new toys to the cage but she freaks if I so much as put one finger inside that I hesitate to do it. She seems to be chewing on the bark toy she has now, but not as much as when she first "discovered" it. I've thought about sliding new toys in on the pull out tray (like colored chew blocks or something), and also about just opening the door of her cage for about thirty seconds each day and just standing there to let her get used to it. I think it might scare her too much though.


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## Kerry78 (May 25, 2009)

I introduced my 2nd tiel a month into having Teallie,
he had never been handled and used to run away to get away from me if I changed anything, but now 2 months down the line he is very content and happy he doesn't mind me cleaning the cage out and he will sit by me on his perch in the cage of course, I can also get close to the cage and whislte and he'll start copying me,

By adding sandy I believe was the best thing they have bonded very well,
but Teallie hasn't lost interst in me he's aware im around plus he see's sandy sitting on my hand when she feels like it so I guess by adding the 2nd after a month after you have had urs and she starts getting used to the new surroundings then it may be ideal for you to do so


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## goldenbrown (Jun 25, 2009)

Haha, so much conflicting advice! I've heard other people say that they had a bird who was very skittish and shy but calmed down and tamed down nicely when another bird was present. I won't be putting them in the same cage if I get a second one, but I will probably keep them in the room together while I am gone. I dunno...I just feel like she's more afraid than aggressive and 

The female made some progress today though! I tried poking some millet through the bars and she climbed off her perch and came near me. She didn't take any, but she was definitely thinking about it. She then went to her seed cup and started eating just inches away from me! I tried offering millet to her again later and she came down again, but again didn't take it. I'm going to try it one more time today and see what happens.


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