# New Cockatiel some help please!



## quiteone (Feb 24, 2009)

Hello,i bought a cockatiel on sunday,i got her from a petshop,she was in a large avairy with two other cockatiels,sunday she spent the day sitting on her perch in her cage (it is a fairly big cage with some toys),then yesterday she started squeezing her head through the bars and running up and down her cage whistling,today she done the same thing and got her head stuck it took me a while to get her free,she tried to do it again so i let her out,as i was afraid she would do damage to herself,she is now sitting on top off my lampshade and wont move,what is wrong with her,why does she keep trying to get out of her cage,im new to this and do not know much about cockatiels,she has not eaten anything,nor will let me put my hand even near the cage,i always thought i was goood with birds as i have two tame canaries,i really need some help with her,im very worried about her!!


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## WonderBird (Feb 2, 2009)

okay, the thing is.. I don't think that there is something wrong with her.. it's her cage.. if her head is getting stuck in between the bars then this is a sign to get a cage where the bar spacing is smaller. also, you need to give her some time in your new home before expecting her to do anything like stepping up onto your finger. I'd give her a week or so to let her watch what you are doing. talking to her once in a while, or 20 minutes a few times a day to get her aquatinted with your voice. it just needs time.. give her some time to get used to your home first before expecting anything.


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## katar76 (May 6, 2008)

Yes, definitly put her in a safer cage and give her some time. Just imagine if you were not there to save her. My Jojo is a hand-fed baby and he needed about a week to get used to things.


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## sweetrsue (Jul 8, 2008)

The bar spacing should be about 5/8". Certainly no wider than 7/8" I wouldn't even go that far. BTW from your description of whistling it could be a boy.


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

> she has not eaten anything


Many birds in a new home are too nervous to eat at first, and some will go for as long as three days before they eat. It's survivable but it isn't good, so try to encourage her to eat as soon as possible. Hanging up some millet spray in the cage might help. Millet spray is an extra-tempting treat for cockatiels, plus they can nibble on it without the "danger" of sticking their head down inside a seed cup for a second. 

Her current cage is DANGEROUS and you need to get her into something safer ASAP before she strangles herself. Since she's too nervous to eat, I would guess that nervousness/fear is also the reason that she's trying so desperately to escape. Covering the cage on three sides can do a lot to help a bird feel safer, creating the illusion of a safe little hidey hole instead of a place that's exposed to predators on several sides. Look around the room to see if there's anything that might look especially scary to a small prey animal. Dogs wandering around? Stuffed animals with staring eyes? Noisy, active children? Blowing curtains? Hawks flying by outside? Would changing the location of the cage possibly help?


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

How are things going? Has your baby calmed down enough to start eating?


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