# sitting on bottom of cage...



## bllivingston (Apr 5, 2017)

Please help! A little background. About 6 months ago, I was asked to take in a cockatiel. I was told he was a male and about 9 years old. He's in a very large cage, plenty of room to move around. I've let his wing feathers grow back in. He stays in or on his cage, and is very easy to pick up if he occasionally flies off, but he doesn't like being away from his cage. My problem is this: about 1 week ago, he went from being extremely friendly to me - singing with me, letting me kiss his chest, calling to me if I left the room, letting me pet his head, etc. Now he's nippy, he no longer sings with me, and he's moody. The worst is that he is shredding the newspaper at the bottom of his cage and then sitting on the area he's shredded. Is he a she? Is he/she possibly nesting? I have 6 other birds in two other cages in the room (lovebirds). No other bird in his cage. Any advice? He never went to the bottom of this cage prior to this (which is why I used newspaper). I don't know if he's sick or "nesting" I also don't know about the change in personality. I'd appreciate any info you can provide.


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

This is typical breeding behavior for both males and females. With cockatiels (and other members of the cockatoo family), both sexes share the incubation duties and the baby care. I used to have a single male who spent a lot of time sitting on invisible eggs in the bottom of the cage. 

There are simple hormone control techniques that can help reduce this behavior and make him sweet again: http://talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=32330


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## bllivingston (Apr 5, 2017)

*Thanks*

Thank you for your reply. He's slowly returning to old self. He had become so aggressive I was thinking about rehoming him. I thought it was fear of my dogs causing the aggression. Now he seems to like one of dogs. He says "pretty boy" to him when he enters the room, and he has starting singing with me again. We still need a little more work to get him back to his sweet self - but the worse seems to be over. He still sits on the bottom of his cage but doesn't seem to be shredding the paper as much. Again, that you. I know much about lovebirds (having 6 of them), but I don't know my cockatiel yet.


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