# About to possibly buy this new bird... is this a bad sign??



## Guest (Sep 11, 2012)

I just went to a bird shop where they had a ton of birds. I haven't been to the other place yet today because of terrible weather and heavy rain that just hit.

The bird shop I just went to had a many grey cockatiels (about 15 and all were only 2 months old) so it's impossible to determine sex. They do DNA testing there though.

They had one bird which I really liked. I have one concern though. All these birds I saw at the shop are "partial pie" so they had the strangest looking feet I have ever seen on a tiel. Does this bird's feet look ok or a sign of poor breeding?? I loved this bird but its feet make him look sickly?? I don't mind the "imperfections" in the feathers (that is cute) but the feet are creeping me out a bit. Am I the only one who feels this way?

Almost all of their tiels had feet like this... different colors of dark grey. People make fun of my feet all the time (I have huge feet that people like to tease me about)... so I don't mind if my tiel has creepy feet 

This bird with the weird feet appeared to be smart as it was the most curious about every and outgoing. The other birds kind of ignored me and everything else.

The beak also has strange coloration markings. I'm worried this is a sign of bad breeding? Or am I making something out of nothing?


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## Guest (Sep 11, 2012)

The most beautiful bird they had was this cinnamon (they told me it's cinnamon). Does that look like a male or female? Thanks.

All their tiels were 2 months old sop sexing them is a nightmare.... but this cinnamon appears to be female because of the (underneath) wing with the yellow spots?


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

you cant sex babies, they all look like females. they all have the wingspots and tail bars.



the pink feet is fine, its perfectly healthy, it is the pied split, its very very rare nowadays to find greys with dark feet, and the rarest bird to find is a grey with no splits. so nearly all greys are split to some other mutation.


go with the bird you like, be it male or female. both make excellent pets.


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

the beak is also because it is split to pied, its perfectly fine and healthy, just a colour


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

You could try wing spot sexing both babies to see what gender they "may" be but its not always accurate. But as Dally said, the feet and beak are both because the baby is split to pied. Pied affects the feet and beak in a funny way but its very endearing nonetheless.


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## eduardo (Jan 27, 2012)

Aw, I like that first guy, he is adorableAnd his feet are not creepy at all, they are cute Like someone put powdered sugar on them, hehe.


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## Ghosth (Jun 25, 2012)

Let the bird pick you, don't sweat the feet. After all every friend has to be forgiven at least one fatal flaw of some sort.

Just pick the one that is interested in you.


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## Guest (Sep 11, 2012)

I just returned home from my trip to another bird shop. It was horrible. The smell in that place was awful and no air conditioning here in severely humid FL. The guy said the bad smell is coming from the egg incubator. Obviosly there were rotting eggs. The smell was so bad I nearly vomited from it. I won't be getting any birds from there!

I really liked the bird with the strange feet. I don't know why its feet are bothering me so much. I'm going to go back there tomorrow and take another look at the bird. I think I just might get it 

I know some here say its gender shouldn't matter but I have a strict preference for a male so I will be getting it DNA tested (only $30) and hopefully it's a male.


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## Guest (Sep 11, 2012)

The bird with the strange feet is only 2 months old. Is it unusual for a bird so young to be so curious about things? Out of the 15 or so birds in that cage with it... I held 4 of them individually and this one was behaving different. It seemed smart, I thought it was cute how curious it was about things.

... but a couple of times it was squating kind of funny on my hand. It almost looked like it was trying to mate with my hand??? I hope not... isn't that too young for that kind of behavior? Perhaps it was just sitting funny... kind of looked like it was squatng and it's feathers were poofed out. I have no idea.


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## Renae (Feb 9, 2008)

2 of mine had feet like that too, and the feet ended up going a bit darker.


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

As others have said, the foot colors and other oddities are from being split pied. 

The spots on the chest are something else, a phenomenon that we call the "spot gene" on this forum. We're not exactly sure what it is, possibly a multi-gene interaction. But not only is it normal, it might be a wild trait that's having a resurgence. A breeder (not on this forum) who was able to obtain wild-caught cockatiels reported that many of them had these markings.


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## Guest (Sep 11, 2012)

Here is a photo of that same bird's brother or sister. It only has one strange foot... the other foot looks normal. I liked this bird but it didn't seem to have the same personality or curiosity. I'll go back tomorrow for one last look.


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## Renae (Feb 9, 2008)

Carolyn, Mishka had the spots on the front of him too, and a few breeders on a FB group tried to tell me most normal greys can have it as a baby because they eventually lose the spots anyway. Mishka had them from the time he was feathering up, up until he molted where they then disappeared. (I kind wish he kept them, they were cute)


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

With pied birds (and split pied birds) the pattern of the markings is fairly random. So it's normal for one bird's feet to look different than the other. 

The sibling doesn't have the actual chest spots, but it has some of the other markers of a spot gene bird.



> a few breeders on a FB group tried to tell me most normal greys can have it as a baby because they eventually lose the spots anyway.


Based on my observations, it isn't something that MOST greys have. It's a minority thing, but a fairly substantial minority. It behaves somewhat like the pearl gene; males lose the spots when they mature but females keep them for life, and may even add more as they get older.


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## Guest (Sep 11, 2012)

If the bird I like turns out to be a male... at what age will his orange circles turn darker and face a much brighter yellow? Thanks.


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## devilangel09 (Feb 5, 2008)

Takes around 6 months or more


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## enigma731 (Aug 12, 2011)

What are you going to do if you get this bird DNA'd and it turns out not to be a male?


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

The checks wont necessarily get darker either, just an fyi. That's a misconception among tiels, my darkest cheeked bird is actually a hen and my lightest cheeked bird (besides my PF) is a boy. So he'll get the yellow face but his cheek patches will probably stay the same color.


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## Guest (Sep 12, 2012)

I can compromise by getting a tiel with strange looking feet but I can't compromise on gender. This is a pet which I will own 20+ yrs (depending how how long it lives). It wouldn't be wise to force something on myself which I already know I don't prefer.

When it comes to dogs I would never ever get a male dog. I have very strong preference for female dogs only. When it comes to cockatiels I have a preference for males. I've found the males to be more fun. Teaching them to sing songs etc. However, never say never. My preference in regards to tiel gender is not set in stone as it is when it comes to dogs. Maybe I will own a female cockatiel one day. I just really have my heart set on a boy tiel so I can teach it songs etc.


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## enigma731 (Aug 12, 2011)

If you feel that strongly, then I would strongly urge you not to get a bird that has not already been DNA tested. It's not fair to the bird otherwise.


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

thats the ONLY reason you want a boy? i am sorry, but that shouldnt matter. getting birds because you expect them to sing or talk isnt a good idea. look at my male. he is gorgeous and such an awesome bird (despite his severe aggression and bad mood swings) but he is a horrible whistler! whistling even in males is not a guarantee. my male is tone deaf. you could get a whistler and the bird has the worst personality for you. or you can get a bird like tsuka who is everything you could possibly want (perhaps get rid of the nasty attitude) and be a very bad whistler. he does not pick up whistles and he cant ever finish the whistles he tries to learn and they sound nothing like what he was trying to learn.... he is the worst whistler of any cockatiel i know


if you like this bird's personality and it feels "right" thats the bird for you whether the bird is male or female.


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## meaggiedear (Nov 20, 2011)

I feel like your expectations are set too high for tiel. I'm already seeing you picking one out, getting home, and being disappointed bc he isn't exactly like you imagined. 

Grey has one black toe nail.

Ama has a bald spot. 

Farrah has a grey spot in the middle of her white and it makes her look like she has a dirt smudge.

I think these things make them adorable. I feel like you think it makes them a mistake.

I'm just saying that you shouldn't be so worried with feet and spots and just go with the tiel that picks you. 

I think you are going to have a hard time enjoying him if you except him to be perfect.

Are you going to be okay with a boy going through his hormonal stage where he is moody and grumpy and possibly doesn't want to spend time with you and won't accept pets? 

Are you going to be okay when you want to spend time holding him and he pecks at you and stalks off to do something else?

I'm just worried you are remembering your old tiel to be flawless when in reality- these little guys are the most imperfect little creatures. Looks and personality. But that is what makes them so lovable.


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## moonchild (Jul 29, 2012)

I think his/her feet are adorable! I would get that bird in a heartbeat, especially if it seemed interested in me at the shop.

As previously mentioned, there's no guarantee that any male bird will be a good whistler. The only way to get one for sure would be to adopt an older one from a previous home that is known to whistle. I have a boy that talks, and I knew he talked when I got him. My other male has never talked.


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## enigma731 (Aug 12, 2011)

My male says two words repeatedly, and makes up his own versions of any songs I attempt to teach him. It's definitely not a guarantee.


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## bjknight93 (Nov 13, 2011)

One of my boys doesn't even sing, and he is DNA tested. 3 years old and the only time I heard a peep out of him is when I brought my most recent girl into the flock. And now he is silent again.

Each tiel has its own unique personality/imperfections and if you have your expectations set too too high you will be disappointed because it will be rare for your to find a tiel that is *everything* you want and *nothing* you don't want.

Best of luck to you..and it will be real luck if you find the "perfect" one.


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## Guest (Sep 12, 2012)

I am not looking for a perfect tiel. I was just mentioning that in general I have enjoyed the males over the females. If the male is a silent one I wouldn't mind at all.

I was just looking for a normal grey tiel which seems difficult to find because of all these mutations going on. Things have really changed throughout the past 10 yrs. Nobody seems to want greys anymore which I think is sad. My business partner saw the photo I took of that bird and said "That poor bird's feet is what happens when you screw with nature." I agree.

I do like that bird so I'm going to go back today and look at it as it's personality won me over.


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## green parakeet (Oct 20, 2011)

Juliet said:


> . My business partner saw the photo I took of that bird and said "That poor bird's feet is what happens when you screw with nature." I agree. QUOTE]
> 
> Why should anyone feel sorry for the birds feet? The bird doesn't care or even know his feet are a little diffrent. He is just happy that he even has feet.


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## Guest (Sep 12, 2012)

Yes, well you should see my business partner's feet. His feet are the strangest feet I have ever seen on a man and will ever see on a human. This bird has nicer feet than him so he shouldn't be talking.


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## xNx (Jun 6, 2012)

Exactly, don't buy a bird purely based on gender. When I bought my Cockatiel I didn't take the gender into consideration at all, turns out the cockatiel is male and amazing at singing, but also is very shy and scared of me at times.


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## enigma731 (Aug 12, 2011)

Maybe I'm biased from working with people who have lost their mobility, but I'm not sure why any healthy pair of feet (bird or human or otherwise) should be viewed as "strange" or "sickly." Feet are not intended to be pretty, they're intended to help us get around. In your picture, that bird is perched on your finger, which leads me to believe that his feet function perfectly well for that purpose. Coloration is just coloration, and has absolutely no impact on his quality of life.

Nature is full of imperfections -- odd coloration, disproportion, asymmetry. Believe it or not, that's the result of normal genetic variation. If everything about each individual was perfect, we'd be robots and not humans (or birds or other animals). 

I know that selective breeding for color mutations is a little bit different, but it's still on the whole the result of gene interactions that were present in the species to begin with. It's not like someone went in and bio-engineered pied cockatiels by chemically altering their genome. It's not like we're breeding them to have eight toes or three heads.


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## lethalfire (Aug 29, 2012)

I know I am new here, but I am dealing with a situation of a person who sold me a bird that she had a stronger bond with but kept the one that appealed to her more visually and within about 2 weeks has come to regret it. 
In fact it sounds like we will be switching birds. I'm glad I can help her correct her mistake and we both are getting what we want, but it could have been avoided.
Bond will be more rewarding in the long run then things that are pleasing to the eye.


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## bjknight93 (Nov 13, 2011)

In regards to the "poor bird's feet," I'm sure my sweet bird Allie would much rather have those feet than the ones she's got. The looks of the feet mean nothing to the purpose they serve and I don't think anyone should get upset over a bird's well-functioning feet, regardless of the color.

I bet you wouldn't even think of taking this bird home because she is so imperfect, but I'll have you know she is the sweetest bird I have ever known. So I think you need to look at the big picture when you're picking out your bird.


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## Guest (Sep 12, 2012)

I know people who have lost their mobility. I have MS myself but thankfully am functioning perfectly normal. I didn't want the fact that I mentioned the bird has funny feet to turn into such huge ordeal.

I just got home from visiting that store again and the bird's feet don't even look that funny. I think I made a big fuss about the feet for nothing. There are actually 10 birds in the cage. All the birds look the same asides from the cinnamon. I was standing there trying to figure out which bird was the one I liked yesterday. Then I saw one little grey bird moving towards me coming to me and it was the first bird to come to me and hop on my finger. Then I looked at its ID tag #399 which was the bird I liked  

None of the other birds would even get on my finger or give a hoot about me. I wanted to hold the other birds so I could compare them to this one and how it behaves but they were flapping around too much trying to escape from my hand. I finally snatched up another bird and got it so sit on my finger but it couldn't care less about me. The one I like was so cute. It was chewing on my eye lashes, ears and wanted me to pet it. All of them are hand tamed so I don't know why this was was different.

This bird however was very interested. Its getting DNA tested and the results will e revealed in about 4 days.


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## meaggiedear (Nov 20, 2011)

I'm glad you went with the bird that picked you. It is honestly the best feeling to have when your bird wants you.


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## Guest (Sep 12, 2012)

I thought the cinnamon one was so pretty and I was wanting to get that one at first, but it didn't seem to like me. I thought it was so cute how interested the other one was with me. It was scared like all the other ones in the cage... but it had a definite interest the other ones did not. Strange that is


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## bjknight93 (Nov 13, 2011)

Juliet said:


> Its getting DNA tested and the results will e revealed in about 4 days.


I don't mean to pry, but we're all curious...what's going to happen if its results come back and it's a female?


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## Guest (Sep 12, 2012)

Then I'll have to keep looking but I'm keeping my fingers crossed this one's a male. The other tiels there were cute but none stood out like this one did.


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## enigma731 (Aug 12, 2011)

If your preference for males is just about being able to teach them to sing/talk, have you considered the possibility of clicker training a female to do other things? It might be just as fun for you as a way to interact with your bird. My female is much smarter than my male, and I think would be very good at clicker training if I ever had time to get her started on it. She knows exactly how to manipulate me, including learning how to dump out several different dishes of pellets just when she wants to get my attention.


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## Guest (Sep 12, 2012)

Unfortunately, I don't have time to do the clicker training. I used to do that with the tiels my father owned yrs ago and it was fun. All I can remember over the yrs was how much more I enjoyed the males over the females. They seemed to have more personality etc (because they were vocal). There is one benefit to a female... it will be quieter when I make business calls I suppose.

I'm going to await the DNA results and then see what happens.


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## bjknight93 (Nov 13, 2011)

I really think you should think this through. Sometimes I enjoy my female birds more because they're more cuddly and calm. If I could pick one or the other, I wouldn't. I'd go with whichever bird fits me well because regardless of the gender it is rewarding and fun to own them.


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## Guest (Sep 12, 2012)

Now I'm getting seriously confused here. I do LOVE how the males I ever owned were singing. They even copied me, if I shook my head the males would do the same copying my body movements. None of the females did any of that. The females just kind of sat around. It was beyond cute how they would copy how I whistled to a tee. I also recall the noise would get annoying at times... so I don't mind quiet. I have no idea. I just think it's the cutest thing how the males sing. I'm very curious about this DNA result.

The bird I like was super cuddley at the store. If I stopped scratching its head it would put its head down... start whining and and keep bumping its head into my hand until I started petting it more which was very cute.


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

I would say go with the bird that picks you, regardless of gender. I find girls to be very cuddly personally and much prefer them to males, while my hubby prefers the males because of their singing antics. But not all my boys sing and not all my girls are quiet. So if this baby has picked you, I think it could definitely work out. Fingers crossed on the DNA test!


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## Ghosth (Jun 25, 2012)

Let the bird pick you, and don't sweat what gender it is.


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## Guest (Sep 12, 2012)

I'm having trouble believing if the bird is really picking me though. I think this bird just loves attention from people. I'm sure if any other person were standing there other than myself the bird would go to that person. Regardless, it is a very cute bird and the fact that it's so curious and loves such attention is a good thing 

The way this bird was acting is night and day compared to the other ones. The first time I saw this bird it was hiding in the back of cage and was the last one I held and that's when I realized how different it was... it was so curious about everything. I think it might have remembered me from yesterday's visit because this time it came to me and was the first and only one I held. The rest were freakin out like this one was yesterday.


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## lethalfire (Aug 29, 2012)

I would definitely vote for the bird that Chose you. It's not very often they make it that clear, and they end up being the best birds.

Who's to say later down the road you won't decide to get another one? Aleast this way you will have your special bird that chose you.


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## Guest (Sep 12, 2012)

... but what if I do get another in the long run and choose a male and this one is a female? I'm concerned they'll be going at it mating all the time? It's been 10+ yrs since I owned cockatiels (I'm 32 yrs old so I was much younger then) and I don't recall what it's like to cage a male and female in the same cage? I had two tiels once but they were both definitely males.

Isn't it better to have 2 males vs one male and a female?


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## bjknight93 (Nov 13, 2011)

You can prevent egg-laying and excessive hormones with hormone reduction techniques. I have Taz and Allie caged together and they pretty much ignore each other. 

So the gender of 2 tiels being caged together doesn't actually matter.


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## Guest (Sep 12, 2012)

In the past I owned this one male cockatiel. It was beyond spoiled. I took it everywhere with me. It was a male tiel I got from my father so it was on the older side. It eventually died from old age I believe. I don't think I will ever want to own more than one tiel because if I take one tiel with me somewhere I would feel sorry for the other one left behind in the cage. 

This is another reason why I'm so caught up on the gender issue. If I knew I would eventually get another tiel then it's much easier and it wouldn't matter. I'm just thinking I would really regret not having a male over a female. This is starting to drive me nuts.

I'm just going to let it rest and await the verdict... the DNA results =)


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

> I'm having trouble believing if the bird is really picking me though. I think this bird just loves attention from people. I'm sure if any other person were standing there other than myself the bird would go to that person. Regardless, it is a very cute bird and the fact that it's so curious and loves such attention is a good thing


You said before that all the birds were handfed right? Well, that being said, since the others freaked out and this one didn't, this one obviously likes you. That's how a bird picks you. It shows more interest in you than the other birds do. Can't wait to hear the verdict! (or read it lol.)


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

> I'm having trouble believing if the bird is really picking me though. I think this bird just loves attention from people


You could ask the store people if the bird responds this way to everybody. Although I don't think it really matters - if this bird loves YOU and the other birds don't, you're getting a wonderful bird even if it loves everybody else exactly the same way. But there have been many cases where somebody walked into a pet store and one particular bird was all over that person, and the store people couldn't believe it because that bird hated everybody. Sometimes birds really do fall in love with someone for reasons that aren't obvious to everyone else.


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## moonchild (Jul 29, 2012)

Who cares if it loves everybody? It's still a friendly, affectionate bird. Seems pretty special to me if none of the others are that outgoing or trusting. But if you are dead-set on a male and this one ends up female, there's little we can say to change your mind. Hopefully it's a boy!


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## stevechurch2222 (Sep 25, 2011)

Our white face cinnamon cockatiel Cinnamon who is 8 and a half months old my wife and I don't know if Cinnamon is a male or female but regardless we will love Cinnamon even if Cinnamon is a male or a female.


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## Guest (Sep 13, 2012)

Yesterday when the bird was on my shoulder it started flapping its wings like crazy (as if flying but it was gripping my shoulder). It wasn't trying to fly away. It looked like it was just playing and/or trying to bathe on me if that makes sense. Does that sound more like a male behavior? It kept stretching and everything. It seemed rather content which was cute =) I really liked this bird. I really really hope it's a male.

The new bird cage just arrived... I can't wait to put it together today when I have time. The cage is huge.


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## enigma731 (Aug 12, 2011)

Juliet said:


> Does that sound more like a male behavior? It kept stretching and everything.


No, it just sounds like a happy bird behavior. But hey, even more signs that it likes you!


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## Guest (Sep 13, 2012)

The new cage is VERY badly damaged. It didn't get damaged on the way here... it's just a used cage. I paid almost $400 for this cage. I called them and they apologized... sending another one.


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

The flapping on your shoulder also meant s/he was claiming you as their's. Hopefully the next cage is better!


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

> Yesterday when the bird was on my shoulder it started flapping its wings like crazy (as if flying but it was gripping my shoulder). It wasn't trying to fly away. It looked like it was just playing and/or trying to bathe on me if that makes sense. Does that sound more like a male behavior? It kept stretching and everything.


The flapping is primarily an exercise behavior but I suspect that it might have a bit of a possessive component too - the bird might have been claiming you as "MINE!" 

The stretching might have been a warmup because he thought something interesting was about to happen (like all the flapping) and he wanted to be limber for it. Whether male or female, it sounds like this bird would be a very good one for you. Females usually don't sing, but they tend to be sweeter and cuddlier than males.


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## meaggiedear (Nov 20, 2011)

I know you are set on a boy, but in case this bird ends up being a girl and you want to consider it- here are a bunch of videos of females doing fun things too. 

http://talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=33425


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## RedQueen (Feb 21, 2012)

I can understand why you're really set on a male. But at the same time, I think with how friendly this bird was with you, you should get it even if it turns out to be a female. Friendly birds are easier to train and a lot of fun, whereas you can end up with a male who sings but wants nothing to do with you. 

Consider what I've experienced so far in getting females vs males. When we got our first bird, we thought it was a boy because that's what the breeder told us and we trusted him. We were excited to start hearing him sing and maybe even talk. However with time we realized that it was definitely a girl, first because she didn't lose her pearls, and second because we saw absolutely no male behaviours and then she started doing female mating displays. We were a tad dissapointed I guess, but at the same time I realized it made no difference whether it's a female or male. She is SO smart and quiet effectionate. I mean she's not SUPER cuddly, and can get cranky, but she never bites hard, lets us give her scritches sometimes, and generally likes being out of the cage and hanging out with us. She's very playful and fun to watch. After a bit less than a year owning her we decided to get a second bird. We were excited to have a second companion but also wanted our female to have a companion. And this time we were SET on getting a male, just like you are now. Our reasons weren't any more special than yours. We wanted a male so he would sing, we wanted to see male behaviours and generally to experience the set of behaviours that are different in males than females. We spent $130 over a month on DNA tests because we ended up having to test 5 birds, with the first 4 turning out to be female (bad luck!). Every time we tested a bird and got the result of female it was like a punch in the face. You fall in love with a bird and then because of your own stubbornness can't bring it home. I wished I could bring them all home. So finally, 3 weeks ago we got our male. He already sings (wolf whistles well and attempts the jurasic park theme but very unsuccessfully lol), he's very cuddly, much more than our female, and generally a very friendly bird. BUT we don't know how good he's going to be with doing tricks, or how cuddly he will stay whe he grows up since he is only 3 months old, and his hormonal stage is whole other thing to consider. Our female was also much more cuddly when she was a baby, so that may change. But it doesn't matter. Each bird has its own quirky personality and that makes them a joy to spend time with. So consider that a male may in fact sing, but he may or may not have the personality that suits you. He may never shut up and you may have trouble making any business calls without a loud bird in the background (they CAN be heard through walls). If you are really set on a male, go for it, but keep in mind that you may be surprised by how compatible a female may be for you. Also, about clicker training, it really takes no more time than you should be spending with your bird anyways. 15 minutes of training a day is enough to teach a bird some tricks. And the bird should be getting more than 15 minutes a day of your attention. Clicker training is awesome, here are some videos of a couple tricks we taught our female. Aside from these she also knows "shake" and "up"-(flies to you on command when she knows she'll be rewarded)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKlAAcT4nfU
(it was Galileo and "good boy" before we found out she's a girl) 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6c5oGjNS-KY 

I posted these videos on the other thread too, but I wanted to share here in case you didn't see. Our female is VERY smart and I couldn't ask for a better companion. She may be spoiled and not super cuddly, but she is still a great pet.


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## PickleBird (Dec 10, 2008)

*so cute...*

i'll take him if you want..


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## RedQueen (Feb 21, 2012)

PickleBird said:


> i'll take him if you want..


As in our male baby, Tyko? Hahaha nah he's our precious boy!

Sent from my HTC Vision using Tapatalk 2


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## Guest (Sep 14, 2012)

I've been thinking. I might just get this bird since I like it so much. 

I do LOVE how the males sing and how you can teach it different songs which I think is incredibly cute, but at the same time I do recall if they are too noisy I did get annoyed at times. A quieter bird might be a better match for me. Especially if I'm doing business calls I don't have to worry about a male making too much noise.

Even though, I don't recall the male tiel I used to have ever being noisy.... until I got another male... then they went at it competing with each other.

This is driving me crazy! I don't know what to do. I will just await the DNA results then figure it out.


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## bjknight93 (Nov 13, 2011)

My boys are noisy regardless of any other birds presence. The reason for this is because they, if not presented with a member of their own species, will choose you as their mate. So only having one won't really change whether they sing or not.

The only boy I have that doesn't sing is Taz and non-noisy males are *very* rare. So we all thought he was a girl, but dna testing and visual markings say other wise.

So..if you get a boy expect noise.


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## lethalfire (Aug 29, 2012)

I say the heck with the DNA results (when are they suppose to come back) I would get the bird that chose you. Then when you get the DNA results back you will know if it's a boy or girl but you will also know that it CHOSE YOU as it's flock member!


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## Guest (Sep 16, 2012)

Tomorrow is the big day. I'll find out whether that bird which I really liked is a female or male.

I know I had my heart set on getting a male but I've been thinking about it a lot past few days. A female cockatiel just might suit me better because it's quieter and I won't have to worry about a male singing all the time since the bird will be kept in my office at home which is where I spend 99% of my time. I think I just might get that bird because I loved its personality and it was so cuddly 

I don't have much experience with female cockatiels (I've always owned males mostly). Are females MUCH quieter than the males normally?


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## RedQueen (Feb 21, 2012)

Juliet said:


> Tomorrow is the big day. I'll find out whether that bird which I really liked is a female or male.
> 
> I know I had my heart set on getting a male but I've been thinking about it a lot past few days. A female cockatiel just might suit me better because it's quieter and I won't have to worry about a male singing all the time since the bird will be kept in my office at home which is where I spend 99% of my time. I think I just might get that bird because I loved its personality and it was so cuddly
> 
> I don't have much experience with female cockatiels (I've always owned males mostly). Are females MUCH quieter than the males normally?


Generally, that's what I've heard people say, that females are quieter. HOWEVER, our Galilea flock calls A LOT. The flock calls are much louder and more annoying than our male's singing or even occasional flock call (his are quieter). We've had him a much shorter time so he may still start flock calling as much as her (by example from her) or maybe (hopefully) the other way around if they bond she may not flock call to us as much. But since you're going to have only one bird, expect that male or female it may bond strongly to you and flock call as soon as you're out of the room. When you're sitting in the same room, it may still call to be let out of the cage. This will depend completely on the bird's personality, which may change as it adjusts to it's new environment and grows into an adult. So yes, generally females are quiet because they don't sing, but you may end up with a bird that likes to flock call or scream to be let out. There are methods of reducing screaming but they are not always effective. So as with any bird, be ready for some noise.


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## lethalfire (Aug 29, 2012)

I've been anxiously waiting to see ifyou get it ornot please post as soon as you decide or find out.


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## Guest (Sep 16, 2012)

I never found my male tiel's singing to be annoying (ok sometimes it did become annoying at times but usually no).. but what is crazy annoying is when they scream (aka "flock call"). Now that would drive me crazy. Thankfully, my male tiels never did that unless something scared them... they sort of did a worried call... like what is going on here.


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## Guest (Sep 16, 2012)

I don't know why but my guess is that it's going to be a female. Just because it was so gentle and cuddly... for some reason I'm thinking it's going to be a female =)


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## meaggiedear (Nov 20, 2011)

My girls never make noise unless they want out of their cage. The boys scream, sing, yell, and never shut up. I love the quiet nature of my girls.


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## Guest (Sep 17, 2012)

Well this sucks, I just called them and they STILL don't have the results. Now they are telling me I have to wait until Wed or Fri because the lab is busy =(


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## bjknight93 (Nov 13, 2011)

Well if you don't care about the gender then why don't you just go get it now and then call again for the results later?


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## Guest (Sep 17, 2012)

I was just about to do that actually


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## bjknight93 (Nov 13, 2011)

Good luck.


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

my female has separation anxiety and flock calls badly if she is left alone without a buddy (meaning if she doesnt have me or tsuka) even for 5 minutes. but thats just her. but my male is much much louder and more shrill than her screaming. both can scream equally, that depends on the individual. 


but alone, my male will sometimes whistle at the top of his lungs and be really obnoxious. hes tone deaf too. he makes car alarm noises as loud as he can!


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## lethalfire (Aug 29, 2012)

Juliet said:


> I was just about to do that actually


YAAAY!!!!!!! I'm sooo happy/excited for you! I just know you will not regret getting him/her. When a bird chooses you the bond is just SOO much better.

GoodLuck!!!


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

While you're getting your new birdie you can try a little wing spot sexing if you want to. It's not 100% reliable but it's reasonably accurate. There's more info at http://talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=18307


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## Guest (Sep 17, 2012)

I got the new birdie and made it home. I will know the sex by this Wed hopefully. Here's a photo of it in the new cage... there is a replacement cage arriving in about a week which is even larger than this cage. I'm waiting for the ew cage before adding more perches and toys... this cage is very empty now. I had to close the door because it kept flying out of the cage at me.

However, I've noticed a problem. The bird keeps slipping on the perches and has actually fallen out of the cage twice, another reason why i closed the cage door. The bird looks VERY uncomfortable moving around on the perches because it keeps slipping around and losing balance.

The perches that came with the cage are lousy and slippery so I understand why it's slipping on those perches, but I have two other perches in the cage of unfinished/unsmoothed wood... so I don;t understand why it is so slippery? I don't recall ever having this problem before.... any advice much appreciated, thanks.


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

for now you can wrap these perches in fleece  or a tea towel. for extra grip.


baby tiels are clumsy and have trouble perching. its not too much of a problem unless you notice anything truly abnormal


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## lethalfire (Aug 29, 2012)

Yayyy!!!!!! I'm glad you made it home o.k. with your new birdie friend. She/he is just adorable and I'm sure is going to be spoiled rotten.

I was sooo hoping to hear for sure wether you got him/her before I had to leave (I'm having lasik eye surgery in a couple of hours and am scared to death)

Glad to hear you got him/her and made it home alright. Now you get to enjoy, enjoy, ENJOY!


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## Clair (Jul 31, 2012)

Yay from me too! I'm also glad no one else nabbed the bird before you were able to buy him/her.


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## meaggiedear (Nov 20, 2011)

Juliet said:


> I got the new birdie and made it home. I will know the sex by this Wed hopefully. Here's a photo of it in the new cage... there is a replacement cage arriving in about a week which is even larger than this cage. I'm waiting for the ew cage before adding more perches and toys... this cage is very empty now. I had to close the door because it kept flying out of the cage at me.
> 
> However, I've noticed a problem. The bird keeps slipping on the perches and has actually fallen out of the cage twice, another reason why i closed the cage door. The bird looks VERY uncomfortable moving around on the perches because it keeps slipping around and losing balance.
> 
> The perches that came with the cage are lousy and slippery so I understand why it's slipping on those perches, but I have two other perches in the cage of unfinished/unsmoothed wood... so I don;t understand why it is so slippery? I don't recall ever having this problem before.... any advice much appreciated, thanks.


When I got Ama- he was a baby and VERY clumsy. He fell off everything and had a hard time standing and stepping up. 

I kept all his perches really low to the bottom until he figured it out and got some more coordination. 

Good luck!


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## Guest (Sep 17, 2012)

Pheew, so it's normal. I've never had such a young tiel before. It was hatched on July 11th (2 moths old). The lady said that several people came to see the tiels there and this was the first tiel to always go and greet them. The lady said they were playing with this tiel a lot. Seems it much prefers human contact over other birds.

I had to close the cage door at home because it kept flying out of the cage at me! Now I've reopended the cage as it's calmed down and is playing with its toys and eating and very clumsy indeed. I will need to find some decent perches, I'm unimpressed with these slippery perches. I like the natural wood perches... not the ones included with the cage I'm tossing those out. 

It really is a cute bird. I'm sooo eager to see the DNA results!

I've included a photo... is it normal that one foot doesn't grip the perch completely?

Edit: Now it's finally sleeping


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

when dally was a baby she had trouble too, dont worry  

you can see in this photo, the left foot doesnt hold tight. this was her first day home at 8 weeks


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## Guest (Sep 17, 2012)

Cool perch. When I have time I'm going to go on a hunt for some better perches... just waiting for the new cage to arrive first. 

I must say this bird has already made a massive mess (it was thrashing in the bird seed container)... but thankfully the seed catcher has caught everything and it's all inside the cage. I really like this cage and the seed guards work


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## meaggiedear (Nov 20, 2011)

You might want to invest in some rope perches for him. You can get them cheap here. 

http://www.shop.abirdtoy.com/category.sc?categoryId=22

The foot thing is normal. 

Here are some of my guys with their feet up like that.


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

The grip is normal - a bird that is relaxed won't have a death grip on the perch.

It's hard to tell from the picture, but it looks like the tip of the toenails might be blunt instead of sharp and pointy. If the breeder clipped the nails recently, this will throw the bird off balance somewhat until it gets used to the blunter toenails and/or the toenails regain their sharp pointy tips.


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## Guest (Sep 17, 2012)

The bird took a 5 min nap and now it's been feasting on millet nonstop. Its found its new favorite spot to sit in the cage. Pic included 

I am very impressed with the seed catcher... there would be TONS of seed hulls on the floor already if it wasn't for the catcher.

The birds was also playing with its toy earlier. It seems comfortable and hasn't made a peep.


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## Guest (Sep 17, 2012)

This birds done nothing but eat for the past 2 hrs straight. Now it's eating the honey sticks. It is so cute. I could easily spend the entire day watching and playing with it. It's distracting me from my work! =)


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## meaggiedear (Nov 20, 2011)

Awe. I'm glad you are enjoying the bird already! Are you going to wait for the DNA results before naming it?


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## Guest (Sep 17, 2012)

I was going to name it Chico but if it's a female that name is not going to work. It really loves those honey sticks! 

Now its found its other favorite corner playing with its toys while chowing on the honey stick.


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## Loopy Lou (Jul 26, 2012)

Congrats!

I've been following this thread and i'm so glad you brought the bird home. s/he is adorable 

Perhaps Chica if it turns out to be a girl?


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## JudiNH (Sep 10, 2011)

What a cutie....he/she looks very comfortable already. I think you're going to have a great little friend there. I like Chico/Chica for a name...very cute.


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## xNx (Jun 6, 2012)

Juliet said:


> I was going to name it Chico but if it's a female that name is not going to work. It really loves those honey sticks!
> 
> Now its found its other favorite corner playing with its toys while chowing on the honey stick.


How much was the cage?


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## moonchild (Jul 29, 2012)

Aww! I'm so glad you decided to bring this cute little one home. I'm sure you'll have tons of fun with him/her.


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## Guest (Sep 17, 2012)

The cage was absurdly expensive ($356) and size: 30x22x63... but the design is great. I like the cage but not the price.

The bird jumped on my shoulder and it destroyed my diamond earring. It did it so fast! The diamond fell out and I can't find it. I hope it didn't eat it. The earring looked like this: http://www.google.com/imgres?um=1&h...=157&start=0&ndsp=12&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:0,i:151


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## moonchild (Jul 29, 2012)

Yikes! I definitely hope the bird didn't swallow the diamond. That could be bad.

I wear super-sturdy surgical steel earrings that are pretty thick, so I let my tiels play with them while they're on my shoulder. I had to take out all my cartilage piercings, though, as it didn't feel too good having those pulled on. I always take off my necklaces now, mainly because I don't think the metal is safe for them to be chewing on.


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## Guest (Sep 18, 2012)

Here's the earring. The diamond looks much bigger in the photo than in real life. I can't find it anywhere... hope it didn't eat it. They have strong beaks!


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

I don't wear jewelry around cockatiels because it's an irresistible toy to them.

The diamond is probably on the floor somewhere because it isn't something that most cockatiels would perceive as food or grit. There are always exceptions though, and here's an article about a cockatiel that swallowed a diamond. It's on archive.org so it might load a little bit funny: http://web.archive.org/web/20100727122208/http://www.petpublishing.com/birdtimes/articles/grit.shtml


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## Korvia (Aug 3, 2012)

I'm glad to hear you brought the little one home.
I have both a male and a female living in the same cage, they have been together for about a month now.my male tries to mount her but she just throws him off lol,so i wouldn't worry too much if you decided to get another later on. my male is really smart but will only learn songs he LIKES, My female tries to sing but her singing is more screaming lol nor can she carry a tune! She also flock calls like crazy, it's very loud.


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## Guest (Sep 18, 2012)

Oh my god, this bird is an attention lover! Do you guys ever feel sorry for your bird(s)? It doesn't seem to want to be in the cage. If I'm standing in front of the cage and open the door it immediately flys onto my stomach and climbs to my shoulder. I have to remove it from my shoulder but it doesn't want to get off my finger back into the cage (it's nearly impossible to remove it from my finger!). It keeps flying onto me. I sit about 8 feet from the cage and it keeps flying out onto me. It is so super cute but I almost feel sorry for these birds that they're stuck in cages rather than flying out in the wild like they are supposed to be.

It still hasn't made a peep since I got it yesterday... but today it's not doing anything in the cage... just sitting there and doing nothing.


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## Guest (Sep 18, 2012)

After I closed the cage door all it does is yawn and sleep today (it's also not eating, it seems sleepy even though it got 12 hrs last night). Do baby cockatiels sleep a lot?


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## birdsoo (Jul 4, 2012)

I am not experienced about baby cockatiels but baby budgies sleep a lot. They spend their whole day in a cycle of eating and sleeping until they grow up a bit. Maybe baby cockatiels need a lot of sleep, too


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## Guest (Sep 18, 2012)

I have an odd question. When this bird poops it doesn't even slightly do that little squat that birds do when they poop. This bird poops incognito style, you can't even tell. I have NEVER seen this before... is this because it is a 2 month old baby still? Most cockatiels squat a little when they do it. I hope this is because it's a baby? I do like to see a warning before it happens


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## hysteriauk (Jun 24, 2012)

maybe it's just getting used to it's new home


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## Guest (Sep 18, 2012)

No, it was doing that at the store. The bird poops while walking around with no indication and/or body language. I've just never seen a cockatiel poop before without do even the slightest squat. I know baby tiels go more often... but is this happening because it's a baby? I'm referring to the no squatting thing.


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## hysteriauk (Jun 24, 2012)

Juliet said:


> No, it was doing that at the store. The bird poops while walking around with no indication and/or body language. I've just never seen a cockatiel poop before without do even the slightest squat. I know baby tiels go more often... but is this happening because it's a baby? I'm referring to the no squatting thing.


Soz I was referring to it being quiet today


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## Guest (Sep 18, 2012)

this bird is adorable. It always wants to be with me. It flew on me again and had fun playing on my desk... then jumped back onto me & started preening itself and wanting me to scratch its neck. Now it's sleeping on my shoulder with its head tucked. I'm in trouble with this bird, it's totally distracting me from working! it is so cute 

I've never had a new bird that keeps flying/jumping onto me like this! The tiels I used to have would always want me to pick them up but it never used to fly to me all the time like this one.


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## meaggiedear (Nov 20, 2011)

My two girls fly to me all the time. The boys will let me pick them up, but they don't beg for attention like the girls do. It's a nice feeling. And yes. They make me feel awful about being in the cage when they start screaming at me to come out.


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## Clair (Jul 31, 2012)

When we first got our tiel, he was the exact same way. Eventually, he found favorite places to play besides my desk and shoulder. One of these days I want to build him a bird gym.


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## hysteriauk (Jun 24, 2012)

As soon as I open up zippy's cage he will climb on me to say hello then go for a few laps around the room then settle on my shoulder and preen and get scritchs


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## Guest (Sep 18, 2012)

Okay, this bird is officially living on my shoulder now LOL. When I think it has to poop I just hold it over to the side over a garbage can and say "go potty" and it does... then it's safe for another about 10 min 

I haven't been pooped on... yet.

EDIT: I made such a fuss about wanting a male but I must say I'm really enjoying this little cuddly bird. I don't mind if it never sings and is quieter.


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## RedQueen (Feb 21, 2012)

Juliet said:


> Okay, this bird is officially living on my shoulder now LOL. When I think it has to poop I just hold it over to the side over a garbage can and say "go potty" and it does... then it's safe for another about 10 min
> 
> I haven't been pooped on... yet.
> 
> EDIT: I made such a fuss about wanting a male but I must say I'm really enjoying this little cuddly bird. I don't mind if it never sings and is quieter.


This brings 2 things to mind. What you're doing when you ask the bird to poop over a garbage can is almost potty training, or it would be if you also rewarded it for pooping on command. Now this sounds like a great thing (because birds CAN be potty trained this way), but it is often not recommended. A potty trained bird may end up "holding it in" all the time, waiting for your command to poop. Obviously this is not good, especially if the bird thinks it needs to do this when you're not around and when in it's cage. It's inhumane to make a bird hold it in for long periods of time as they have a very rapid digestive system and need to excrete every 15-20 minutes. So rather than potty training your bird, you can drape a towel or cloth on your shoulder(s) when it's out with you to prevent it soiling your clothes. But personally I just have designated "poop shirts" that I wear at home and change every day lol. It's part of being a bird owner that sometimes you will get pooped on, usually when you least expect it, don't see it and smear it lol. I've found many mysterious poop smears over the 8 months of being a bird owner, but they are easy to clean and you will get used to it. 

Second thought is that this reminds me of Galilea (my female tiel) and how she used to actually avoid pooping on me. It didn't happen every time, but often if she was sitting on my shoulder she would squat and slightly back up right before pooping so that it went on the ground or chair and not on my shirt. Or she would only poop as soon as I took her off my shoulder and not poop while sitting on my shoulder. I thought this was really cute and funny. It could be that she was trying to keep her favorite spot clean, or did it by instinct like when parents don't poop in the nest box with babies. Or it could have been nothing and just coincidence. She certainly doesn't care if she poops on me now lol. So when you take your bird off your shoulder and ask it to poop and it does, it could be just that it holds it in to not poop on your shoulder the way Galilea used to do. Any one else had their birds try to not poop on their shoulder on purpose, without training?


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## MildlyAnnoyedBird (Jun 10, 2011)

This is such a sweet thread. I'm really happy that your new bird seems to love you so! I know how much of a heartwarming thing it can be to be loved by a 'tiel. Sometimes my guys make me so happy I get tears 

I'm really happy for you both!


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## MrsCoffee (Oct 30, 2012)

Juliet said:


> I am not looking for a perfect tiel. I was just mentioning that in general I have enjoyed the males over the females. If the male is a silent one I wouldn't mind at all.
> 
> I was just looking for a normal grey tiel which seems difficult to find because of all these mutations going on. Things have really changed throughout the past 10 yrs. Nobody seems to want greys anymore which I think is sad. My business partner saw the photo I took of that bird and said "That poor bird's feet is what happens when you screw with nature." I agree.
> 
> I do like that bird so I'm going to go back today and look at it as it's personality won me over.


I personally love the regular grey cockatiels and here where I live, it's the only kind you can get. I also love the mutated tiels but he could be completely naked but loveable and I'd choose him over a beautiful tiel with a horrible personality... Like disco but I can't blame him for his attitude


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## Guest (Nov 4, 2012)

This is kind of an old thread that got dug up 

I LOVE "Rascal" my tiel. I cannot believe I was ever caught up about him having "strange" looking feet (they are different colors and speckled). I love his unique feet and he is seriously spoiled and best birdie ever. For some reason this bird had me smitten


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## MrsCoffee (Oct 30, 2012)

Aww cute well I'm super happy that you got him


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## Rizq (Jun 9, 2012)

I read through this thread after it rose to the top yesterday and was wondering how things turned out  I guess he turned out male after all! He's adorable! I want a baby  (of course, I want everything, but my sig is full, so I can't have anymore :rofl: )


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## Guest (Nov 4, 2012)

I went and snatched him up before the DNA results came in because he won me over


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## anthrogirl80 (Jun 2, 2012)

i just finished reading this thread and had a smile on my face the whole time. I'm so glad Rascal chose you and that you decided to get him! 

I chose Kevin before I knew he was ab oy. vet and I thought he was a girl. But he's a boy and boy does he show it now! 

So glad everything worked out so well for you


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