# Cockatiel Pet Peeves!



## vampiric_conure (Jul 8, 2012)

I love my birds. I really do. But my tiels - specifically the males - have an infuriating habit of chirping/singing when I'm at the computer. In a completely dark apartment. With just the computer screen on. At 3 am, when I'm suffering from insomnia. 

Not a problem with no neighbors, but I'm in an apartment. 

The big bird cage can only be partially covered, but the smaller cage - the slightest crack in the covering(s) and I get birdy love calls at 3 am. 


Anything your guys do that drives you bonkers?


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## CaliTiels (Oct 18, 2012)

Fighting over dumb stuff. Then Jaid makes the most obnoxious whiny sound telling Beaker to stay away. 

I can live with the quibbles, but I don't like that sound that Jaid makes


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## vampiric_conure (Jul 8, 2012)

CaliTiels said:


> Fighting over dumb stuff. Then Jaid makes the most obnoxious whiny sound telling Beaker to stay away.
> 
> I can live with the quibbles, but I don't like that sound that Jaid makes


Yes! I totally hear you on that! Mindwipe and Redshift have those kind of arguments all them time, LOL!


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## Mayra (Aug 4, 2014)

Mimi seems to be specially fond of using my back as a landing pad whenever I bend over to pick up something and I just don't get it lol. Besides that, the flock calling still gets me. She completely freaks out if I walk towards the kitchen area. She's fine if I go the other way or leave the apartment, but I guess she thinks there's something scary about me going to the kitchen?

Also, whatever's in my hand immediately becomes the most fascinating object ever. But at this point, I'm getting kind of good at finding ways to still eat, do laundry, play the guitar, play video games, and read with her attacking the object in my hand lol. Best part is I can just put her back in her cage if that becomes too bothersome


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## Vickitiel (Oct 10, 2012)

I don't like Henry's mean streak; he can be cruel. He finds all sorts of ways to annoy the others, especially Honey, despite the fact that they are a bonded pair. He will wait until she is occupied with something and peck her so that she yelps in surprise. Sometimes he will bite her when she asks him to preen her, even though she always preens him lovingly. It puzzles me how they will incubate a clutch of eggs together fine and are always practically glued to each other, but bicker like enemies on a day-to-day basis. :huh:


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## RowdyTiel (Jan 24, 2013)

CaliTiels said:


> Fighting over dumb stuff. Then Jaid makes the most obnoxious whiny sound telling Beaker to stay away.
> 
> I can live with the quibbles, but I don't like that sound that Jaid makes


Yes. Ugh! >_< Ozzie does this to Missy ALL the time. Except she doesn't have to be doing anything or be anywhere near him. He seeks her out, makes this terribly annoying screeching/squawking sound. I can't even let them have out of cage time in the same room most of the time, because he won't leave her alone or stop chasing her, or stop screeching.


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## Peetenomax (Nov 23, 2013)

I'm think they have very different voices. Dexter has a rather annoying screech, very raspy. He does have a great whistle though. Benny has cute little peeps. Not sure if that's because he's still a 6 months (+/-) old.

The other issue his his love interest with my left had. It's actually the finger nails that gets him going. He's quite persistent & I have to keep my hand curled up when he's in a romantic way. I've also started to keep a spray bottle nearby & squirt or mist him when he comes near. He never like the thing from the beginning.


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## TamaMoo (Jan 12, 2014)

Joey will take fits of NEEDING to shout at the ducks and geese out on the lake. I try and try to explain they _don't care_ what a pampered, inside bird has to say, but he still insists. Also, much as we hope he will forget it, he still mimics the next door neighbors' smoke alarm, and uses it as a distress signal/abandoned little birdie signal when we leave the room.


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## amberwydell (Oct 13, 2013)

Cosmo will be absolutely silent for hours, until I go to turn on the TV or start to read a book... _that's_ when he decides to sing "if you're happy and you know it" on repeat! Don't get me wrong, he's frickin' adorable with his little, chirpy voice. But _why_ must he do it when I'm trying to concentrate? Grrr...


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## RowdyTiel (Jan 24, 2013)

I don't really have many peeves, except the above mentioned: Ozzie chasing, attacking, screeching at, generally being mean to Missy.

and Missy preening me til I'm bloody.


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## Hellena (Feb 11, 2013)

flying of their cage onto the floor, really hate that. Especially since birds always seem to poop when they land (on my carpet).


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## CaliTiels (Oct 18, 2012)

Hellena said:


> flying of their cage onto the floor, really hate that. Especially since birds always seem to poop when they land (on my carpet).


My boys always walk on the floor. They prefer to be down low because I always sit on the floor


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## TamaMoo (Jan 12, 2014)

Oh, and Joey's fear of _everything_. Sudden movements, fruit, gift wrap, the front door being opened, phones, cameras, flies, flyswatters, people he doesn't know etc. 

I have already decided he is going to be in his cage, in the bedroom when I am putting up the Christmas tree, to keep him from freaking out. He was fine with the lights last year, but since he moved in a month after it was up, he missed out on all the movement and chaos of putting it up. 

I'm also trying to figure out how to get pics of him when he is out, because every time he sees the phone, he flies off. Even from a distance with zoom, he seems to hate it when I pick the phone up. When he is in his cage, he hates it, but seems more comfortable.


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## ParrotletsRock (Oct 8, 2013)

My tiels are the BIGGEST pains in the butts...lol They HAVE to see what I am doing, pulling on my earrings. biting my ears, on my puter, ripping my papers etc... but I love them anyhow...lol


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## Tisena (Sep 28, 2013)

At the moment Mack and Blizz like to start squabbles, never anything serious but theres the squawky croaky noise they make, I want them to get on!!

Sam is a scaredy bird of large or blue things moving.

And Flynn...Flynn gets me the worst! If we have healthy food he's not interested, get some popcorn and he'll try to climb in the bag, we don't let him but he is so determined! and will wait til you grab a piece and fly to your hand...If it was plain popcorn and I knew exactly what had gone into its popping sure...but its butterkist! (Loving the sweet n salted flavour). And his favourite game is...ALARM CALL ALARM CALL...til the others start flying around the room and he's sitting there wolf whistling...


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## Shockadine (Sep 2, 2014)

I have to say landing on my head is really annoying. That and the constant trying to chew my headphone cord when I get on the computer. I spend way more time shooing birds off my headphone cord, and off of my head than getting anything done. 

My heaviest tiel loves walking around on the keyboard, and adding to what I'm writing about. He has even gotten on the keyboard on my desktop when I left the room and sent my friend several messages in 15 minutes. Usually a lot of spaces, commas, and slashes.

But then they look up at you with that cute face and you can't possibly be mad at them.


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## Tisena (Sep 28, 2013)

Shockadine said:


> He has even gotten on the keyboard on my desktop when I left the room and sent my friend several messages in 15 minutes. Usually a lot of spaces, commas, and slashes.


My rabbit did that on my laptop on Facebook in a parrot group something like nnnmmnmnnnnmnmnbbbbbbbbnnnnmmmm000000000000. I caught him in the act he had one foot near the num pad enter the other on bnm and he was licking 0 xD


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## Kiwi (May 12, 2013)

Kiwi wont sleep unless I am in the room when she sleeps. Otherwise she will chirp and chirp until I sit there and wait for her to fall asleep. I keep trying to wait until she falls asleep on her own, but it beats the hours of chirps to just sit next to her for a few minutes... >.<

Another thing that bugs me is she likes to fly onto my head, then back to the bookshelf, then back to my head, to the bookshelf, head. She does this a lot in the morning when I let her out. It would be cute if her nails weren't so sharp, when she lands she skids and scrapes my head! :lol:


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## Peetenomax (Nov 23, 2013)

Tisena said:


> ... And Flynn...Flynn gets me the worst! If we have healthy food he's not interested, get some popcorn and he'll try to climb in the bag, we don't let him but he is so determined! and will wait til you grab a piece and fly to your hand...If it was plain popcorn and I knew exactly what had gone into its popping sure...but its butterkist! (Loving the sweet n salted flavour)....


I forgot to mention Dexter's carb addiction. Someone must have fed him a lot of junk food in his past. Even when he was a shy, nervous bird he was a beggar for fried food. I can't have a bowl of potato chips or pretzils, a plate of french fries, a bag of Fritos or Pepperidge Farms Goldfish with out him breaking down all barriers to get at them.


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## BirdCrazyJill (Apr 23, 2013)

When Chewy does the "I'm going to scream like a dying sun conure because I can't see you but I can hear you in the house" screech... daily... sorry neighbors  She also wants to sit right near my mouth, because she loves kisses, but she will like flick my lips with her beak and it HURTS!!  yup, she is our problem child


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## Guest (Nov 16, 2014)

ParrotletsRock said:


> My tiels are the BIGGEST pains in the butts...lol They HAVE to see what I am doing, pulling on my earrings. biting my ears, on my puter, ripping my papers etc... but I love them anyhow...lol


LOL, my tiel also always has his head up my rear always getting involved in what I'm doing he never minds his own business! I think it's cute though.

What bothers me is when he jumps on the floor because I am worried I might step on him!


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## CaliTiels (Oct 18, 2012)

BirdCrazyJill said:


> When Chewy does the "I'm going to scream like a dying sun conure because I can't see you but I can hear you in the house" screech... daily... sorry neighbors  She also wants to sit right near my mouth, because she loves kisses, but she will like flick my lips with her beak and it HURTS!!  yup, she is our problem child


Sun conure screeches are LOUD. It's not the pitch I mind (I actually find it agreeable... most people don't like the pitch) but the volume. I've been around one when it let loose. My ears were ringing >.<

Luckily mine just laugh and squeak, but incessantly. No dying sun conures here


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## Vickitiel (Oct 10, 2012)

BirdCrazyJill said:


> When Chewy does the "I'm going to scream like a dying sun conure because I can't see you but I can hear you in the house" screech... daily... sorry neighbors


Honey does this too. She's a bit of an attention hoarder. >.<


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## BirdCrazyJill (Apr 23, 2013)

Chewy's pitch is SO much higher than Muffin's is, it may not be at the sun/jenday level but sometimes it feels like it!!  she's lucky she is cute... sometimes she will do it when we are winding down at night, she will just be sitting all fat and beak chewing in her cage and then out of nowhere will just let out a pitch, and it almost makes me jump off the couch! maybe she has turrets! (no offense to any individuals who may suffer from or know someone who has this syndrome)


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## TamaMoo (Jan 12, 2014)

Joey's pitch is a lot higher than any other tiel I have ever known. Then when he does the neighbors' smoke alarm, it goes even higher. Sometimes I fear for the glass in the house, it seems so high, and I wait for it to all shatter.


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## urbandecayno5 (Oct 24, 2012)

Hank will come right up to my face while I'm giving her scritches, act all cuddly and snuggle up against my face..then take the opportunity try and rip out my lip and nose piercings when I don't expect it


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## TamaMoo (Jan 12, 2014)

urbandecayno5 said:


> Hank will come right up to my face while I'm giving her scritches, act all cuddly and snuggle up against my face..then take the opportunity try and rip out my lip and nose piercings when I don't expect it


The lure of the shiny stuff. Still, ouch.


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