birdie bird

[oldgrape]

have posted in animal section but no one answering

advice needed elderly neighbour has died and i have been left with her cockatiel

when it chirps loudly is it happy or what

what do they eat apart from the seed mix

how do i get it to fly out of the cage and explore

health care

cleaning

Any help appreciated

[Eve]

Never kept birds but found this...

http://www.petsworld.co.uk/cockatiels.htm

[oldgrape]

baby grape is at his daddies he is gonna be so excited when he sees it

[Eve]

http://www.cockatielcottage.net/basics.html

[Ethel]

They chirp when they're happy :)

Mine loved millet sprays and don't forget the cuttlefish.

A little bit of digestive biscuit or cracker now and again won't harm.

A small piece of banana or apple once a week or so.

A bird bath once a week, and a daily shower under a water spray is usually a highlight. I used one of those plant mister things.

Mine adored ice cream, but I wouldn't recommend it :)

Getting them out the cage is the easy bit - getting them back in is trickier. If you do let him out, be mindful of doors and windows. If you have a large expanse of glass, hang something up so it doesn't fly in to it.

I miss my cockatiel, and my cockatoo, but birds are a no no for me now, because of asthma

[oldgrape]

ethel did you take the bird to the vet to have its claws clipped or did u do it urself also do i have to put a cover over it at night. i've left the cage door open but he won't come out

also how do i know what sex it is

[Eve]

Did his previous owner have it out as it may not be used to being out and it may be a bit stressed from losing it's companion and the new place.

Been reading those links I put above and they sound like lovely lovely little things :)

[oldgrape]

not sure the birds only 1 yr old and the owner was 96 so not sure what she did with it

[Ethel]

I used to do it myself, but if you are not confident with handling him, or he is not happy being handled, better to take him to the vet.

Can be difficult to sex a cockatiel - if it lays an egg, it's definitely female. What sort of cockatiel is it - what colours and patterns? Males usually have brighter cheek patches.

Definitely put a cover over him at night.

Leave the door open when you hope he will come out - let him do it in his own time

[oldgrape]

it's grey with white under it's feathers with light yellow and peach cheeks and long grey feathers on it's head

[Ethel]

Sounds like a normal grey - this may help:

http://www.cockatiels.org/articles/genetics/vs exing.html

As for cleaning - I used sand in the bottom of the cage, and removed the obviously fouled sand daily and the whole lot once a week - or twice if needed.

You will need to scrub the perches down every week too - do this outside. You can buy a special tool very cheaply which makes the job easy, but it kicks up a lot of fine dust which you don't want to be breathing in.

Wash the cage bottom weekly - easily done by detaching the base whilst the bird is towards the top of the cage, and putting the cage on to newspaper you have put on the floor.

[Eve]

http://www.singing-wings-aviary.com/cockatiels .htm

http://www.cockatiels.org/articles/genetics/vs exing.html

http://www.takoda-aviary.com/sexing.htm

http://www.members.optusnet.com.au/~geoffwatts 1/Sexing_Cockatiels.html

[oldgrape]

thanks ethel and jenna x x x

[Ethel]

Lovely photo of a grey hen

http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http: //web.telia.com/~u82203160/images/birds/et-13. jpg&imgrefurl=http://web.telia.com/~u82203160/ english/et.htm&h=415&w=255&sz=23&hl=en&start=7 &um=1&usg=__T0s7CdRWedEa4k8QZJ8C2LM4bGU=&tbnid =SOhbryWPxKvzYM:&tbnh=125&tbnw=77&prev=/images %3Fq%3Dgrey%2**********%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26s afe%3Doff%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.moz illa:en-GB:official%26sa%3DN

[oldgrape]

it's out and flying around like a manic and even landed on my head

[Eve]

Awww bless it :)

Have some treats ready and see if it will let you stroke its head gently as from the sites I read it looks like they love company and being petted and played with.

Maybe it wasn't out much before and has found a new lease of life :)

[Ethel]

:)

[mrs.chappie]

Hey lads and lasses, I'd like to tell you the story about one of my cockatiels.

We rescued him from a cats' home in Norwich - he had been left on the steps by someone who no longer wanted him. He was in a tiny cage, where he couldn't even stretch his wings, and he rocked backwards on forwards on his one and only perch. It was a heart-breaking sight.

He was in such a state, we were worried he wouldn't survive the long car journey home - but he did, and hubby built him an aviary in our garden. In time we rescued other cockatiels, which were company for him, and he started showing signs of a normal, happy bird.

This was about ten years ago, and he is still with us. :o)

[wendilla]

="movie" value="https://www.youtube.com/v/Af3K_co3cLM&hl=en&fs= 1"></param this is my cockatiel asks if you want a cup of tea. I give him most things to try .I also have a hannes macaw and she tells the cockatiel to get in his cage but not got her taped yet as she is just started to talk. If th bird is only 1 year old you should be able to get it to talk and do things .Just takes time and patience. You will be surprised how intelligent they are.Keep saying the same thing at different times. My macaw says good morning as soon as I take cover off and cockatiel says hello. Yes cover it up at nights.