Bird questions

[K9soul]

How often is best to change perches and toys around in the bird's cage? I want to do it often enough where it breaks the routine, but not so often that it stresses her out.

Another thing I think I'm going to do is I have been reading about feeding recommendations and I think I'm going to completely cut out cockatiel seed mixes from her diet. They always seem filled with fatty sunflower seeds, so what I was going to try was to convert her to a parakeet seed mix and pellets (with of course fresh foods on the side). Hopefully if I can convert her to pellets successfully, I'd like her diet to be predominantly pellets with some seed mixed in. I got a bag of Zupreem pellets and am following the directions on the bag for converting, but if she won't try that after awhile I'll try some other brands. I plan to only give her sunflower seeds as an occasional treat. Does this sound good/bad to any of you more experienced tiel people?

[BitsyNaceyDog]

I'm not sure about the perches and toys, I just change them around when I feel like it. I don't change the perches around too often, but toys I change around often.

I feed my cockatiels zupreem pellets and parakeet seed. I keep a seperate bowl of each in their cage at all times. They don't like the banana pellets in the zupreem mix :rolleyes: , actually I've yet to meet a cockatiel that does. I'm sure Dawn will take to it just fine. My cockatiels are all rescues and when I got them they all took the change without any problem.

[K9soul]

Good sounds like I'm on the right track with diet :). I got the Zupreem Avian Maintenance Natural, the pellets don't have any coloring they all look the same. I'm not sure if that means they don't have different flavors or if she would find multicolored more appealing? I was just thinking something without artificial coloring might be better but maybe it will not be appealing to her.

[Logan]

Mine won't eat the sunflower seeds, Jessica! Maybe I should get the Parokeet mix too if it doesn't have sunflower seeds. No use wasting all those sunflower seeds.

I bought pellets and put them in separate feeding dishes last week. They haven't touched the pellets. :o I wish you could see them right now......OMG. They are rubbing heads and looking so sweet! I ran home to put dinner in the crock pot and check on the dogs. Roger and Milly are on top of Milly's cage, just "lovin". :)

[K9soul]

How odd Logan, I've never seen a tiel that didn't like sunflower seeds! It's probably best for them as I understand they are fatty and of little nutritional value. Dawn eats them like candy, I'd put her food in and she would immediately go over and hunt down every sunflower seed she could out of her cup and eat it.

The directions on the pellets said to mix it in with her regular seed, and gradually increase the ratio over a month and that that method was usually successful. I know Dawn wouldn't touch them if I left them in a separate cup so I mix them in with her seed. I just sprinkle a few in at the moment, but plan to increase it little by little and hopefully she'll start eating them. If not I will try another brand or a different type. I've read pellets are generally more nutritional than seed alone.

[My Peanuts]

Evie eats pellets, but then again Evie eats EVERYTHING. My dad calls her the “fat little chicken.” I think it’s because I have trouble keeping weight on the other three, but Evie is a good size. I have been trying to convert Alex, but she doesn't seem to want the pellets no matter what I do. I think the my boys eats some of the pellets, but I know they pick the seeds out a lot. I think I might switch brands. I use Lambert’s cockatiel pellets.

As far as switching perches, I think that's an individual decision. I switch my tiel's toys around every time I clean them. I also switch toys from the boys to the girls and the girls to the boy’s cages. It doesn't stress them out because the toys are still familiar. If I was you, I'd switch them and see if Dawn looks stressed. If not, then switch them often. :)

[K9soul]

The reason I'm wondering about the toys and perches more is because I've really been watching her behavior closely while she's in her cage lately, and I noticed she uses her mineral block that she has had for awhile to rub her head on a lot, which I read is is a courtship behavior. Also for a week or so before she lays eggs, she will generally nibble on a toy and then crouch under it as if inviting it to mate, and "go through the motions" :o. I'm thinking perhaps I should change things around when she begins to show these behaviors but I also worry about stressing her if I were to change things around too much too often. I am hoping to break the cycle in these behaviors, and that it will taper off.

[My Peanuts]

Uh, oh. I bet I'm going to have a professional egg layer on my hands soon. :rolleyes: As you might know, Alex only laid about 4-5 eggs successfully her entire life and was egg bound with two eggs last June. I can't tell you what year it was the last time I saw an egg on the cage floor and there was NEVER more than one at a time with months or even years between eggs. Eggs just aren't Alex's thing. Alex also shows no interest towards Danny. Well let me tell you about Evie. :rolleyes: Evie cuddles with Milton everyday after they eat dinner. I already caught them uh, doing you know what once. I also catch her cuddling with the green mineral block. I could sell Evie as the rare pearl & GREEN cockatiel! :p She acts completely different than Alex ever did at that age or any age. She seems hard up to get to some egg production. She is about 10 months old now. I think I'm in for a major egg layer soon :) Hopefully Evie will be more successful at it that Alex was.

[K9soul]

LOL Dawn's mineral block is a peach one. Wonder what it is about those mineral blocks :p. It does sound like Evie is eager to breed. You also mentioned she loved to eat, that might be another sign. Good luck with that!

[My Peanuts]

I got so scared when I saw Milton on her because she is to young, but she is a lot bigger than the other three. I don't want her to breed yet and I watch them when they are together, but I honestly think her body could handle it. I have to hold the happy couple off for about another year and then we should be good:)