New Bird Adivice..???

[crazy_caique]

Teils can live 18 plus years if feed them a good diet with pellets,fresh veggies/fruits,and some seed.I feed mine Zupreem pellets and nutri-berries.Have some toys in the cage 4 or 5.My teil took a while to get used to toys.

[crazy_caique]

bird talk magazine is a great magazine and was my life saver cockatiels for dummies is a great book

[racing_gurl07]

All i have in the cage now is food water and one toy (which he loves), and also i forget what its called, it looks like a big grape, its used to keep his beak clipped, you know what im talking about....

i tried bananas with him but he doesnt seem to like it, what else should i try?

You said females dont talk? can u teach them or dont they at all? i hope this one can be tought to talk, like i said before hes pretty nosiy and cherps alot!

here is a pic of him, so you can tell me if its a him or her.

[Giselle]

Hi there, you DEFINITELY have a female tiel Was your tiel handfed or parent raised? If she was handraised, she should be very willing and submissive to human hands, almost like a puppy dog. If she was parent raised (most pet store cockatiels are), then she should be a little apprehensive and unwilling to cuddle. I agree with crazy_caique. It takes a tremendous amount of time and loving patience to gain a bird's trust and loyalty. However, once you forge a relationship with the bird, it will last until the bird's last breath. These creatures are usually fiercely loyal to their owners to the point of jealousy. Because of that, it is a good idea to socialize your tiel by having multiple family members take turns training and taming her. Of course, take things slow. I usually give a few days to let the newly acquired bird time to familiarize itself with its surroundings. Some birds are more easily adaptable and can settle in within a matter of one or two days whereas others can take weeks.

In the meantime, keep your tiel's enviornment quiet and quite dark. Try to avoid harsh lights and loud noises. Always keep a fresh supply of water and seed and pellets. You don't need to introduce fresh foods at the moment because chances are she'll ignore them. When she HAS settled in, you can begin to introduce dark, leafy greens like kale and dark lettuce (NOT Iceberg lettuce) and carrot tops and bok choy and broccoli. Then, you can start to introduce fruits and other solids like carrots. Most birds ignore these items, so you MAY have to withhold the daily seed portion of her diet, but do not withhold food for more than a few hours at a time. Be consistent and your bird will soon catch on. Good Luck and please ask questions if you're confused and need clarification!

[Giselle]

I also forgot...That cage looks quite small, and, from my point of view, it looks like a cylandrical cage. Is that right? If so, please return the cage and buy a rectangular cage. Cylandrical cages don't give frightened birds a corner to hide in and it confuses them. Birds should also be able to stretch their wings out and not touch the edges of the cage. You can find very affordable, bird-friendly cages at large chain stores like PetCo and PetSmart.

[crazy_caique]

my female tiel DOES TALK the grape is a mineral block

[crazy_caique]

my teil talks because she learned it from my mom's quaker who talks like crazy,they don't live in the same cage and don't play together at all beacuse they don't get along and sweet p can hurt emmy easily,my tiel loves this toy called x-small mardi gras blocks you can buy them at birdieboutique.com What's her name?How many perches do you have in there?have three diff(one rope,one sandy*helps trim toe nails*and on wood)alwas have a mineral block or cuttlebone in with her

[cameron goring]

i think its because it could be needing to be used to it and it will not be shy

[racing_gurl07]

i'm not sure how old she is


we have been putting our hands in the cage everyday touching her "spikes" and she seems to like that, she didnt like it the first couple of days but now shes getting used to us, should we keep doing stuff like that so she gets used to use touching her?

this might sound stupid but...do females need males to lay eggs? or do they lay them and the male fertalizes them? i guess i never was told about birds and eggs.

[crazy_caique]

Keep petting spike and feeding her treats try to start teaching her the up(having her step up on your finger)maybe in a week or so go slow female tiels will sometimes lay eggs even when they have no mate,let them sit on the eggs for a week or so before takeing them away,they need a male to have eggs that will hatch into chicks,they can't be hatchable eggs inless she has a male to breed with which i don't think you want to do.Like i said birdtalkmagazine.com has good info and so does the magazine itself Cockatiels for dummies is a great book you can probable get it at a libery or pet store like petco

[racing_gurl07]

i just looked at her now and shes shaking, and its not even cold in here so i dont know whats wrong, and when i got home she was eating so she didnt want to talk to me, but when she was done i went over there and talked to her and she did say anything, ihope nothing is wrong.

what treats are the best? i got some "sesame crispies" but she doesnt seem to like them, unles they are too big for her.