how smart are cockatiels ?

[diako_lorddm]

hello my dear friends.I am new here
can you please tell me about how smart are cockatiels ? can they real love us ? I think my young cockatiel loves me . every morning he/she jumps on my face and this is my good morning always want me to pet him/her with my face . jump to me and my shoulder . BUT he bit my fingers really hard ! and hissing at my finger .sometimes I think he is stupid and can't recognize that all part of me is me ! I mean I think maybe he thinks my fingers are not part of me ? or is cockatiel smart enough to know us as a living friend not just toys ? I mean how they really think about us ?
and my next question is when cockatiels reach their intelligence to do tricks and speak ?
I love my cockatiel lot . he is 10weeks old . so he just set on my shoulder and don't know any tricks .
sorry with my bad english and long text.
thank you

 

[sunnysmom]

Welcome to the forum! I've read that cockatiels have the intelligence of about a two year old. That's pretty smart to me. For some reason hands/fingers are sometimes scary to cockatiels. Make sure you move slowly when you go to pet him, etc. And don't come down with your hand over his head. Predators swoop down on birds, so it's instinctual for them to react negatively that way. Does that make sense? Is your cockatiel a male or a females? Males tend to talk more so than females.

 

[CeciliaZ]

Welcome! I have 4 tiels. I do think they are smart - however mine are not trained to do any tricks. Males tend to be able to mimic sounds and talk a little. But training for specific tricks and "talking" takes a lot of time and repetitive and consistent behavior on your part. I don't think they "love" us in the way we define "love" with another human but they can become very bonded to you...and when we say our birds "love" us - that is what we are referring to. Please don't think of your tiel as "stupid" when he bites your fingers or hands...he is protecting himself and feels your hands/fingers are a threat. Have you had him long? I am assuming at 10 weeks old - you have not had him for long - and he/she may still be adjusting to his new home. There are many suggestions here to help guide you in training your bird and also videos on youtube. We would love to see pics of your tiel - what is his/her name?

 

[diako_lorddm]

Welcome to the forum! I've read that cockatiels have the intelligence of about a two year old. That's pretty smart to me. For some reason hands/fingers are sometimes scary to cockatiels. Make sure you move slowly when you go to pet him, etc. And don't come down with your hand over his head. Predators swoop down on birds, so it's instinctual for them to react negatively that way. Does that make sense? Is your cockatiel a male or a females? Males tend to talk more so than females.

thank you for your answer . it was a good advise not to come down with hand over head .
I don't know if it is a boy or a girl ! cos it is only 3 month old .

Welcome! I have 4 tiels. I do think they are smart - however mine are not trained to do any tricks. Males tend to be able to mimic sounds and talk a little. But training for specific tricks and "talking" takes a lot of time and repetitive and consistent behavior on your part. I don't think they "love" us in the way we define "love" with another human but they can become very bonded to you...and when we say our birds "love" us - that is what we are referring to. Please don't think of your tiel as "stupid" when he bites your fingers or hands...he is protecting himself and feels your hands/fingers are a threat. Have you had him long? I am assuming at 10 weeks old - you have not had him for long - and he/she may still be adjusting to his new home. There are many suggestions here to help guide you in training your bird and also videos on youtube. We would love to see pics of your tiel - what is his/her name?

thanks friend for your answer . you described how they think. tnx
I have him for about 2 month. he could not eat seeds that time . but I had hand fed it well . his name is "Kabo" that in Kurdish means cowboy

this is Kabo ! I upload pic.

 

[sunnysmom]

Kabo is very cute. : )

 

[diako_lorddm]

Thanks Michelle

 

[CeciliaZ]

Hello Kabo!

 

[TwoTinyTrees]

Kabo is a cutie!!

 

[diako_lorddm]

thank you all <3

he eat paper . is it bad ?

 

[blewin]

He isn't really eating the paper, he is shredding it. Tiels are like all birds, they like to take things apart with their beak. It's like exercise, and it reduces stress. Finding toys safe toys that he can shred will do the same thing for him. As long as the paper doesn't have ink or dyes in it, it should be fine. Kabo is adorable.

Ben

 

[diako_lorddm]

Thanks Ben .
so I will give him clean paper to play with it

 

[diako_lorddm]

and what does his tail shake means ? when he see me he does a tail shak and happily dance

 

[ArowanaLover]

Cockatiels are intelligent. Also let him tell you when to pet him, i bend my finger in his face and if he bows, then he wants to be scratched on the head and neck.

 

[diako_lorddm]

tnx
yes he bows too when want be peted