Flock calling and companionship

[lokis333]

Hey all,

I have a female cockatiel who has recently celebrated her first birthday. The issue we have been having lately is excessive and frantic flock calling, and this only stops when we are in the room where she can see us or she watches us leave the house through the front door. Even after a long time out of the cage, she will persist, with no changes to her cage or diet. We have another parrot- much larger- and she has a habit of trying to fly over and get close to him in his cage whenever she is out to play (we have to take her off because he's still young and can get nippy when moulting.)

My ideal senario would be to get a companion bird for her, however, I'm worried if I take the plunge I could end up with double the frantic flock calling. Other noises she makes is absolutely fine but its the shrill persistant flock call that has got me at my wits end. I just want her to be happy- she can't be relaxed in that state!

So my questions are-

• Has anyone dealt with this issue before and did a companion bird provide a solution?
  
• Would a companion cockatiel be preferrable over another similar sized bird?
• I wanted to get a male, but if it turns out to be another female does this cause issues (fighting etc)?

I know that cockatiels are naturally social flock birds and one day when i get a bigger place would love a big aviary but it might be some time!!


Many thanks

 

[Yoshi&Raphi]

Unless YOU want a cockatiel I suggest not getting one. They could hate each other and you will have to have seperate flight cages, seperate out of cage time etc, double the work and the problem isn’t solved.

Do you respond to the flock calls? If he gets something out of it he probably wont stop. Just my 2c hopefully some others will chime in.

 

[Zara]

she has a habit of trying to fly over and get close to him in his cage whenever she is out to play

Where are the cages located? Does she call to your other bird? Can she see him from her own cage?

 

[sunnysmom]

I agree that you should only get a tiel if you want a tiel. However, if you want another tiel, it really doesn't matter if it's male or female. Tiels of the same sex have as much chance, I think, of being friends as one of the opposite sex. But tiels typically do better with other tiels. So yes, I would get another tiel over a different kind.

As for the flock calling, do you respond to the calls? Usually with a flock call, I answer once to let them know it's okay but then I don't respond. If they get attention for screaming, birds will keep screaming. You can try giving attention when she's quiet and ignoring when she's screaming to see if that works. Also, can she see your other bird? That may help if she can't now.

 

[JaneLane]

One of the reasons I chose to get another cockatiel was because Frost was always calling for someone to come see her and the budgies rejected her. I wanted to get another female but ended up with a male named Zephaniah. Frost doesnt like him very much(I think she's jealous) but to answer your question: it didnt stop Frost's flock calling and whenever anyone goes in their room and then leaves there is a dramatic duo of cockatiel weeping/screaming until they realize whoever was visiting them is not coming back in and they settle down.

This is why I've told my family not to go into the bird room after 12 AM. The cockatiels will wake up INSTANTLY and start calling which causes the budgies to bark and bellow lol. So for me it didnt stop the calling but its not that bad.

 

[Tiel Feathers]

I found it helps contact calling if my tiels have some sort of a routine. This way they know when it is time for interaction, and time for independent play. Make sure she has foraging toys available too. I call back to my birds when they contact call so they know I am okay, and that I can hear them. If she thinks if herself as a person, then another bird will not help the contact calling, but if you did get another bird, I would get a cockatiel of either sex.

 

[Tara81]

My tiel screams to be let out of the cage if its early and I had to cook breakfast and keep her inside. She also screams every time I leave teh apartment and when I go to the bathroom. I'll reassure her im not far once or twice then stop. She settles down once she stops hearing me in the bathroom. as soon as I turn on the facet to wash my hands the screaming starts again She is more persistant in the mornings. I try my best to spend time with her outside of the cage for a couple of hours in the morning before I have to go somewhere. Then when I put her back in the cage, or have to go to another room without her , she tends to be less needy/screamy. If she is really persistant during supper time and I have to cook, I'll find a toy she hasn't seen in awhile, and make a foraging treat or hang a bird muffin in the cage to preoccupy her. I suggest bringing her with you in other rooms if possible as she just wants companionship. In the wild they have a companion most of their lives. I only have one cockatiel, but I am home most of the day and she is out of the cage most of the day unless I am cooking. She has her own play area and for most of the time she is out of the cage, she is doing her own thing (preening, relaxing, napping, chewing her hammock or toys). An odd time she will try to fly on me to chew my hair and when shes ready for a nap, she will fly to me to take a nap or nap on her swing. She will also persistantly try to fly to me if i am doing dishes, she thinks im taking a bath and wants to join the fun. I will say she is needy but still rather independant for a cockatiel. Some tiels wont play at all. When I first got her she was sooo playful and ignored me most of the time, lol. I would have to put toys around my neck to get her to hang out with me. I let her explore and play when she was young, I think that is why she became abit more independant then some other birds.

 

[sunnysmom]

I found it helps contact calling if my tiels have some sort of a routine. This way they know when it is time for interaction, and time for independent play. Make sure she has foraging toys available too. I call back to my birds when they contact call so they know I am okay, and that I can hear them. If she thinks if herself as a person, then another bird will not help the contact calling, but if you did get another bird, I would get a cockatiel of either sex.

This is a very good point. I now only let my birds out at set times. It does help a lot with screaming with my cockatoo. Routine helps with many things for most birds.