How can I help Happy?

[datlamb]

Hopi, Happy's cage mate has escaped and has been missing for 5 days now.
i keep looking for him and posting both online and hanging missing posters outside but with no luck.

Ever since Happy has been screaming every time I leave the room and when I go out to work I can hear her screams all the way down from the 4th floor where we live.

She has plenty of toys, I even just got new ones.
I put her seed mix in multiple places around her cage for her to forage for and I'm planning on hiding sunflower seeds in some paper for her.

how else can i help her feel less lonely?

all of my friends and coworkers tell me to get her another mate but it's such a difficult situation.
i've seen an ad for a male cockatiel looking for a rehome before Hopi escaped, and i am considering it now.
he's tame and 3 years old.

but if they don't get along i'll be in quite a pickle. there's no room in the bird room for another big enough cage, and the bf doesn't want the birds to be outside of it permanently.
i asked the owner if he agrees to receive the bird back if they do not get along and he refused.
also what if i end up finding Hopi? will a 3 bird dynamic work?

my heart breaks for Happy and for the rehome bird, his cage is so small.. but this is so difficult. i don;t want to end up rehoming him again as this experience is so hard for them.

what should i do?

 

[cassiesdad]

We have a three tiel dynamic here...Igor, Mocha, and Sunshine. I'll explain how our situation works...remember, this is how we work...three is a difficult number in any flock.

We have three tiels...and two cages. Igor and Mocha share the large cage...Sunshine has the other, smaller cage. They are all boys...and Igor and Mocha are a "bonded" pair (you notice I did say they're all boys )
When we are home...and that's most of the time...every one is allowed out of their cages. Igor and Mocha hang together, and Sunshine will seek out Kathy or myself to hang around with. Igor will come over for interaction with us...on his own terms. When he's satisfied, he flies off.

Mocha hates people...all the time. That's fine with us...he's allowed to be his own bird. He gets very upset when Igor leaves his side...even for a moment. He'll continually flock call to Igor until he returns to him.

The three don't have much interaction among themselves...except if they go into Buddy's (our Nanday conure) cage to try to steal Buddy's food...which POs Buddy off to the max. He then guards his food from the marauding tiel squad.

As I said before...three is a difficult number in a flock...it works here because we have the room ...and patience to accept the unusual situation...

 

[Tiel Feathers]

I also have three tiels. All of mine have separate cages. I could probable put Sunset and Niko in the same cage, but I think that if either of them shared a cage with Cappuccino, they wouldn’t like it because Cappuccino can be such a bully. It’s hard to say if the new bird would get along with Happy or not. Has the bird your thinking of getting been around other birds? I’m so sorry you and Happy are going through this!

 

[datlamb]

Thanks everyone for your advice so much.

I went to see the cockatiel, he was very cute, chattering away and singing and saying his name

The owners have had him for 3 years, he's been on a seed based diet and grit

The family he was in loved him very much, but his primary caretaker is in college and had no time for him.

They even made it clear in their ad that he is not a pet for kids, and that he needs lots of love and attention.

I took him in.

Please say hello to Grishka



I was expecting them to yell for each other (they are in different rooms) but so far they only chirp now and than.

Grishka is very frightened of his new environment. I've left him to get his bearings, I also covered 3 sides of his cage so he will feel safer.

Now the long long wait of 1 month quarantine

 

[Fergus Mom]

Glad you were able to adopt Grishka. I hope it will all work out with Happy, and we can all hope that Hopi is okay! Grishka is sure a cutie.

 

[cassiesdad]

Welcome to the Avenue, Grishka!

What a handsome guy!

Thanks for giving him a second chance...

 

[blewin]

He is a handsome little guy!

 

[Tiel Feathers]

Aw, welcome to AA Grishka! I hope everything goes well and that he settles in nicely. How exciting!

 

[Lady Jane]

We will be waiting with you.

 

[datlamb]

Thank you everyone! I can't wait for the morning to hear if he sings

 

[datlamb]

Morning came. Happy was screaming as usual and Grishke was chirping in response, so sweet.
He also made quiet beeping sounds

Grishke came from a Russian family. I'm not Russian but my bf is. I'll have to ask him to tell Grishka what a good birdie he is

 

[kifird]

Man, I just wish for the best of wishes onto your new cockatiel, and I wish that Hopi is somewhere out there taken in by someone else. If not, I wish he may be roaming in birb heaven, in the endless fields of millet.

 

[metalstitcher]

Congrats on your new addition. He is a very handsome boy.

 

[rocky'smom]

1month should be long enough for quarantine. Welcome little one.

 

[Feathered up]

Glad you’ve been able to adopt a new friend!

Have you tried putting Happy’s cage on the porch and hanging bird feeders to lure hoppy back? Happy’s calls might well bring him home.

 

[datlamb]

Thank you everyone so much!

As soon as hopi escaped I put happy near the window with food and water dishes on the windowsill. I put on the TV sounds of cockatiel on full blast and went out to look for him.
I couldn't find him and it got dark already. So the next morning I went out with happy in a travel cage while I played videos of hopi singing. Happy screamed all the while but we didn't hear anything back.

Either he flew too far away or he got into someone's apartment.
I put up some signs declaring him missing but nobody contacted me.
Whatever happened to him, I hope it's either a loving home or a quick and painless death.


Darling Grishka is so brave! I put some new toys and perches in his cage and all the while he's nibbling what I put in and even my hands!

A few minutes later he is already standing on his new perches!

Such a sweet boy

However, now I've encountered another problem.

Both him and happy yell for me to be with them!
When I am with happy, he screams. When I am with him, she screams!

Breaks my heart.
But it will be over soon

 

[CeciliaZ]

I am so sorry about Hopi - congrats and thank you for giving Grishka a home.

 

[Feathered up]

I’m so sorry your efforts to find Hopi did not yield a happy result.
My Blue Crown escaped once and My property backs up to thousands of acres of forestry service land. It was an awful experience and an absolute miracle that I got her back. She was out for 48 hours and I camped under a tree on the side of the road. Lol. (Lots of people called the police to report a crazy lady talking to trees. )

Your new baby is beautiful! I hope Happy settles in with her soon. Congratulations!

 

[saroj12]

Hey what’s the bar spacing on the cage in pic 2 above? From the angle looks huge!

 

[datlamb]

I’m so sorry your efforts to find Hopi did not yield a happy result.
My Blue Crown escaped once and My property backs up to thousands of acres of forestry service land. It was an awful experience and an absolute miracle that I got her back. She was out for 48 hours and I camped under a tree on the side of the road. Lol. (Lots of people called the police to report a crazy lady talking to trees. )

Your new baby is beautiful! I hope Happy settles in with her soon. Congratulations!

I'm so happy you managed to get your darling back! What a scary experience

Hey what’s the bar spacing on the cage in pic 2 above? From the angle looks huge!

Idk the dimensions but indeed it's way too big. He's a small guy so he can get his whole head through them!

How nicely he handled the changed to his cage gave me confidence to transfer him to my other small cage sooner than I thought! I might do it tomorrow. Only thing that worries me is the size of the door. It's pretty small.


Here's happy getting some sun in it