SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME!

[Alien J]

Congratulations!

 

[BigSkyMT]

Hey guys, it's been a few months since I adopted sweet sweet Pepper. I thought you might want an update! His month in quarantine (my bedroom) went great. I was able to spend one on one with him & seal the bond. He is the sweetest cockatiel I've ever seen. I love him so much & I still can't believe he is mine. So month 1- I kept him in my bedroom to quarantine him from Hercules. He had full trust & was so loving & affectionate from day 1 that I brought him home. My struggle was providing both birds with equal attention while being separated in different rooms. Treats played a big part in it! Haha
Month 2-
For the first 10 days, I kept Pepper in my room & setup a play area that was newton both birds. I laid a blanket over my bed & added a small play stand I purchased on amazon (highly recommend for $20) I used a square lid to place food & water on, then scattered treats, toys & millet all over for foraging & to keep them busy while they got to know eachother. I will include some pics. After about 10-14 days I started moving Pepper cage out to the livingroom every morning, next to Hercules. Then I would carry his cage back in my bedroom every night to tuck him in & let him sleep.

*Me packing a cage back & forth twice a day, everyday*

Haha.
After a couple weeks of doing this & letting them out together all day, Hercules didn't seem to mind sharing toys & his big play gym. I then started putting just Pepper in Hercules cage for about 10 min at at time, 2 or 3 times at day. This got him comfortable being in Hercules cage & it got Hercules used to another bird being in his cage. A week of doing this, I started putting Hercules in his cage with Pepper in there also, I added millet for them to have something to do. (They only got mullet during interactions with eachother for 2w months) otherwise, I did not let them have any, unless it was 'bonding time" for them.
This seemed to work well, they love millet & would chow down & pretty much ignore eachother. After doing this for 2 weeks, I then started leaving Pepper cage next to Hercules at night for a few days, then I had them sleep in the same cage & made sleeping arrangements in the cage so they could sleep on opposite sides & have room to have an area way from eachother.
I slept on the couch for the first 3 nights, just incase anything happened I could hump into action right away. Everything went great! They have been sleeping in the same cage for a few weeks now & I was able to get rid of the rediculous cage Pepper came in.
As for bonding with eachother-
They don't seem to mind eachother, they respect each other & will share food & toys, but they have yet to preen eachother or cuddle up together act night, but it am very happy they can share a cage & play gym together!
Pepper is now almost completely finished with his molt & grew his flight feather back in. Every morning after letting them out they both fly around the house doing laps & stretching their wings. It is beautiful warching them both fly!
:fairy3:
Pepper is still the most cuddly birb ever!
Always on me, in my face, kissing my lips (dry kisses only, of course)
And now Hercules let's me kiss his head while I give him scritches. Before he would nip if I tried to kiss him!

So Pepper has definitely been an amazing improvement to our family! I think Hercules & Pepper enjoy each others company, but they won't admit it just yet! Haha

I was a slow process, but definitely paid off!

Here are some pics of the progress they made & of us with them both. Seriously no greater feeling than having a bird rhat loves you in each shoulder. Feel like I have feather should pads on haha.

Thank you guys for your advice & knowledge! Greatly appreciated & I can't believe if had doubts about a second bird, can't imagine how we loved without him.
He completes out fam!


On my bed getting used to eachother

Play stand I purchased on amazon for less than $20. Highly recommended
The moment my hubby gets home, they are on him!

Sharing Hercules play gym!

Rare occasions we get chinese take-out.
Birds usually eat dinner with us, dinner easy extra exciting, they had to investigate & we had to make sure they at their own dinner. Hercules loves a little breaded shrimp every once in awhile.
-I read it was okay, please correct me if I'm wrong!!-

I'm a proud crazy bird lady!

Hercules favorite spot to poop, on my head!

**I hope you guys enjoyed the update! Let me know what you think & any ideas?
I will continue to update as long as it allows me to! Thanks again for all the support, it is a true blessing knowing I can hop online & ask questions & learn to give my feathered babies the best life possible!**
Jesus loves you

 

[Tiel Feathers]

What a great update! You are doing really well with them, and they seem like they are really happy birds. It’s great that Hercules has learned that kisses are good too. I love your photos, and your birds are so cute! Also, you are quite photogenic yourself! One thing about shrimp is that it might be too salty, especially depending on how it is prepared. A tiny bite once in a while should be ok though.

 

[Just-passn-thru]

Awesome...moving right along in a good way.
So good to know your flock is settled in, and they have included you into the fold.

You must be proud of all you have accomplished.

 

[Begone]

Thanks again for all the support, it is a true blessing knowing I can hop online & ask questions & learn to give my feathered babies the best life possible!

Great update and again thank yourself for all the things you done for them.
It is a pleasure giving advice when the owner really want the best for her birds.
I'm very happy that you did get a second tiel, and find out the joy in having two.

 

[iamwhoiam]

Wonderful update. Happy birds and happy humans!

 

[Alien J]

I so want to get another cockatiel so that TD will have another of his own kind to share cockatiel stuff with. We have two humans in our family, two dogs in our family, so it only seems right tgat we should have two birds. I believe I will eaiw until we have found our "forever home". Raising one baby cockatiel while being full time RV'er's isn't anything I would particularly recommend to someone, but it was a matter of life and death in TD's case. It would be really hard with two! Especially if it turned out that they didn't get along! Your story has me feeling very positive about TD's having a birdy companion in the future!

Congratulations to you and your flock!

 

[finchly]

Wonderful update!

 

[BigSkyMT]

Thank you guys sooo much! I still can't believe I had doubts about getting a second bird, I wouldn't give them up for all the money in the world. They are my everything! Can't wait until summer to get Pepper harness trained & out on the golf course & bike rides! I will continue to update as time goes on & share some pics of Pepper enjoying the great outdoors like Hercules loves so much!
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! For joining me on this wonderful unique journey! You guys helped more than you'll ever know!

Great update and again thank yourself for all the things you done for them.
It is a pleasure giving advice when the owner really want the best for her birds.
I'm very happy that you did get a second tiel, and find out the joy in having two.

Aww! That makes me so happy I was able to inspire someone!! Two tiels is twice the love! Just go slow like I did hehehe.

Pepper & Hercules are still yet to preen eachother (maybe never will) but they sure do enjoy each others company & always want to see what the other one is doing. It's been a blessing having Hercules firsr, because if pepper sees him doing something, he is more willing to do it too, especially with foods haha.

Thanks again everyone!

 

[simon777]

I got a 2 year old rainbow lorikeet that desparately needed a home. I was totally ignorant about pet birds but had always got on really well with any animal I came in contact with. All I really want to say is do not force yourself on whatever bird you get. Let the bird make all the choices about coming to you. Be calm and peaceful and always speak soothingly. Also talk to the bird a lot, birds are very intelligent. Simon seems to understand everything I say to him. Lots of luck with whatever you decide.

 

[Tara81]

I would love to free flight him, I've seen many larger birds free flighted, but not many cockatiels. Can you give me some advice how to free flight train him? I had him off his harness a few times before I ordered the harness & he clung to me pretty good, but one time he got spooked from a dog barking & flew over our shop & into neighbors yard. I ran to him & he came running to me thank god, after that he hasn't been out without his harness. Any advice & tips would be greatly appreciated!

I don’t think cockatiels are good candidates for free flight training. They don’t have a good sense of direction like other birds . In the wild they are nomads. They are easily spooked. It can be done, but I’ve only seen it done on YouTube with this guy who doesn’t have eagles or predatory birds in his area. He has an outdoor aviary, so if they are lost , they can hear the other tiels to come back. He also spent countless hours with them as very young unweaned baby’s outside and once they started flying, he had to wait hours for them to come back at first. It looked extremely difficult, and he started when they were being handled.

You can still have your cockatiel on a flight line and have the bird fly from you to your partner outside in an open area. Do know the risks, I recently read that one lady’s cockatiel was snatched by an eagle while on her shoulder, harness and all. After that I decided to never take my tiel outside on harness again. Cage only now. I didn’t think eagles were that bold around us humans, but hungry ones can be. I live in an area with lots of eagles and hawks.

 

[cassiesdad]

I don’t think cockatiels are good candidates for free flight training.

I agree...tiels, although great birds, sometimes are a little lacking in their sense of direction...

 

[Begone]

I cant find the post your are quoting so I hope it's old.

Their is not many parrots that are good candidates for free flight.
Some bigger Cockatoos, Macaws and Patagonian Conure for what I know.
And it's still very individual and also something that needs to be professional trained over a long time. A strong bond is not enough.
The parrots that are good candidates are the ones that never get spooked or fly away when they get scared. But you can flight train outside in a harness and a leach.

I flight train a lot indoors, and my girls are very well trained to come on command.
But Pionus parrots are known for easily get spooked so I will never try to free flight them outdoors.

After that I decided to never take my tiel outside on harness again. Cage only now.

That is a great way. I put mine in bigger travel cages and then on a twin stroller and going/running on smaller adventures together with them.
It feels very safe. I know where they are, no one can reach them, and they have a part covered area (for sunprotection) and food and water.
It's more relaxing to take them out in a travel cage.

 

[Tara81]

Hi @Eloy , the post was somewhere in the first 10 pages of this thread I believe

 

[BigSkyMT]

I don’t think cockatiels are good candidates for free flight training. They don’t have a good sense of direction like other birds . In the wild they are nomads. They are easily spooked. It can be done, but I’ve only seen it done on YouTube with this guy who doesn’t have eagles or predatory birds in his area. He has an outdoor aviary, so if they are lost , they can hear the other tiels to come back. He also spent countless hours with them as very young unweaned baby’s outside and once they started flying, he had to wait hours for them to come back at first. It looked extremely difficult, and he started when they were being handled.

You can still have your cockatiel on a flight line and have the bird fly from you to your partner outside in an open area. Do know the risks, I recently read that one lady’s cockatiel was snatched by an eagle while on her shoulder, harness and all. After that I decided to never take my tiel outside on harness again. Cage only now. I didn’t think eagles were that bold around us humans, but hungry ones can be. I live in an area with lots of eagles and hawks.

Hey there, no worries. I would never even attempt to free flight my tiels. I do take my tiel on a harness tho. it's seriously the best mental, physical & beneficial thing you can do for your bird. I have also heard of horror stories of birds being snatched by eagles while on the harness, but I keep a very watchful eye in the sky at all times & feel confident in my (personal) decision.
Everyone is free to make their own choice & if you feel uncomfortable taking your bird out on the harness, that's okay too. You love you feathered baby.
This summer, my hubby & I plan on netting over our entire front yard (half an acre) then * ONLY then, I am going to work with flight recall with the tiels. They will have free flight in protected yard & practicing recall incase they ever did get out, I would have a higher success rate of getting them back, but I will NEVER free flight my tiels in the open EVER. They are my children & I would never take the risk!

Thank you for your concern, sincerely!!
I love seeing bird owners helping bird owners, to positively improve the life of other birds & their owners. I feel so blessed I found this website!! It truly has helped me & my birds in countless ways. Very kind people, eager to help!

If you haven't read this entire journey from start to finish, I highly recommend reading this thread, start to finish. I'm really hoping that others & new bird owners will benefit from my journey & help them with their unique journey to succeed with having a life long relationship with their birds!

God Bless You Guys & Gals!
I will continue to update on this miraculous journey as long as I possibly can!

Thank you all again for all the help & for helping me thru this life changing journey!

-JESUS LOVES YOU, UNCONDITIONAL, NO MATTER WHAT!-

 

[BigSkyMT]

Hey guys,
I'm back! Going to get right into it..
So.. there's a 4 year old male African Grey in need of a home..
The current owners are moving out of state & said they can't take him with. I have been exchanging emails with them & I want to know your guys opinions.
You all know my 2 cockatiels are out of cage to free flight in my home 12-14hrs a day, everyday. I would like the same if I adopt this african grey. I've been doing insane research about greys & I have fallen in love! That being said, my 2 tiels are my life & will be with me my entire life, I wouldn't give them up for a million dollars.
Is it possible to have 2 tiels free roam my home with a grey? They would obviously have separate cages, I would make the grey his own play gym & area & they would never be left unattended. Anytime I step out to get mail, run errands or need to shower, I lock my tiels up in their cage with treats, because as you know, it only takes a matter of minutes for them to get into mischief

I guess what I'm getting at, can you successfully have 2 tiels & a grey live happily & peacefully in a home?
I've watched youtube videos of a grey with tiels, hanging out peacefully. I want your guys opinions..
Once again.. PLEASE HELP!

 

[Lady Jane]

The one negative you would need to research is a good air filtration system for your protection. Three dusty birds is daunting. You will need to have a top performing air filtration system . Cheap ones would be a waste of your time. Rabbit air is a good one. Expect these machines to be over $500 and up. You need precautions so you dont acquire bird keepers lungs.

 

[BigSkyMT]

Great advice, we actually have a HEPA filter by our birds cage & your not kidding about the bird dander. I couldn't believe all the dust & small feathers it catches, we also have high quality humidifier & keep our home at about 40-45% humidity that really helps the birds & us.
Off the dander subject tho?
What about an African Grey sharing a home with 2 tiels
(Again, separate cages)
Would love someone input who has experience with greys & temperament with smaller birds?

 

[Lady Jane]

I had a TAG and she was great with my budgies. No experience with cockatiels, unfortunately.

 

[BigSkyMT]

What does TAG stand for?


Nevermind..
The Timneh parrot, also known as the Timneh grey parrot or Timneh African grey parrot, is a West African parrot. Formerly classified as a subspecies of the grey parrot Psittacus erithacus timneh, it is now considered a full species Psittacus timneh