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When do cockatiels become more clingy?

Tara81

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Hi everyone.

I've had my pet cockatiel Alsing for 2 months and 2 weeks now. She is 4 months and a week old.

She is very spoiled and I love her to pieces. She however, is not content with just hanging out most of the time. She wants to play with things she sees me or my boyfriend use (keyboard, ipad, guitar strings). She will let us cuddle her if she wants something, it is really funny. She allows cuddles inside of her cage maybe in hopes we will let her out, I do let her out for 3-6 hours per day(but she would be out 24/7 if we allowed it, lol). She allows cuddles if she is doing something she shouldn't do like chew on the ipad, keyboard, guitar strings. Otherwise she just wants to play.

My question is to all those who had their cockatiel since it was young, how long did it take for your tiel to slow down and bow it's head for cuddles , or just want to hang out with you on your shoulder/arm/hand / wherever?

My cockatiel bows it's head only if i initiate cuddles and she is enjoying it , she does the cutest chirps when she is enjoying a cuddle session. But they never last very long because she sees something to play with and off she goes :D
 

Mizzely

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Depends on the bird. My mother in law had two; one calmed down after adulthood, the other one is five and wants nothing to do with "cuddles"
 

Princessbella

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She will slow down a little when she is a little older but it is a good thing that she is active. You don't want her to be so dependent on you for entertainment that she will get depressed if you aren't around as much. Bella cuddles when she wants to and not when I want her to.
 

Tara81

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Yeah I just want her to nap on my shoulder instead of the highest boing in the house sometimes, lol. She naps on my knee an odd time, but never my shoulder. It would also be super cute if she initiated cuddles!
 

Alien J

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My TD is just 6 1/2 months old. I've had him since he was 21 days old. He allows me to give him scritches, but we call it, "Tickle tickle tickle". When TD says " Tickle tickle tickle" he actually raises his left foot up to tickle you...and everything in his cage (while kissing it!). He only lets me tickle his head for a moment... then he's off looking for trouble again. Like your Alsing (great name, btw) he is always eager to do anything that I have said is a no-no. I'm not using that term anymore!

I think the tickling is part of a game to him. He's never let me do it long enough to see that he would like it! He also let's me tickle him thru the bars of his cage, but that's kinda awkward!
 

Princessbella

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Yeah I just want her to nap on my shoulder instead of the highest boing in the house sometimes, lol. She naps on my knee an odd time, but never my shoulder. It would also be super cute if she initiated cuddles!
Give her time. What helped Bella, who was not tame when I got her, was my knitting and crocheting. Bella loves yarn, crochet hooks and all of the tools that come with it. Ultimately, she realized that being with me was fun so she wanted to hang out with me. I taught her about scritches by putting my finger down on my shoulder next to her until she realized that putting her head down means scritches. Now she tugs at my shirt when she wants them. Also beware of what you wish for. My first tiel was a scritchoholic and would even pick up my finger and put her head under it and would want me to scritch her 24/7.

 

Tara81

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Bella is so beautiful ! Love her colorings , I wish I could knit haha ! Do you ever have to clean the yarn from the poop she emits ? lol. =) I'd rather a scritchaholic instead of an ipadholic or keyboard holic haha ! She somehow hasn't ruined my ipad yet. She keeps trying to climb it, chew the corners, stand on it, peck at things on the screen. AlienJ you should get a video of this tickle tickle it sounds so cute !
 

Princessbella

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She will slow down a little when she is a little older but it is a good thing that she is active. You don't want her to be so dependent on you for entertainment that she will get depressed if you aren't around as much. Bella cuddles when she wants to and not when I want her to.
Thank you! Bella hasn't pooped on the yarn yet. She knows to poop on my shirt rather than my yarn. Bella also wants to remove all of my keys from the keyboard also.
 

TikiMyn

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I don't know if she ever Will, Some birds just don't like cuddles. They are just like gogogogo Come on we gotta do Something! Fëanor is like that, Henkie a lot less he wants lots of kisses but also loves to do stuff but mostly I have to join. That is mot ideal as I have to find creatieve ways to entertain him while I am gone. Tiki liked to play quietly, he liked to sing and hang out with me and eventually let me Kiss his wings but that took quite Some time.
 

Tara81

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Well my birdie does like cuddles, she just never initiates them :D SOmetimes ill try and she will move away , other times she will stay around and look at me as if to say " I might like this... " then she moves her head to show where she wants her cuddles. Then she squeeks when i get the right spot. She just never comes to me for cuddles haha i have to try randomly ;D
 

Alien J

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AlienJ you should get a video of this tickle tickle it sounds so cute !
Believe me, I've tried. I can be in the cab of the RV with a curtain drawn between the cab and the back, so TD can't even see me, when I hit the record button just to try to record him singing or talking he clams up. I'm working on it, though!

It is really cute. At first I thought he had something wrong with his left foot. Before he actually put the two together, he was just practicing raising his left foot. Then one day I saw that he was kissing his disco ball and then trying to tickle it. Now when he says tickle tickle tickle he raises his left foot to tickle you. It's adorable.
 

cassiesdad

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The only tiels we actually had when they were young were Goalie and Igor. They both eased their way into scritches and were not demanding as little birds. When they wanted them, they'd come over to you and bow their head or turn it so they'd be looking up at you.
Goalie would come over to you when she wanted attention, then leave after she was satisfied...Igor is still the same way. They both had and have a mind of their own...which I like my birds to have...
 
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