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Afivce or Opinions on my cockatiel

Ribbo1995

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Hi guys,
Was hoping to get some advice and opinions on my cockatiel. Early this year we found a female lutino cockatiel on our property. We were unable to find the original owners, and have since decided to keep her.
She bonded to me early on and has learnt to recognise my v8 and will flock call whenever she hears it or hears me nearby.
I dont know what sort of life she had before but she does not like other people, she sticks to me like glue. She also does not like any of the toys i bought her, instead opting to rip apart my keyboard and play with string cat toys.
She spends her day inside a large bird aviary outside, but due to the cold weather before, she sleeps in my room of a night.

My concerns are her sleeping habits and isolation during the day. Ill bring her up to the house when i get home and let her loose in my room. She'l run around and demand scratches while i talk to my mates and play games, although i put her to bed at 7.40, i tend to be up till 9.30. And i can hear her chirp when i passby her cage, given how noisy my house hold is i worry shes getting annoyed while she trys to sleep.

On the day side, she lives in that aviary i mentioned but noone interacts with her, shes alone except for our dogs running around, and the multitude of wild birds that live around my property. I was considering getting her a partner but i do not want them to breed and i worry she will revert and not interact with me anymore. I was considering instead hanging a bird feeder near the aviary to bring the local lorakeets and parrots closer but i dont know if thats a good idea given that theres a particular bird around that makes her get territorial.


Sorry for the essay, just hoping for any insight anyone might have if they spot anything im doing wrong.
 

Sunni Tiel

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It sounds like you're doing great, but I am concerned about her sleeping in your room at night, do you have a cage in there or is she loose? It could be dangerous if she is free inside the room. Cockatiels should get about 12 hours of undisturbed sleep every night, If you're worried about her staying up you can try covering her cage or moving her to a quieter room.

As long a she has at very least two hours of playtime with you every day she should be good on interaction, but more is always better. Aviaries are great, lots of exercise and she gets to see other birds. If you do plan on getting another cockatiel, keep in mind they might not get along and you will have to get another cage and more toys/food plus vet bills, it adds up quickly.

What's her diet like? That's a tricky one that's sometimes overlooked. Many people think a diet of only seeds is enough, but there are other things needed to make a well rounded diet.

Welcome to the avenue!!
 

Ribbo1995

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It sounds like you're doing great, but I am concerned about her sleeping in your room at night, do you have a cage in there or is she loose? It could be dangerous if she is free inside the room. Cockatiels should get about 12 hours of undisturbed sleep every night, If you're worried about her staying up you can try covering her cage or moving her to a quieter room.

As long a she has at very least two hours of playtime with you every day she should be good on interaction, but more is always better. Aviaries are great, lots of exercise and she gets to see other birds. If you do plan on getting another cockatiel, keep in mind they might not get along and you will have to get another cage and more toys/food plus vet bills, it adds up quickly.

What's her diet like? That's a tricky one that's sometimes overlooked. Many people think a diet of only seeds is enough, but there are other things needed to make a well rounded diet.

Welcome to the avenue!!
Thanks for the reply sunni.
Yes she does sleep in a cage in my room, initially it was to keep her out of the cold, but i quickly became attatched to having her inside. Now with lockdown over, im normally out on saturday nights so she sleeps out in the aviary those days. Her cage gets covered when its bedtime, due to the lights my computer emits. I spend at least 2 hours with her a day, normally 3.
I learned early on she needed to go to sleep at 7.40 every night, as she was trying to build nests and backing up to me before when she was up late.
Her diet at the moment is trill cockatiel seed and trill vegetable mix. Ive tried getting her to eat fruit and veg but she refuses, sometimes she will try an apple if im eating one but quickly turns off it.
My only concern with inside the house is that she is being kept awake by noise, im normally up till 9.30, sometimes later if im drinking, and i have a 4year old nephew who kicks the doors and makes noise till 10 everynight.
 

Shezbug

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When you stay up and have lights on till 9:30-10pm and you have your bird indoors, approx what time do you get up the next morning- before sunrise or after? Do you have curtains that keep some of the daylight out or not? Some people find blackout curtains help if their schedule really is causing problems so maybe you could use good block out curtains to your advantage if needed.

My indoor birds have their lights put out at about 9:30pm most nights (some nights a little earlier or later) and I am up and doing things well before sunrise nearly every single day- my birds are also awake but quiet till about 7am when I open their curtains/turn their lights on.
The idea that birds in nature have a totally peaceful and totally darkened 12hr night is kinda crazy thinking in my mind- any night of the week I can guarantee you that in my yard and the land behind my home I will hear and see many wild birds when they “should” be tucked up peacefully sleeping- to think that another bird, wild animal, wind, branch falling, cat etc will not disturb a wild birds sleep pattern and this is what we should replicate is just odd to me - last night some time after 10pm a small flock of bin chickens (maybe 4) flew over my house carrying on like crazy, the night before it was corellas, and frequently I see and hear many other types of birds like ducks, starlings and many localparrots at flight that have been disturbed- this also happens in very very remote places where people can’t be the cause of the disturbance.
I am certainly not suggesting anyone deliberately disturb their bird during the night hours but to worry and stress about them getting a totally undisturbed and dark 12 hrs is often a pointless and impossible nightmare for many people.

Find out how common contagious diseases in wild bird flocks occur in your actual area- lorikeets seem to be one of the populations that is affected by deadly diseases a fair bit depending on the area. If it’s not a major concern for your area and your bird enjoys visits from wild friends then by all means encourage the wild ones to visit.


If you choose to bring home a caged friend then please keep in mind that you do not have to raise baby birds simply because you have a pair of birds- the eggs can simply be removed and replaced with dummy eggs or easily boiled and cooled then given back.
 
Last edited:

Ribbo1995

Checking out the neighborhood
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10/31/21
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T
When you stay up and have lights on till 9:30-10pm and you have your bird indoors, approx what time do you get up the next morning- before sunrise or after? Do you have curtains that keep some of the daylight out or not? Some people find blackout curtains help if their schedule really is causing problems so maybe you could use good block out curtains to your advantage if needed.

My indoor birds have their lights put out at about 9:30pm most nights (some nights a little earlier or later) and I am up and doing things well before sunrise nearly every single day- my birds are also awake but quiet till about 7am when I open their curtains/turn their lights on.
The idea that birds in nature have a totally peaceful and totally darkened 12hr night is kinda crazy thinking in my mind- any night of the week I can guarantee you that in my yard and the land behind my home I will hear and see many wild birds when they “should” be tucked up peacefully sleeping- to think that another bird, wild animal, wind, branch falling, cat etc will not disturb a wild birds sleep pattern and this is what we should replicate is just odd to me - last night some time after 10pm a small flock of bin chickens (maybe 4) flew over my house carrying on like crazy, the night before it was corellas, and frequently I see and hear many other types of birds like ducks, starlings and many localparrots at flight that have been disturbed- this also happens in very very remote places where people can’t be the cause of the disturbance.
I am certainly not suggesting anyone deliberately disturb their bird during the night hours but to worry and stress about them getting a totally undisturbed and dark 12 hrs is often a pointless and impossible nightmare for many people.

Find out how common contagious diseases in wild bird flocks occur in your actual area- lorikeets seem to be one of the populations that is affected by deadly diseases a fair bit depending on the area. If it’s not a major concern for your area and your bird enjoys visits from wild friends then by all means encourage the wild ones to visit.


If you choose to bring home a caged friend then please keep in mind that you do not have to raise baby birds simply because you have a pair of birds- the eggs can simply be removed and replaced with dummy eggs or easily boiled and cooled then given back.
Thanks for the reply Shezbug.

I have a small lamp on from 6 to 10 at night. However she is put in her cage at 7.40pm and i cover enough of her cage to block the light but still be open on the darker sides of the cage. I keep my blinds closed till 7.40 am as thats when i get up for work and she usually sleeps in till then, at which time I'd put her outside in her large aviary and go to work. Thats with daylight savings, before that it was bed 6.40 and i left my blind up so she would naturally get up around 6.40, which left about an hour of freeroam in my room before i went to work. Im probably just being paranoid, I'm pretty sure shes getting enough sleep as since weve started this routine she hasnt tried making nests in my bed or my jumper, and hasnt screamed or carried on like mad for a mate.

On a side note, I am aware of the dust they produce, i was having issues with it earlier with my hay fever. I solved this by picking up a air purifier, that ive got used to running all night, and whenever im in my room during the day which along with my metal flyscreen has solved any hayfever issues i had with her.
 

Tiel Feathers

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She’s probably aware that the dogs are part of the family, so they do give her some comfort. I probably wouldn’t move bird feeders closer to the aviary. I would only get another bird if you want another bird, but its hard to tell how that may change things. If you give her three hours of interaction on most days, I think that’s okay.
I think if your door is closed she should be getting enough rest even with the noise. They get used to regular noises which fade into the background. It’s only sudden or unusual noises that might disrupt her. I’m sure she misses being inside with you on those nights you’re out.
 
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