Bad Bird Mom?

[Nicole Bred]

hi, i’ve been feeling a little crappy and like a bad bird mom, because i’m working a lot and when i’m not working i’m tired and sleeping so i’m not spending a lot of time with him. i try and sit in the living room and do my homework with him as much as i can but sometimes i feel like not taking him out and hanging with him for hours is a bad thing and i’m hurting him in some way. I was just wanting comfort in knowing that i’m not messing up my bird mentally if i’m not spending hours a day giving him scritches.. does he feel alone or bored even if he has tons of mirrors and toys ? i just want to know he knows that i love him. He’s sweet and nice when he’s out, but he’s very quiet sometimes and i’m just worried. sorry about this rambling post, i figured you guys would tell me if i’m messing him up or not. for the record , i spend as much time in the same room as him as i can in a day, it’s probably from like 4-10 or 11 at night so he’s sleeping a lot of the time, and sometimes i let him out but other times i have important stuff that i can’t get distracted on and i leave him in his cage while sitting out there. If this doesn’t make sense i’m sorry i just want to know i’m not failing as a bird mother because he seems happy and okay but i feel bad still i guess

 

[SkyLark]

As long as he has mental stimulation while he's out of the cage, then he should be fine for a little while. Why do you not take him out much? Even if you can get him a playstand and have him sit there and play while you work, it would be better than nothing. Spend at least a few hours each day (maybe before bed?) giving him attention, get a schedule going.
Of course, the best thing you can do would be to get him a buddy, then he'll have someone to play and chat with! But if you can't, provide him with lots of toys and if he's sleeping a lot, I suggest taking him to the vet to get him a checkup. (and bc he's quite, males like to scream) and don't forget to feed him the correct food, (pellets plus veggies plus seed)
But other than that, as long as he's happy......

 

[finchly]

You can put a perch just outside his door on the cage, with some toys and he could at least feel like he's hanging out with you. My tiels sit on my shoulder for hours, they just want to be with you.

 

[Nicole Bred]

As long as he has mental stimulation while he's out of the cage, then he should be fine for a little while. Why do you not take him out much? Even if you can get him a playstand and have him sit there and play while you work, it would be better than nothing. Spend at least a few hours each day (maybe before bed?) giving him attention, get a schedule going.
Of course, the best thing you can do would be to get him a buddy, then he'll have someone to play and chat with! But if you can't, provide him with lots of toys and if he's sleeping a lot, I suggest taking him to the vet to get him a checkup. (and bc he's quite, males like to scream) and don't forget to feed him the correct food, (pellets plus veggies plus seed)
But other than that, as long as he's happy......

Hi! I don’t take him out cause sometimes cause he’s nosy and likes to be doing what we’re doing and bird pooping on my laptop is not ideal sometimes haha. I have been considering the fact that he might actually be a she.. had just got done molting for the first time ( is i think he’s done) and has lots of feminine features:0)
if i get a second bird, do they need double the space? i have a huge cage for on bird filled with toys and perches, but i don’t want to cram them in if they can’t be haha . thanks for the advice. He loves to play and doesn’t sleep much, but he is only loud when i am leaving for work in the morning and he doesn’t want me to leave haha

 

[Nicole Bred]

You can put a perch just outside his door on the cage, with some toys and he could at least feel like he's hanging out with you. My tiels sit on my shoulder for hours, they just want to be with you.

i wish he would sit still on me sometimes! He runs and chews on everything and sometimes it’s just hard to handle and pay attention to him when i’m busy. as i’m currently typing this he’s chewing on my phone case after i just showed him from chewing on my laptop haha. he’s like a cat who sits on laptops when you’re trying to work , very cute and i love him but man it’s hard to focus with a cute love bug running around

 

[Nicole Bred]

here’s the sneaky sneak right now. i feel better now guys, thanks for the reassurance and the advice. i really needed to make sure i wasn’t damaging him and finding more ways to hang with him is always the best, he’s so sweet

 

[Zara]

if i get a second bird, do they need double the space? i have a huge cage for on bird

What are the dimensions? A large flight cage will be ok for two ´Tiels after the quarantine period and introductions.

For now, really focus on providing many foraging oportunities to ocupy your birds mind.

 

[SkyLark]

Do you have a spare room in your house? if you do, you can mark it as the bird room and put all your bird stuff in it, including the cages and let your tiel roam the room (make sure theres no electrical wires, toxic plants, windows without shutters cuz birds can crash, etc)
If you look closely at your tiel's cheeks, you'll see that s/he doesn't have much orange, a sign that yes, your right, your bird is a FEMALE!!!!

 

[Nicole Bred]

Do you have a spare room in your house? if you do, you can mark it as the bird room and put all your bird stuff in it, including the cages and let your tiel roam the room (make sure theres no electrical wires, toxic plants, windows without shutters cuz birds can crash, etc)
If you look closely at your tiel's cheeks, you'll see that s/he doesn't have much orange, a sign that yes, your right, your bird is a FEMALE!!!!

aaaaaaaaaaahhhh noooooooo i wanted a maleeee Now i have to think of a new name and get stuff for him- i mean her- to lay eggs then huh..

 

[SkyLark]

Females are nice too, they DO sing, but not as much as males, their more cuddly, and they aren't as noisy. They DO lay eggs tho

 

[Kiwi & Co.]

and get stuff for him- i mean her- to lay eggs then huh..

If you're thinking you need a nest box, you don't. A nest box encourages egg laying which is very taxing for any bird. If she does lay eggs, make sure to feed her calcium rich foods, and just let her sit on the eggs until she gets bored of sitting on them.

Also, make sure you don't have a hidey hut, snuggle hut, ect. because they can look like good nesting spots for your cockatiel, and birds can get stuck on loose threads/ingest fibers.

 

[Zara]

Nicole, your bird is 13 months old now?
If you post some pictures, maybe @Monica or @Tiel Feathers could take a look and see if they can clearly sex your bird for you.

 

[Tiel Feathers]

From the picture above and your description, I would say that you have a girl. Girls can be very sweet little friends!

 

[Begone]

My point of view.
Birds are meant to live in pair and flocks.
In the wild they are together 24/7.
Humans can't be that and even if your bird get used to be alone it will never be happy.

When I read your post it's obvious that you can't give the bird that much time and don't want it near either when you are doing important things.
Birds will never understand why we not want to be with them 24/7, they will only be sad.

Get a second bird, and enjoy to see them happy doing what birds should do.
And get a male at same age.

 

[Monica]

Looks like a girl to me, too!

You could get some fake grass or grow some real grass for her and spread some dry food or small toy parts in the grass for an easy foraging activity!


I will say though that mirrors are not good for parrots, and I do not recommend them. I would honestly recommend a second bird over a mirror, even if the birds don't get along!

And if you were to get a second, that bird would need it's own cage, at least initially! Never a good idea to put two strange birds together when you don't know how they'll interact! You also haven't mentioned the cage size you have...


And, as mentioned, she DOES NOT need a place to lay eggs! Providing her a place to lay eggs only encourages her to lay eggs! Even if she's laying eggs, she still doesn't need a place to lay them! If you aren't going to breed her (and potentially lose her as a pet), you don't need to provide any place for her to lay any potential eggs!

 

[Nicole Bred]

Nicole, your bird is 13 months old now?
If you post some pictures, maybe @Monica or @Tiel Feathers could take a look and see if they can clearly sex your bird for you.

pretty positive i have a girl !

 

[Nicole Bred]

If you're thinking you need a nest box, you don't. A nest box encourages egg laying which is very taxing for any bird. If she does lay eggs, make sure to feed her calcium rich foods, and just let her sit on the eggs until she gets bored of sitting on them.

Also, make sure you don't have a hidey hut, snuggle hut, ect. because they can look like good nesting spots for your cockatiel, and birds can get stuck on loose threads/ingest fibers.

awesome! so she won’t lay eggs unless she has spots to lay them most likely?

 

[Nicole Bred]

Hi everybody, i’m so overwhelmed at all the great information being thrown at me. i am not sure the exact size of my cage, once my boyfriend wakes up i’ll ask him to measure it. I am excited at the fact i could maybe have two birds haha , but also just happy to know more information in general about my baby. I have a few more questions now that this is all new to me, when i get a new bird, what sex should i get it? i don’t want babies! So most likely female correct? Then i have them in separate cages at first until they seem to get along and be comfortable, and can move them into one cage if it’s big enough ? I am excited about having a girl, but worried about eggs. Is there anything special i have to do to prevent eggs being layed? or does it just happen no matter what ? Thanks for all the information guys! Pepe/Pepa might be getting a new friend if i can convince the boyfriend haha

 

[Kiwi & Co.]

awesome! so she won’t lay eggs unless she has spots to lay them most likely?

She may still lay eggs, but it's much more likely with a nest box.

 

[Nicole Bred]

One more question! do i have to get a second cockatiel? or could i get a budgie and have them in the same cage? the cage dimensions are 23x39x21 of open space then there’s a top area too for them to play on