Cockatiel advice

[riamo]

He guys, i got my cockatiel 2 days ago and he is very quiet and sits still in his cage, he rarely eats his food, today i got him to eat some apple and spinach from my hand for breakfast, then some millet later on in the day from my hand. he never beats from his food container. we keep a balance of time inside and outside his cage. whenever we let him out, he likes to sit on top of his cage and relax but he also sits on our fingers and occasionally our shoulder. What advice do you have to make him more comfortable in his new home? it’s 12 weeks old and he also rarely talks

 

[Sparkles99]

Is he weaned? Sounds like he expects hand feeding. I’ll tag some cockatiel people.

@sunnysmom @Rebel @Alien J I know I’m missing some, but it’s a start.

 

[Rebel]

Time. Dont rush it. Its only been 2 days. Give him time to get used to his new home. It sounds like youre pushing him.
Does he make that static noise like he wants fed?
What do you mean he rarely talks?

 

[Alien J]

I fed TD Kaytee's Exact baby bird formula. I used a syringe. You have to press it against the side of their beak (at the back of the beak to get them to open up. It only took 2ce for TD to just start doing the dinosaur screech and the begging whenever he saw the syringe coming. Do you have a digital scale? Idk how much a bird that age should weigh but you'll be able to see if he/she is loosing weight and if so you may want to try the formula for a few days. In this picture, bottom right, you can see the tip of the syringe I used. He went from that to a spoon quite quickly.



One way to encourage them to eat seeds is to put the seeds by them and tap your fingernail on the table, to imitate the sound of a bird pecking seeds. This worked wonders for the two wild fledglings I raised. TD also will begin eating if I do it

Idk about other cockatiel owners, but, all three of my birds eat better if I eat with them. They do this thing, I call it the eating game or the food race. You have to play it with them. It sounds silly, but you keep your eyes down on your food, and every so often glance up (raising your head) and look at the bird. As soon as he looks back at you drop your head and continue eating, then do it again. That seems to be a "go" signal. You have to do it throughout the meal. You'll see them doing it to you as well. I thought this was just a little game between TD and I, but then I got AthenaDon and I see them doing it with each other. Even Oscar (the Quaker) does it, though not in such a rushed, racing way.

Good luck. Keep us posted.

 

[sunnysmom]

 

[sunnysmom]

Make sure he is eating enough. You can weigh him to make sure he isn't losing weight. Cockatiels in general aren't fruit eaters. And spinach should be fed only a couple times a month or so. It's too high in iron to feed on a regular basis. You can try wetting pellets to make then softer for him to eat. Millet spray is usually a hit. And try other vegetables- some cooked carrots, mashed sweet potato, other leafy greens, squash, etc.

 

[alan]

My cockatiel hasn’t eaten for three days after getting his wings clipped, and it’s really worrying me.

 

[Sparkles99]

Starting your own thread will get more engagement. Meanwhile, offer anything your cockatiel likes, including treats like millet, & lots of fresh, clean water. I hope your bird wasn’t injured.

 

[Rebel]

My cockatiel hasn’t eaten for three days after getting his wings clipped, and it’s really worrying me.

Some birds dont like their wings clipped. When i got my first cockatiel her wings were clipped. All she did for days was fidget with her wings. Even held her wings down low. I actually thought something was wrong with her.