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MangotheBirdy

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Carly
Hello,

I am a new cockatiel owner, and am absolutely head over heels for my little guy, Mango! I'm so excited about our blossoming friendship, but as I am new to it all, I have a few questions for the more seasoned cockatiel owners in Cockatiel Corner :)

1.) How often do you change seed and pellets?

2.) Does your cockatiel get the 14 hours of sleep that you read about? I find this interesting as we have his cage in the main area of the house so he is around his 'flock', but we only get around 7-8 hours of sleep ourselves. Meaning, we are up and about the main area where his cage is until we go to bed. And while we are awake, he's out of the cage. Should we be putting him to bed earlier?

3.) Do you give your cockatiels boiled or bottled water only? We live in Vancouver where we have very fresh tap water - wondering if in this case bottled water is neccessary?

4.) He steps up, except to get off my shoulder. What do you do in this situation?

Thanks for taking the time to answer!

Cheers,
Carly
 

TikiMyn

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Congratulations with your new buddy! I might be able to help with Some questions:)

2) no, Tiki did also get about 8 hours of sleep, sometimes less, sometimes more. In the beginning I put him to bed, but he did not really want to go to sleep, he slept when to sun set and woke up when the sun rose. Even if I went to bed earlier he would just snuggle and not really sleep. He would Find a Nice spot in my room where he would like to sleep and would sit there for a time before he really went to sleep. He thrived this way so I just let him do it:smuggrin: One of my current birds decides to sleep early and gets about 9-12 hours of sleep and the other gets about 7-9 hours, they are happy so assume it is all right!

3) Mine did just get tap water, but I live in the Netherlands, so Maybe the water is different where you liveo_O I'm not sure about that:D

4) oh so relatable! I usally take a Treat and lure them to my arm, then I 'lure' them onto a branch. I hold a Treat so that he can reach it from my arm but has to move a little bit forward, than I give another but a little further away and he usally puts one foot on the branch, then I give another and he usally steps onto the branch with his other food. After Some time I could tap the branch and he would hop onto it, but sometimes they are stubborn!:D
 

MangotheBirdy

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Carly
Thanks so much for the response TikiMyn - so helpful! Sounds like Tiki was a lovely birdy!!!!:loveshower:
 

cassiesdad

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Welcome to you and Mango. :)

A couple of answers...

Our tiels are fed a base diet of pellets with "chop"... (a mixture of veggies and a small amount of fruit) Both are changed every day. Pellets are fresh in the morning, and left in the cage 24/7. Any leftover "chop" is removed before the birds are covered for the night.

The birds are covered at 6:30 pm, and we take the covers off at 6:30 am. With seven birds, it's easier to maintain a schedule like that.

Our birds have always drunk tap water. I know many people like to use bottled water, depending on the water quality where they live.

I know it's neat to have Mango on your shoulder, but he's got to learn that it's part of your "personal space"..and to respect it as such...in other words, YOU control when and how long he's allowed there.

You have to be insistent...when you want him off your shoulder, it's either on your hand or by a small stick...
 

Tiel Feathers

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I would say it's important for your birds to get 11-12 hours of uninterrupted sleep a night in a quiet room. My birds sleep in sleep cages in a seperate room. Mine love to go to bed at 7:00, and get mad at me if I'm late. I usually get them up about 8:00.

Tap water is fine if it's good water. You should change it a few times a day.

I give my birds new pellets and seeds every day. Fresh foods should be taken out after a couple of hours.

You could start training your bird to step up and to step down off of various places. You might want to check out Barbara Heidenreich training videos.

We would love to be to see pictures of your bird!!
 

sunnysmom

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Congrats on your new bird. Mango is adorable. You may want to consider a sleep cage for Mango where he can get 10-12 hours of sleep somewhere that's quiet. It's wonderful that he's in the living room with you where he can be part of all the household activity, but I think you'll find that if he doesn't get enough sleep, he'll start to become cranky, etc. And I would change pellets/ seeds every day. And then fresh food after a couple of hours.
 

MangotheBirdy

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Congrats on your new bird. Mango is adorable. You may want to consider a sleep cage for Mango where he can get 10-12 hours of sleep somewhere that's quiet. It's wonderful that he's in the living room with you where he can be part of all the household activity, but I think you'll find that if he doesn't get enough sleep, he'll start to become cranky, etc. And I would change pellets/ seeds every day. And then fresh food after a couple of hours.
That sounds like a good idea. I'll have to get something for him to sleep in. He was cranky this morning lol so perhaps that's why!
 

Tiel Feathers

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What an adorable photo of you both!:fairy2:
 

iamwhoiam

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My 'tiels get bottled water. They get about 8-10 hrs. of sleep give or take. I don't usually let my 'tiels (or any of my birds) sit on my shoulder. Kuiper is nippy and he would bite my ear whereas Callisto won't stay on my shoulder any way. She likes to take off.
BTW, Mango is very pretty.
 

Distaff

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I don't own a 'tiel, but the food question is relevant to any pet bird. I change out food and water every day. What ever is uneaten gets tossed in the worm bin. I don't re-use any food. I leave the fruit/veggie chop and sprouts overnight along with the seeds and pellets (separate dishes for wet and dry), but any egg food is removed after a few hours.

Scrub those dishes!! Both food and water containers should be washed in hot sudsy water, well rinsed, and completely dried every day. Otherwise bacteria and slime will build up.
 

MangotheBirdy

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Carly
My 'tiels get bottled water. They get about 8-10 hrs. of sleep give or take. I don't usually let my 'tiels (or any of my birds) sit on my shoulder. Kuiper is nippy and he would bite my ear whereas Callisto won't stay on my shoulder any way. She likes to take off.
BTW, Mango is very pretty.
Thank you for the advice iamwhoiam! And thank you - I'll let Mango know people think he's good lookin' :)

I don't own a 'tiel, but the food question is relevant to any pet bird. I change out food and water every day. What ever is uneaten gets tossed in the worm bin. I don't re-use any food. I leave the fruit/veggie chop and sprouts overnight along with the seeds and pellets (separate dishes for wet and dry), but any egg food is removed after a few hours.

Scrub those dishes!! Both food and water containers should be washed in hot sudsy water, well rinsed, and completely dried every day. Otherwise bacteria and slime will build up.
Great advice - thank you!
 
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