Hi all. So I decided to get a pet bird for the first time and stumbled upon these beauties. They were recommended for first time bird owners so after doing some research, I was set to get a young, male cockatiel. Got my eyes on one of them in a pet store. Owner said he's a two months old male. Perfect! So I brought him to his new home. He wasn't hand tamed and pretty scared of me when I brought him but after 6 weeks, I think we made a lot of progress. I did my best to keep him happy and to get him to trust me. Now he easily perches on my finger, my shoulder, even plays with my beard.
Thing is, he just let me pet his head for the first time yesterday, and I was more than happy. But something weird is going on ever since. Now whenever I get close to him, he bows his head and raises his tail, making these quiet chirping noises. Keeps doing it while being head rubbed. Please check the video.
cockatiel2 - Streamable
I've read about petting birds before, so I was careful not to pet him on the back/chest/wings not to give him a wrong message. Only head rubs for now. But what's going on here? From what I've read, I suspect this is female mating behavior. What the heck? Did shop owner lied about his gender? Also, even if he is a she, isn't it too soon to get hormonal for her? She was about 2 months old when i got her, add 6 weeks and she should be 3,5 months old, 4 at max. So he lied about her age too? Seriously, what the heck?
Also, she sometimes makes sounds as if she's trying to talk or whistle. Here's an example:
cockatiel1 - Streamable
Can female cockatiels do that? I'm confused. I won't return him/her or anything, he/she is still too precious to me, no matter what gender or age. But still, can't help wonder. What's my friend's gender? And how old do you think he/she is? Any advice/insight is appreciated.