RatTails
Meeting neighbors
Hey from South Africa!
I just recently, 3 days ago, brought a cockatiel home. Not entirely sure of the age, but petshop said +-7 months. Hasn't gone through it's first molt yet. I call it a boy because I'm hoping (though I'm ok with either), and his name is Kupo (which works for both genders).
From what I can Google, he's a Whiteface Cinnamon Pearl (another reason not sure of the gender).
His pic is here: Tails on Instagram: “Kupo was spoiled rotten today by @rozwellcat! He got a ladder, a hanging wood toy with a bell, some millet, and this amazing and beautiful…”
I have never had birds before, but my aunt had a Lorikeet named Magnum. He wasn't friendly with anyone except her, so birds have always fascinated yet frightened me haha.
I have, however, kept rats for many, many years which I think puts me in good stead transitioning to birds (I've been ratless for 2+ years now).
So Kupo came home and got my old rat cage (cleaned and minus the levels and ladders). My mom came over with a bunch of accessories & millet so he has a double swing, 3 perches, a hanging wooden toy, a ghetto ping pong ball, a bracelet, a ghetto cork toy I made, and a ladder (which he's obsessed with attacking haha). I plan to get more toys and swap them out occasionally but I want him to feel settled with what he has now.
Here is his cage: Tails on Instagram: “Kupos cage so far. Decked out thanks to my mom
Will be adding more toys each month and will keep some aside to swap out to keep it…”
He's not hand tamed, and was caught with a net and hand in the aviary at the petshop. Before choosing him I watched him for a while (mainly to test allergies lol) and he seemed interested in everything, active, chirpy, and was eating (what actually sold me was the happy face he made while he was eating!).
On the first day when I brought him home, he tried two pellets but spat them out (he's been seed-fed, so I'm mixing currently), called out a bit, and eventually even had a bath in his water bowl! I also gave him some broccoli, though he seemed to take his anger out on it rather than eat it. He also spent the day clambering the bars and flapping around from perch to perch and at night when I turned off the light and covered his cage I heard him grinding his beak (side note, sounded exactly like rat "bruxing" which is when they grind their teeth in happiness and it warmed my heart to hear it again in my house! And when I went up to Kupo and bruxxed back like I did with my rats, he started up again in response!).
He seems very active, constantly climbing around and swinging on his swing. Occasionally he settles down to preen and rest and then he's off again.
Now, a few things/questions...
He hasn't really approached his food bowl that I've seen (and no husks/shells in the bowl), and has only eaten the seeds I've sprinkled on the floor today (subsequently two days later). I also filled a toilet roll holder with seeds, pressed in the ends to close them, and poked holes in it, in case he wanted to forage (he occasionally seems interested but nothing more). How do I get him eating from his bowl vs on the floor? Or do I just accept he eats off the floor? He ate from the bowl in the pet shop which was hung on the side like mine is now.
His poops are normal looking, maybe a bit on the greener side, but a green/white mix.
He is not clipped (still debating this internally), and eventually I will let him out in to the room he's in but I'm cautious to do it while he's not hand tamed at least. I don't want to have to try to catch him and ruin anything I've built because I tried to get him back in his cage and he got scared.
Is this the correct approach? It seems if I opened the cage he'd have no problem coming out, but I think I'd have trouble getting him back in. Should I try in the next evening or two or should I leave it until he's hand tame?
I whistle at him and I get calls back (can here it in this video: Tails on Instagram: “This was when he got his swing and was showing how much he enjoyed it. . . . #birb #birbsofinstagram #bird #birdsofinstagram #petbird…” Not sure what the calls mean from his side? Is this the only kind of noise he'll make if he's female? (sorry, ignorance showing, despite how many cockatiel videos I've watched.)
He won't go near my hand nor eat from my hand (not even from a long spray of millet I'm holding) but he zooms around the bars no problem even if my face is 10cm away. He just avoids my fingers if I poke them through the bars. If I'm judging how I'd judge rats, he seems excited to see me and if he can't hear me he calls out (and I respond 80% of the time - not sure how much I want to encourage it...?). Or maybe he's actually calling to the birds outside and I'm just being narcissistic haha.
I think that's about it...more pics on my IG account if you're interested. Also if you think he's a she, let me know. I am suspecting it's a she so I rather say things like "pretty birb" vs "pretty boy/girl" for now.
Thanks for reading my long post. I look forward to the replies xx TIA
/essay haha
I just recently, 3 days ago, brought a cockatiel home. Not entirely sure of the age, but petshop said +-7 months. Hasn't gone through it's first molt yet. I call it a boy because I'm hoping (though I'm ok with either), and his name is Kupo (which works for both genders).
From what I can Google, he's a Whiteface Cinnamon Pearl (another reason not sure of the gender).
His pic is here: Tails on Instagram: “Kupo was spoiled rotten today by @rozwellcat! He got a ladder, a hanging wood toy with a bell, some millet, and this amazing and beautiful…”
I have never had birds before, but my aunt had a Lorikeet named Magnum. He wasn't friendly with anyone except her, so birds have always fascinated yet frightened me haha.
I have, however, kept rats for many, many years which I think puts me in good stead transitioning to birds (I've been ratless for 2+ years now).
So Kupo came home and got my old rat cage (cleaned and minus the levels and ladders). My mom came over with a bunch of accessories & millet so he has a double swing, 3 perches, a hanging wooden toy, a ghetto ping pong ball, a bracelet, a ghetto cork toy I made, and a ladder (which he's obsessed with attacking haha). I plan to get more toys and swap them out occasionally but I want him to feel settled with what he has now.
Here is his cage: Tails on Instagram: “Kupos cage so far. Decked out thanks to my mom
Will be adding more toys each month and will keep some aside to swap out to keep it…”He's not hand tamed, and was caught with a net and hand in the aviary at the petshop. Before choosing him I watched him for a while (mainly to test allergies lol) and he seemed interested in everything, active, chirpy, and was eating (what actually sold me was the happy face he made while he was eating!).
On the first day when I brought him home, he tried two pellets but spat them out (he's been seed-fed, so I'm mixing currently), called out a bit, and eventually even had a bath in his water bowl! I also gave him some broccoli, though he seemed to take his anger out on it rather than eat it. He also spent the day clambering the bars and flapping around from perch to perch and at night when I turned off the light and covered his cage I heard him grinding his beak (side note, sounded exactly like rat "bruxing" which is when they grind their teeth in happiness and it warmed my heart to hear it again in my house! And when I went up to Kupo and bruxxed back like I did with my rats, he started up again in response!).
He seems very active, constantly climbing around and swinging on his swing. Occasionally he settles down to preen and rest and then he's off again.
Now, a few things/questions...
He hasn't really approached his food bowl that I've seen (and no husks/shells in the bowl), and has only eaten the seeds I've sprinkled on the floor today (subsequently two days later). I also filled a toilet roll holder with seeds, pressed in the ends to close them, and poked holes in it, in case he wanted to forage (he occasionally seems interested but nothing more). How do I get him eating from his bowl vs on the floor? Or do I just accept he eats off the floor? He ate from the bowl in the pet shop which was hung on the side like mine is now.
His poops are normal looking, maybe a bit on the greener side, but a green/white mix.
He is not clipped (still debating this internally), and eventually I will let him out in to the room he's in but I'm cautious to do it while he's not hand tamed at least. I don't want to have to try to catch him and ruin anything I've built because I tried to get him back in his cage and he got scared.
Is this the correct approach? It seems if I opened the cage he'd have no problem coming out, but I think I'd have trouble getting him back in. Should I try in the next evening or two or should I leave it until he's hand tame?
I whistle at him and I get calls back (can here it in this video: Tails on Instagram: “This was when he got his swing and was showing how much he enjoyed it. . . . #birb #birbsofinstagram #bird #birdsofinstagram #petbird…” Not sure what the calls mean from his side? Is this the only kind of noise he'll make if he's female? (sorry, ignorance showing, despite how many cockatiel videos I've watched.)
He won't go near my hand nor eat from my hand (not even from a long spray of millet I'm holding) but he zooms around the bars no problem even if my face is 10cm away. He just avoids my fingers if I poke them through the bars. If I'm judging how I'd judge rats, he seems excited to see me and if he can't hear me he calls out (and I respond 80% of the time - not sure how much I want to encourage it...?). Or maybe he's actually calling to the birds outside and I'm just being narcissistic haha.
I think that's about it...more pics on my IG account if you're interested. Also if you think he's a she, let me know. I am suspecting it's a she so I rather say things like "pretty birb" vs "pretty boy/girl" for now.
Thanks for reading my long post. I look forward to the replies xx TIA
/essay haha
