Scared Cockatiel

[BirdDad]

Hi there, I have a ten month old cockatiel and she gets scared a lot for seemingly no reason.
When she was flighted she would fly into walls so I decided it would be safer to clip her wings.
On Friday she was scared again, for seemingly no reason, and leapt off her cage. She broke a blood feather and was bleeding a lot. I had to take her to the emergency vet in another city at 11 pm.
I really don't want anything like that to happen again.
I really have no clue what sets her off.
How can I make her less afraid?

 

[CrazyBirdChick]

I'm not sure if this would help in the long term but have you ever tried putting a sheet or something to cover 3 sides of the cage? That may help your sweetie feel a little more secure?

 

[BirdDad]

I'm not sure if this would help in the long term but have you ever tried putting a sheet or something to cover 3 sides of the cage? That may help your sweetie feel a little more secure?

She hates when her cage is covered. Instead of being relaxed she just hisses.

 

[Pipsqueak]

My cockatiel had the same problem, here is what I did. He sleeps in a sleeping cage in the guest bedroom, he feels safer there, smaller cage and covered. We let him fly because he needs to be able to get away from whatever frightens him, he became and excellent flyer. We removed broken flight feather ourselves but this is something you have to b comfortable with , otherwise use the vet but it is not uncommon in cockatiels so at least get informed how to stop bleeding etc. Our cockatiel gets more frightened when it gets dark so from dusk til dawn it is bed time for him. Today I had him outside in the cage and when he saw a bird circling the skies that was it, he started screaming and climbing all over the cage and I had to take him in. Will have to cover the top of his cage with a towel next time and place the back of his cage against the house wall.

 

[Lady Jane]

How long have you had her? Try taking her in a small room where she can learn to fly and land safely. She will be happier and healthier flying.

 

[Pipsqueak]

She hates when her cage is covered. Instead of being relaxed she just hisses.

That is not unusual, could just mean that she doesn't want to be handled any more after bedtime. Do you have her in the dark really uninterrupted from noise like tv etc. ?

 

[rocky'smom]

ok, I am going to tell you how to handle a broken blood feather. In film canister (I know old fashioned) I want you to put 1 tablespoon of either white flour or cornstarch & 1 tablespoon of cayenne powder. cap it tightly and shake it hard. the next broken blood feather this is what you do: towel her and go into a small room (like bathroom) try direct pressure on the broken blood feather first. that means you pinch it tightly between your thumb and first finger and hold it for 2 minutes. your bird is going squawk and hate it, but it will stop the bleeding. if it's still bleeding after that I want you to take a good 2 finger and thumb pinch of the flour or starch & cayenne mixture and pinch it on the bleeding area and pinch it again for at least another minute. hold it tightly. it should stop the bleeding.

 

[barry collins]

11pm sounds very late for a bird to be awake? If it was after dark and it was thrashing around it will have been night frights.. I found that cockatiels need a good night light on during the night or they spook real easy. If it is a lone bird it may feel insecure on a night? Maybe a friend or a mirror could help? Making sure the cage is against a wall or in a corner will help and the higher the better from the floor. How long have you had your tiel and has it bonded with anybody in the house yet?

 

[Tiel Feathers]

Cockatiels can sometimes get very flighty, and sometimes things can really set them off. Sudden noises, lights reflected off of surfaces like your phone, things outside a window, etc. Make sure your tiel has a safe corner to hang out in that is away from windows. Another thing that might keep your bird from getting startled is some white noise or having the radio on. If it's really quiet in your house, any noises will just be more pronounced. Also, to birds, quiet means danger. Does your bird have a good relationship with you? Not that she has to be hand tame, but the more time you spend interacting with your bird, the more relaxed she will be. If she thinks of you as a trusted flock member, the more secure she will feel, especially when she sees you are not startled by things.

 

[Jaguar]

Cockatiels are just flighty sometimes. A few weeks back, my partner knocked over a tiny tube of Chapstick on his night stand and it caused a rather violent night fright. They are programmed to scatter at any sign of danger. You took away her ability to escape from that perceived danger, so you probably hurt her confidence in the long run more than helped.

My guys fly into walls, the ceiling, sometimes they just crash into random things. Phoenix crash landed and fell on the floor the other day (and discovered that's a good place to go for a snack). They're in a small room with hanging objects that break up their flight patterns so they can't get any major speed to hurt themselves. Curtains, hanging toys, etc. but they still batter themselves around occasionally.

You are going to have to treat her like she's made of glass. No more heights (which is going to further hurt her security). Pad everything around her cage/play areas with thick towels. Keep all the perches in her cage low and put another cushion at the bottom. Anything you can to stop her from falling like that again.... next time it might be a broken leg or keel bone.

 

[Lady Jane]

@BirdDad are you there?