dustyexner
Checking out the neighborhood
- Joined
- 7/31/16
- Messages
- 3
- Real Name
- dusty
Hello! About 3 months ago we got a young-ish female cockatiel. She is fully grown but they said she was only about 4 months old or so, which means she's still under a year old now. She had no training but since we got her she has become tame enough to step up (although she won't come near me if I put my hand in the cage, I have to coax her out with millet to get her on my arm).
When out of the cage all she wants to do is sit on my shoulder or knee. If I put her on the floor she doesn't really walk around, she will just sit in the same place for an hour or however long. Likewise, she just sits in the same place on my shoulder. She won't let me get near her for head scratches but I've tamed her to the point where I can put my fingers very close to her face/head without her biting me and she will tolerate my hands near her face, so I hope that with time I can increase that to touching her head.
My questions:
1. Its summer and we often have the windows open, and since she doesn't come willingly out of the cage (I can sometimes coax her with millet but sometimes she just wont) so she spends the majority of her time in the cage although we are always in the living room with her. I'm worried I'm not spending enough time socializing her outside the cage but I don't want to force her out and it's too hot in our apartment to shut the windows and doors long so our physical time together right now can be an hour or less a day. She seems happy in her cage and she likes playing with her toys but is this amount of time OK or too little?
2. Feeding: she eats millet seeds and bird pellets but so far just won't deal with any kind of fruit or veggie. I Chop things up as small as I can and try taking away all other food and leaving the fruit/veggies in the cage for hours to force her to try it but I don't think she does. She will eat unhealthy treats (so far she likes macaroni and cheese and small pieces of potato chips) but I really want her to have a healthy and varied diet. Should I worry if she just wont eat fruits and veggies?
3. She hasn't laid any eggs. Her cage is pretty spacious with a few different spots and perches she likes. Should I worry?
4. Bathing: at first I was spritzing her with a spray bottle through the bars of the cage which she occasionally seemed to enjoy (she would stretch out her wings ) but mostly tries to get away from. I read that you shouldn't force your bird to be spritzed but should help them learn to enjoy baths instead, so I've been taking her in the shower with me. She will either sit on my shoulder while I shower (and the water doesn't really get on her except a light mist ) or on a little shelf in the corner of the shower, and I dribble water on her. She doesn't seem to mind it...she just stays still...but she doesn't seem to like it either. I've done this twice and she tolerates it. Should I keep doing it? Also I'm concerned about using shampoo or any other shower products with scent while she's in there with me. I've tried a bird bath in the cage but she won't use it.
5. Cuddles - do you think she'll ever warm up to us? She seems pretty self sufficient and mostly just wants to chill by herself in the cage. I don't want to annoy or force her but everyone else's cockatiel seems to want so much interaction and attention, I'm just worried I'm doing something wrong?
When out of the cage all she wants to do is sit on my shoulder or knee. If I put her on the floor she doesn't really walk around, she will just sit in the same place for an hour or however long. Likewise, she just sits in the same place on my shoulder. She won't let me get near her for head scratches but I've tamed her to the point where I can put my fingers very close to her face/head without her biting me and she will tolerate my hands near her face, so I hope that with time I can increase that to touching her head.
My questions:
1. Its summer and we often have the windows open, and since she doesn't come willingly out of the cage (I can sometimes coax her with millet but sometimes she just wont) so she spends the majority of her time in the cage although we are always in the living room with her. I'm worried I'm not spending enough time socializing her outside the cage but I don't want to force her out and it's too hot in our apartment to shut the windows and doors long so our physical time together right now can be an hour or less a day. She seems happy in her cage and she likes playing with her toys but is this amount of time OK or too little?
2. Feeding: she eats millet seeds and bird pellets but so far just won't deal with any kind of fruit or veggie. I Chop things up as small as I can and try taking away all other food and leaving the fruit/veggies in the cage for hours to force her to try it but I don't think she does. She will eat unhealthy treats (so far she likes macaroni and cheese and small pieces of potato chips) but I really want her to have a healthy and varied diet. Should I worry if she just wont eat fruits and veggies?
3. She hasn't laid any eggs. Her cage is pretty spacious with a few different spots and perches she likes. Should I worry?
4. Bathing: at first I was spritzing her with a spray bottle through the bars of the cage which she occasionally seemed to enjoy (she would stretch out her wings ) but mostly tries to get away from. I read that you shouldn't force your bird to be spritzed but should help them learn to enjoy baths instead, so I've been taking her in the shower with me. She will either sit on my shoulder while I shower (and the water doesn't really get on her except a light mist ) or on a little shelf in the corner of the shower, and I dribble water on her. She doesn't seem to mind it...she just stays still...but she doesn't seem to like it either. I've done this twice and she tolerates it. Should I keep doing it? Also I'm concerned about using shampoo or any other shower products with scent while she's in there with me. I've tried a bird bath in the cage but she won't use it.
5. Cuddles - do you think she'll ever warm up to us? She seems pretty self sufficient and mostly just wants to chill by herself in the cage. I don't want to annoy or force her but everyone else's cockatiel seems to want so much interaction and attention, I'm just worried I'm doing something wrong?