stressed out cockatiel :(

[123delrey]

recently, my family got a new cockatiel after our beloved conure passed away. this cockatiel is 10 years old and we adopted him from a shelter. we have had him for about a week and he is very anxious. he will start screaming at the top of his lungs, he bites and attacks everyone, he chews on his leg and rope perch, and he doesnt come out of his cage. he is picky with food and eats mostly millet. he has anxiety attacks and gets upset when people are moving around the house. he sits in a corner all day. my sister wanted this bird, but she is going to college next year and i’ll be stuck with him but i dont have time for him and my parents dont know how to care for a tiel. everyone is against me and nobody wants to listen to me when i tell them that we cant take care of him. i dont know what to do. i need urgent help, please. i need advice. im so worried and scared of getting attatched to him just for him to pass away. when my conure passed away recently i was so devestated and i could barely speak. i like this cockatiel a lot but i dont see him being a good pet for our situation and i’m already so attatched to him. i don’t know how to make him happy. i feel like i’m already getting stuck with him and i’m the only one actually paying attention to him and sitting down with him. its not fair for him. i feel so stuck and i’m so stressed out. i wanna give him a good home but i think somebody else should. what should i do? will he bond to somebody? he’s 10 years old and he’s kind of an old man. he has trauma and i dont even know if he’ll want to come out of his cage ever. i try to make him see that he’s in a safe environment but i feel so trapped, i can barely imagine how he’s feeling. what do i do?

 

[Peachfaced]

Since not everyone is on board with the amount of work and help this bird will require, you may need to contact the rescue and see if they can place him with someone who can.

A week is absolutely nothing to a bird with emotional baggage. If your family can pull together and get the bird the help and love he needs (at his pace), then I don't see why you couldn't keep him. But from what you're saying, no one but you wants to put forth the time and effort in to his recovery and livelihood.

 

[123delrey]

Since not everyone is on board with the amount of work and help this bird will require, you may need to contact the rescue and see if they can place him with someone who can.

A week is absolutely nothing to a bird with emotional baggage. If your family can pull together and get the bird the help and love he needs (at his pace), then I don't see why you couldn't keep him. But from what you're saying, no one but you wants to put forth the time and effort in to his recovery and livelihood.

the problem is, i have no power or say over him. when i try to explain that he would be best in the home of someone that can take care of him more than we can, i get shut down. my sister only thinks about herself. i dont know if this bird will even bond to anyone and i don’t know how i an gonna care for him with the weight of everything on me right now. i dont know what to do for him or how to make him happy

 

[Peachfaced]

I hope someone can chime in. That's an incredibly tough spot to be in. Did the rescue do much in terms of screening beforehand?

 

[Tara81]

Well, for now try to change his diet, add some small chewable shredding toys he might like in the cage. If he is flapping around madly, try placing his cage in a less threatening area (corner of the room), or place a light sheet over two sides of the cage, so the bird feels like it doesn’t have to look in all directions for predators. Damn how is this an old post and I didn’t realize til now. Oh well haha