The strange case of my "adult" 6 month old 'tiel

[TielTA]

It's usually my other birds. He's around them 24/7 and has been for the past several months. And then one of them will make the same noise it's done 100 times before that day and suddenly my cockatiel will decide it's terrifying and take to the air. But in this most recent case it was because he was trying to work out how to get back into his cage off the top, and almost slipped off.

I hate to say this but he really seems to be on the... lower end of the intelligence spectrum. He has a poor understanding of 3D space for a flying animal. I've watched him several times be on top of his cage and walk around in circles backwards attempting to walk down to the inside of his cage. Instead of making his way down the side and through the cage door. Usually I have to go "rescue" him from the top of his own cage and put him back inside or he'll be up there all night.

I'm not sure if this is the main factor in why he's so odd.

 

[Fuzzy]

Birds will freeze if they are terrified. It's a way to try to disappear/not draw attention to themselves. Kobe did this once when I first got him, but not for as long as 7 hours.

What you are experiencing might be an example of learned helplessness which is the result of flooding. This is when a bird knows it can't get away so gives up.... becomes compliant/apathetic... and even if an escape route appears, the bird eventually chooses not to bother to take it... what's the point?

I would put him back into his cage if you can (a familiar place) where he can slowly recover/relax. Do you know what is spooking him? See if you can address that as Ripshod said.

 

[Fuzzy]

With the cage door opening upwards I would assume it is difficult for him when on top of the cage to see the entrance especially if being on top of the cage is a new experience for him and he is in a panic anyway. If an animal is frightened it is hard for him to learn anything new. I would try to find a bigger cage when you can with a door that opens sideways. That way he can sit on the open door and it will be easier to attach ropes and outdoor perches around the outside. The cage you have now would make a brilliant travel cage. The drawback about stacked cages is that each bird can feel the vibration of the other moving around... but can't see them which might be scary especially at night and Cockatiels are prone to night frights.

 

[TielTA]

Starting to think he's definetly got an anti-social personality

When I was feeding my cockatiel chick he flew out his cage to investigate, first time he's done this. The chick attempted to greet him and beg for food from him and the first thing he did was lunge and hiss at the chick. Then start to hiss at my hand as I fed the chick.

I thought the chick would be a positive influence on him. I've "tamed" other birds by just showing them another bird that was already tame. In this instance the chick also started to hiss at my hand so he's learned a negative trait from the other bird.

Think I should keep these two seperate.

 

[Tara81]

He looks older then just 6 months. If he is much older then you think then it would explain why he is so fearful. He could have had lots of scary episodes with people in the past. He may have never been hand tame before. Honestly he looks at least 12 months, and after his full yellow face comes in , its almost impossible to tell the difference of a 2 year old tiel to a 10 year old tiel. If he doesn’t eat vegetables or sprouts I suggest working on that . Once he does eat sprouts or vegetables you can then bribe him easier by removing his seed for awhile and offering millet spray.

if he isa lot older thenyou previously thought I think you are just going to have to be patient with him. The more you force or scare him, the longer it will take for him to trust you. I also agree a bigger cage May help him as well.
If you can get a clear photo of his underside tail feathers, or look at them, if they are all solid color (no bars) that indicates he molted them all out (10-12 months or older). If he has some bars or all bars it indicates he is still younger then 2 years.

 

[TielTA]

Actually he doesn't have any of the telltale signs of a young bird. But I thought he was just some odd colour mutation that don't have these.
I got him from a seller who told me all the birds in the cage were 3 months old. But he could have been mistaken. These pet market guys get about 20 birds shipped in at a time and they're sold after a few weeks and then they get another batch. No real way to tell what kind of birds come in a batch. They all come from massive factory breeding farms.

 

[Tara81]

Massive breeding farms most likely do not interact with their birds while their young, curious and less fearful. It is kind of sad since it gets harder to tame a parrot the older they get, and they living with us, should be tame to make their lives more Enjoyable in our homes.