Tips for Cleaning the Cage of a Nervous New Cockatiel

[Catti]

Hello

I just acquired my cockatiel (my first bird) from my grandparents. They've had him for about 10 years and never socialized him or given him much attention. He is nervous and hisses whenever I get too close to his cage. I've had him for 2 weeks and he really needs his cage cleaned. Are there any tips for cleaning the cage without causing him too much stress? The only thing I can think of is to ignore him completely and do the job as quickly but smoothly as possible.

Thanks!

 

[Shezbug]

What kind of cage is it?

Some of the smaller cages (the unfortunate little common ones sold at pet stores that many people use) can be easily taken apart so the bird can be kept in the top cage part while the tray is removed and cleaned.

If it’s a cage that doesn’t have the removable bottom then I’d personally just do the cleaning as calmly (slow careful movements but get it done quick) as possible being sure to allow the bird to feel like they’re as safe as possible by working from the opposite side they’re at.

 

[Catti]

It's a pretty large cage, about 3ft long and 4ft tall. It does not have a removeable bottom, so I'd have to reach into the cage and pull out all the paper and clean the flooring.

As for being calm but quick, that's what I figured. I appreciate the advice nonetheless!

 

[BirdG1rl]

I am in exactly the same situation as you, with my Rocky! Use slow, calm movements and try and talk quietly and softly to your tiel as to not alarm him. Keep yourself at eye level, as predators normally approach the birbs from above, and you will make yourself seem scary to him. Good luck!

 

[Catti]

I cleaned out the cage this morning and it went pretty well. Gabriel did hiss a bit, and made a few quiet sounds of protest, but he was mostly silent during the whole thing. That's a relief!

 

[Tara81]

I would spend more time near his cage , at the distance just before the hissing. There I would just hang out, yawn, nap, etc just to show him I mean no harm. After a week, I would move a little closer to the cage and do the same. Each week moving a little closer, slow steady exposure. In the mean time I would see what his favorite foods are, and if necessary, convert him to a healthier diet. Once you can go right in front of his cage without his hissing, you can put a treat dish near his favorite perch, slowly show him a treat in your hand, and slowly drop it in the dish, then move away for awhile. Give him time to investigate. Then in a half hour you can hang out near the cage again. Then in a couple hours or when you get time you can slowly show another treat , say treat, then place it in the treat bowl and slowly move away. If the treat is what he likes, eventually he will be excited to see you and move to the treat dish in anticipation. In time you can then feed him threats through the cage bars with your hands. After that is a common occurrence, you can cut a large millet spray branch and offer it to him without staring at him, or putting it too close. The idea is to let him come to you on his own terms. Hold the branch for 2-5 minutes then try again another time. Food bribery works really well if the bird enjoys healthy vegetables and /or sprouts and then you could remove the birds seeds for an hour, then offer the spray, give the seeds back afterwards, then take it out again for an hour , then offer the spray again. Just be careful that the bird is eating healthy before removing the seed like this.

 

[Pippa!]

Like Tara81 said spending time near the cage will help your cockatiel become used to you. Try talking to him or, this may sound silly, reading a book out loud to him. Eventually your bird will get used to your presence near the cage and your voice. If you offer some spray millet that’s even better!

 

[Catti]

Thanks for the advice!

Gabriel's cage is right at the foot of my bed, and after giving him a week to adjust I've been sitting at the foot of my bed so we're very close and I talk to him or play on my Switch. I've been doing 20 minute sessions where I put my hands in the cage and offer him a spray of millet. It's been going very well, so well that now he goes to the spot on the perch where I usually place the millet spray and stares at me when he wants treats. That was unintended, but I'm taking advantage of it and giving him the millet when he does that. He's inviting me to his cage and I want to reward him for it.

Now I'm trying to get him to eat the millet out of my hand directly. He's hesitant, but I see him staring at the millet and the wheels turning in his head. He hardly hisses at me anymore. I'm really surprised at how fast the progress is considering he's at least 10 years old and never socialized.

As for a healthier diet, he's only eaten birdseed his entire life and only the millet within the birdseed. I've been trying to convert him to healthier foods but he ignores everything I give him. He doesn't completely trust me and doesn't like my hands close to him so I can't offer him other foods yet. I am trying to sprout some millet seed so he can get something healthier in his diet and start conversion to vegetables.

 

[Catti]

Here is a photo of Gabriel's cage. It's the same cage he's lived in when my grandparents owned him. He only had that lone dowel at the bottom, but I added more perches (he LOVES the branch I put in, which he's perched on in the photo, and hardly uses the dowel) and toys. He ignores the toys though. He's figured out the mineral blocks and loves them.

 

[Tara81]

Hi Catti! Glad to hear Gabriel is getting more comfortable. Dowel perches are bad for their feet, so I am happy you got him more perches he can enjoy and feel better using. Cactus perches are very fun for them too, as you can drop little pieces of treats inside the holes for them to chew at, making it a fun perch to chew and forage with. I see you have a sea grass mat toy in your cage, but is it accessible near a perch? (It is hard to tell from the photo). Also, sometimes birds never had toys to play with, so since he may have never been taught , you can try making simple foraging dishes and foraging toys so he can start learning how to chew to play. Examples of foraging : A clear dish that shows seeds(or treats/pellets/ dehydrated veges) at the bottom, then place some small muffin papers or crinkled paper on top. Another example of foraging would be to get a millet spray branch, wrap it up in some printer paper, then cut some triangular holes in the paper so there are "windows" to the millet spray, then clip it on the cage, and a variation of this could be stuffing a millet spray branch inside of a bird safe finger trap (purchased from a bird store). Another example would be buying large balsa wood blocks, buying a stainless steel skewer , cutting holes in the balsa block, then stuffing treats inside. You can also buy bird safe vine balls and stuff millet spray sticks inside as well, hang those on a skewer. Some birds love chewing on crinkled paper, and some love chewing on soft woods like balsa wood, yucca wood, cork wood. Cork perches are very fun for my birds as well.

I suggest trying to get your bird to eat some pellets since he does not eat anything but seeds. I would buy something seed sized, like harrison's adult pellets size : fine. It may take a long time before he eats them, but it's worth a shot. Also, Sprouted sunflower seeds contain some vitamin D, so I would add those to the sprouting mix. I would try finely chopping some brocolli flourettes, so the green tops will look like little seeds , and mix that with their food. Good luck , Persistance pays off

 

[Catti]

Thank you very much for the comment!

Yes, the seagrass toy is close to the perch. All toys are close to the perches. He's never had toys at all, but I figured if he eventually learned that mineral blocks are for chewing, then maybe one day he'll investigate the toys. I'm really grateful for the foraging toy ideas! The birdseed he has has many seeds in it, but he will only eat the millet. He ignores everything else in it including the sunflower seeds. It took him time to understand the millet spray but once he did he fell in love. I know an all-millet diet isn't good, but I'm hoping I can use it to bridge the way to a healthier diet by sprouting it, and forge a bond between us. I'll definitely look up the Harrison's Adult pellets, thanks for the suggestion.

Today I did some hand desensitization training with the millet being in my hand, and my hand on his big branch perch. He took a couple of nibbles but chose to keep somewhat of a distance. He mostly stood three inches away from my hand, grooming and grinding his beak. I still see it as a good sign as a couple of nibbles are better than none, he didn't hiss once, and the grooming and beak grinding should be signs that he is growing more comfortable around my hands. Patience and persistence are key, but I am amazed at how quickly he's adjusting. When I took my hand (and millet out) after a few minutes of him grooming himself and making no moves towards the millet, he moved to the spot of the perch where my hand was, stared at me, and made little noises of protest. XD

One thing I immediately noticed about Gabriel is that he never uses his wings. I've never seen him fly, and he only unfolds them to occasionally stretch and groom. He has to climb to get anywhere in his cage.

 

[snir02]

Hey Tara!
Sorry to write in this post, but I'm writing here after I saw your video of your cockatiel coughing video from 2016, after drinking water.
I wanted to know if you had an answer to that or why it was happening.
We just lost our dear cockatiel after suffering from coughing for a month and being treated by 2 vets and were supposed to get to some expert one day before she passed away...
we just can't get the closure we need and try to find some answers and make peace with it...
thanks for your reply!