Would My Cockatiel Be Happier Elsewhere?

[scrape]

So my cockatiel Felix has gotten a lot less hormonal in the last month. But we are still having trouble. 10 minutes ago he tried to mate with a crumpled paper ball I put on top of his cage for him to play with. He is very territorial over his cage and even toys. I haven't made any progress in any kind of "handling". Very little progress.

Would he be happier with another cockatiel?

He doesnt like the budgies, but they are intruders to him. He just tolerates me. When I play cockatiel videos he sings and hops. Granted he does ask for me to pet him, but that is very conditional. At times I feel I am not the best home for him.
What do you guys think? I look forward to some wisdom.
@Tiel Feathers Any advice/opinion?

 

[Tiel Feathers]

It is possible that he would be happier with a friend, but then again, they might not get along. A good rule is to only get another bird if you want one and have the time, resources and space for another. I think that it’s great he has gotten less hormonal, so I would keep up his training and make sure he gets a lot of sleep. Make sure there are no perceived nest sites, and rearrange his cage often. Having a grate might also help, as might having him forage for food. In addition, he probably likes your company more than you realize. I had a little guy who hated to be touched, but we still had a great bond, and he was such a good friend.

 

[Tiel Feathers]

I just realized you were thinking of rehoming your bird, not adding another one, sorry for the confusion. I don’t think that he would necessarily be happier somewhere else, because he is used to you, your home, and your routine. It might be really hard to find a home where he gets the kind of love and care that you provide. If you knew of an awesome home where there were other cockatiels with an experienced bird person tending to them, maybe, but in general I think you are good for him.

 

[scrape]

I just realized you were thinking of rehoming your bird, not adding another one, sorry for the confusion. I don’t think that he would necessarily be happier somewhere else, because he is used to you, your home, and your routine. It might be really hard to find a home where he gets the kind of love and care that you provide. If you knew of an awesome home where there were other cockatiels with an experienced bird person tending to them, maybe, but in general I think you are good for him.

Thank you for the reassurance, I guess I'm just doubting myself.
Have you ever experienced something like this?

 

[Donna turner]

I had a tiel for 17 years and he was very sweet. However, he did not allow handling except for stepping up and sitting on me. He liked his head scratched but no touching of anywhere else. He regularly " relieved himself of his hormonal urges on a toy and that was ok with me. He wasn't terribly territorial of his cage , but I wouldn't stick my finger through the bars. Just love your fella and take good care and he will be fine. Oh, I got him a girlfriend for awhile and ended up rehoming her because he didn't like her at all. She constantly tried to cozy up to him and he spent all his time getting away from her and quit singing and talking. He was much happier when she left

 

[Tiel Feathers]

My male that I used to have was very hands off, but we had an incredible bond. I would talk to him all the time and explain things, and that little bird knew practically everything I said and would hang on my every word. He would sit on me, but he didn’t like touching skin. We had an understanding and were able to work around all his little quirks. He would get on my arm to come out of his cage, but I really didn’t have to put my hands in his cage for any other reason. Giving fresh food, water, and cleaning were all done while he wasn’t in his cage. Except for dinner. When he was in his cage at dinner I would put the bowl in as he charged me from the top part of the cage. I always got his food bowl in before he could reach me. I did do some training with him, and he could target a bit, but he would often get cranky during training so I didn’t really keep it up. Getting him back in his cage was never an issue. He would just hop off my shoulder into his cage, and every time he went back I gave him a tiny piece of millet that he ate from my fingers. I had to time it just right and drop the millet in his food bowl, or he would start biting my fingers. I learned exactly how long he would happily take the millet from my fingers before he got cranky. Boy I miss him.

 

[Lady Jane]

Please dont take a birds behavior personally. Big mistake some newbies make.

 

[scrape]

I had a tiel for 17 years and he was very sweet. However, he did not allow handling except for stepping up and sitting on me. He liked his head scratched but no touching of anywhere else. He regularly " relieved himself of his hormonal urges on a toy and that was ok with me. He wasn't terribly territorial of his cage , but I wouldn't stick my finger through the bars. Just love your fella and take good care and he will be fine. Oh, I got him a girlfriend for awhile and ended up rehoming her because he didn't like her at all. She constantly tried to cozy up to him and he spent all his time getting away from her and quit singing and talking. He was much happier when she left

How long did you keep the female? He sounds very much like Felix.

 

[scrape]

My male that I used to have was very hands off, but we had an incredible bond. I would talk to him all the time and explain things, and that little bird knew practically everything I said and would hang on my every word. He would sit on me, but he didn’t like touching skin. We had an understanding and were able to work around all his little quirks. He would get on my arm to come out of his cage, but I really didn’t have to put my hands in his cage for any other reason. Giving fresh food, water, and cleaning were all done while he wasn’t in his cage. Except for dinner. When he was in his cage at dinner I would put the bowl in as he charged me from the top part of the cage. I always got his food bowl in before he could reach me. I did do some training with him, and he could target a bit, but he would often get cranky during training so I didn’t really keep it up. Getting him back in his cage was never an issue. He would just hop off my shoulder into his cage, and every time he went back I gave him a tiny piece of millet that he ate from my fingers. I had to time it just right and drop the millet in his food bowl, or he would start biting my fingers. I learned exactly how long he would happily take the millet from my fingers before he got cranky. Boy I miss him.

I didn't want to be cruel. As long as he's happy everything is good.
Did he go around the house with you?

 

[scrape]

Please dont take a birds behavior personally. Big mistake some newbies make.

I did not want to be cruel. As long as he's happy and healthy, everything's good. My pets are my world.

 

[Donna turner]

I kept the female for almost a year. They didn't fight but he was obviously stressed by her constantly trying to be close. He didn't talk or whistle any more. The day she left he was so happy he talked and whistled most of the day, lol. Even though he didn't want to be handled he would ride around the apartment with me either on hand, shoulder ,or head

 

[Tiel Feathers]

I didn't want to be cruel. As long as he's happy everything is good.
Did he go around the house with you?

Yes, he did. He completely trusted me and I was his safe spot, even when everything else might have been new and scary.

 

[scrape]

I hope one day I can convince him to trust me as his safe spot.

As long as I'm doing the right thing. Such a relief