Cockateils Thread- Albino-Pearl-Pastel-Silver and so MUCH MORE!!!!

[ladybirdb12]

Flowerchlk, that's great about your grey, but.......if you let him on your head its going to be a power trip with the grey (possible) put him on your shoulder, .lol just give him treats behind your husband back hehehehe, they like popcorn, just think of something that your hubby is not feedding him lol
As for getting a cockateils, here is some hint in choosing the right one, pet store ummmmm sometimes the breeders that have a contract with that company is not going to spend time with hand feeding and showing the baby's to trust human.I would check around for a breeder, then visit the breeder look for clean cages and such.plus see if that breeder spends good time with the baby, most of the time they are a lot cheaper then a pet store and the bird is very friendly.
I do sell some of my babys to a feed store that also handles parrots, what I love about this place is, the cockateils are in a open glass pen and you can pick them up, this also helps the cockateils to be around people (being handled a lot) .this year I had a break "and really didn't have very many baby's, the owner of the store told me that they miss my babys, because I do spend so much time before they are weaned.and they sell fast lol but my parents teils comes first, they needed a long break from babys.
Take your time and let the cockateils chose you, don't just say you love that color lets get that one, look inside the teils heart.

 

[Flowerchik]

Thanks for the advice. Honestly, I really don't want the grey on my head or shoulder; I would prefer him on my arm. I need to work on that. I am still a little apprehensive around him. I go back and forth in my mind some about the tiel and where he/she should come from. I would really like a snuggly little baby to love on, hence a baby from a breeder would probably be best, but I know that there are so many tiels as well as other birds out there that need a home. I almost think that I may get more out of developing a bond with a rescued tiel as opposed to a new baby. I am a newbie with birds though, so I may not have the skills to take on a rescue. Decisions, Decisions........

 

[ladybirdb12]

You are so right about cockateils that needs a forever home.I have many that people, gave them to me, umm sometimes no time to they are very messy and health reason they cannot keep their friend.
My husband has COPD.but I have lots of air cleans around the house, my husband has a air monitor that reads numbers, umm how clean the air is,our air is cleaner then the doctor office when we showed his doctor the monitor.
It will take time to get used to that beak lol, I had a job being a birdcare person this person had twenty or more macaws lol. I told my boss just give me time and let me watch the macaws before I get them out, I just clean their cages and talked to them plus play a lot of games while the cage was between us, those beaks are huge!!!!! Will today I have my buddy LOL MACAW, she is very loving and yes you have to pay attention their moods or you could get bit. My macaw rarely nips or bit if she does, she is only trying to tell me something, like stop touching my toes to I am sleepy its time for bed.
Just watch your Grey's body language, and he /she will teach you.
As for a cockateil you might get one that needs a forever home then one day get another one that is a weaned baby. They are truly great freinds ....

 

[Flowerchik]

Macaws do have really, really big beaks. This morning I let Zeke touch my hands with his beak, he was very gentle. He even at one point seemed to gently grab my hand for scritches. He dropped his head and started pushing it under my hand. He was being a true love muffin. It completely melted my heart.

I am leaning more towards re-homing a tiel. There are so many in the paper and on craigs list that need homes. If for some reason it has a nasty attitude and has a super hard time with re-homing (which all re-homings are probably stressful) I will get bit with a smaller beak as opposed to a larger one. He/she would also be smaller than my rooster who is full of attitude. We go round and round! If I can handle that spawn of satan than I should be able to handle a cockatiel with an attitude. I will just have to try a different method though. I chase the rooster around the yard,we have a wrestling match and then I make him set with me until his attitude improves. We do this about once every couple of months! I don't imagine the would work with a tiel!

 

[serama hen]

I talked to my husband this morning about a tiel, he did not say no....so that could be a good sign. We are heading to the pet store and he mentioned something about supplies for a tiel..... that is even better. Oh yeah our African Grey perched on me without any coaxing this morning. He perched right on my head! I was working on the Christmas tree, guess he wanted to see what was going on!

ohhhhhhh i hope you get one they are just sooo cute

 

[serama hen]

Macaws do have really, really big beaks. This morning I let Zeke touch my hands with his beak, he was very gentle. He even at one point seemed to gently grab my hand for scritches. He dropped his head and started pushing it under my hand. He was being a true love muffin. It completely melted my heart.

I am leaning more towards re-homing a tiel. There are so many in the paper and on craigs list that need homes. If for some reason it has a nasty attitude and has a super hard time with re-homing (which all re-homings are probably stressful) I will get bit with a smaller beak as opposed to a larger one. He/she would also be smaller than my rooster who is full of attitude. We go round and round! If I can handle that spawn of satan than I should be able to handle a cockatiel with an attitude. I will just have to try a different method though. I chase the rooster around the yard,we have a wrestling match and then I make him set with me until his attitude improves. We do this about once every couple of months! I don't imagine the would work with a tiel!

it is true these birds from craig can have this and that but i think saving them from neglection is the way to go try seeing one you like nearby and ask if you can hold it if it is free see if you want it i would take it

 

[ladybirdb12]

Lol no that wouldn't work with a teils.
Cockateils are very smart, when you get one give him time to get used to the change (smell, sounds and his /her new home)
I have just my chickens, but from what I learned, new birds are to away from others untill they seams healthy, its the same with parrots, keep your new bird away ummm I think its three months, when my macaw came home my vet said 6 months, so my macaw was and still in my bedroom but she can see her human flock.
To play it safe maybe get a vet check one your baby Zeke and the cockateil when you get it. Most vets don't do birds, but its best to find one now then when needed, and I know the cost, is high but its being safe.
At this stage in your grey, he is willing to let people hold him, its the best thing that you can do for him get him social, even with your kids, just have your kids move slow, one day your kids are going to have him. Because they can out live you.
If you want I can message you on helpfull hints.
like Lol don't whistle to him, they already know how to do this, so just talk to him, my grey Charger if he sees me open the fridge he says THAT GOOD???? he knows that he will get food if he says that, they are so spoiled!!!!
Grey's are said to be a 5 year old smartness lol but I think they are smarter, I get outwitted lol its funny

 

[silkiechicken]

Tiels are so fun!

Cornelius can fetch, spin, stand on a skateboard, come, go, go through a hoop, and poop on command. If I knew she'd only live one year I'd still train her She turned two last july.

Here is Cornelius under black light:

She can fetch, spin, stand on a skateboard, come, go, go through a hoop, and poop on command.

 

[ladybirdb12]

Wow she was beautiful, how did you teach her, .lol I had my first baby that I ever handfeed his name was Struggles, I taught him to SHOW ME YOUR WINGS, he drop what ever he was doing and left his wings, walk around with his wings up untill I say goodboy. I had a year in half with him, I can never forgive myself, he would still be alive if I had CUT HIS WINGS!!
I had to pull him at seven days, his mommy was sick, the vet said pull the baby, I had no ideal how to feed a baby!!! His legs was displayed, e was very tiny even for a seven day old. My husband, lol being the person that he is very smart he was looking for a way to fix struggles legs, I want to my feed store "the owners that handles birds all day showed me how to feed him. Every two hours we feed him, my husband used makeup sponges ummm shaped like a V, he broke a writing pen so he had a tube and put that in the V shape sponge then put struggles legs into the pen though the sponge he pulled the pen out and struggles had SNOW SHOES, he then vet tape the two sponges so they would go straight. We weighed him every day before his first feeding used that number 10% of his body weight for the amount of food.
we took him to our feed store to show the owner (Joe) what we did. Joe that's been around cockateils for thrifty five years of breeding them said I HAVE NEVER SEEN A TEIL THAT TINY AND MAKE IT. Struggles was twenty' two days old he was very small. Joe couldn't believe that,
1 it was our first baby
2 he was very small for his age
3 his legs was getting better.
I guess, back in the beginning of this story WE DID NOT PLAN FOR ANY BABYS LOL, this was a complete surprise when I heard little peeps sounds, you see we had our birds free roaming around the house they could either sleep with dadon the back of his couch, or in there cages, my pair that hatched struggles they found a next just a metal box, I had no ideal that any eggs had a baby CUDDLES, CINNAMON. WHITE FACE FEMALE AND HUBBLES PIED WHITE FACE MALE poor Hubbles would come out of his box with a black eye, sometimes Cuddles was very bossy lol.
My struggles was very small he was very bonded with me mom .
Struggles was so bonded with that he was protected over me, every morning my husband (200 pound 6 foot lol) would wake up and use the restroom Struggles would wait on top of our tall hutch, he was very quiet but he would wait and daddy would walk out of the doorway ONLY TO GET BODY SLAMMED IN THE FACE WITH A SCREAMING STRUGGLES, STRUGS WOULD ATTACK HIM THEN LAND ON YHE TABLE YELLING AT HIS DADDY, OH DO DO REALLY MISS HIM!!!!
Its still very hard for me to see any of his pics ..he would still be alive if his wings was cut!!! This was my fault ..Struggles open a door in my liife, that door was breeding cockateils
Corneluis, looks like my Tuggles (#2)she was just weaned about two months ago, my husband named her after his friend (cockateil tuggles) which passed away few years ago.Tuggles mother Huggles just passed away a few days ago it had to be a heart attack it happened so quick.
I guess I am going to learn how to train them better lol I would love these tricks, and love to teach them, I do have young ones that are learning about things Tuggles and Buttons, Buttons is always up to no good lol I bet she would learn fast ...

 

[silkiechicken]

Sorry for your loss. Fixing splayed legs is such a challenge on tiny birds. At least her time was grand when she was around.

All my birds are flighted and I know I run the risk of them flying off, but luckily for us, it is easy to know who's out when we open doors. Blue bird once flew out the balcony door and did such a fast double take that she jetted right back in the apartment all the way back to the bird room and to her cage. LOL! The world is scary out there.

Teaching the tricks weren't really that hard. Just had to chain things together and be quick with reward. I've taught chickens color discrimination tricks and they are good at keeping you on your toes to reward fast enough.

Key to tricks is a high value treat. In Cornelius's case, it's just regular cockatiel bird seed. First was step up, then step down. Eventually that turned into go where pointing "GO" or come "UP-UP-UP-UP" with hand in the step up position. She takes visual commands and doesn't seem to respond to voice.

Then once those were down, spin was done with circling millet around her head and saying spin. To find out which way was her natural spin direction, put her on a perch and offer millet on your side. Repeat and see if there is a turning preference. She only turns naturally in one direction, so that was the direction I taught spin. She will spin if I signal a circle in the air now.

Through a hoop was easy. I hold it up and tap it on the ground. Once she got over fear of the hoop, I got her to walk though it by making a single seed trail. Eventually at the tap of the hoop shed go through to get a treat.

Fetch was a string of tricks. I waited till she got the dexterity to carry things in her beak. Like seeds from the cage floor to a perch. That was about the same time she learned to hold things in her right foot. To encourage that I'd haver her on the perch, hold a treat up, let her have a good taste, then let go. She'd tried to eat it against the thin round perch but it did not work well. It didn't take too long for her to learn she had to hold it with her foot to manipulate large seeds or paper balls with seeds. Once I saw that, I started with fetch. I would have her touch a small stick and she'd get a treat, then it was treat only if she picked it up, then it was treat only if she threw it. Eventually it was treat only if she carried the stick some distance. To teach the fetch to the hand part I started her on a desk. She knew how to pick up and throw the stick, so I held my hand under the ledge of the table, and only if she threw the stick into my hand, she would get a treat. Eventually it clicked that she had to put the stick in the hand. Once that was down, she had to pick the stick up and put it in my hand above her head. Then it was her having to bring the stick from further and further distances to the hand to get a treat. Once she learned to fetch a stick, we did a q tip, and then the cat ball. Now she's learned to pick up small objects and bring it to my hand for more treats. It sounds hard, but just takes like 5-10 minutes every other day for a few weeks to teach the entire string to her.

Poop on command is iffy but can happen if she's got one ready to go. After the first time she went broody, I saw she had bowel control. I would get her off her nest, set her on a perch and ask her to poop by tilting my head and saying "do you have a poopie?". I knew she did because she was holding it from her nest. At first I'm sure she did not connect my request with her need to go, but eventually it clicked and she would at least make an attempt if asked every 10 minutes or so. She gets a treat every time. Working on getting her to fly back to her cage to go, but that only happens 50/50 as she only does things on her terms and knows if I am busy and don't have the time to immediately grab a treat for her. LOL

Stuff like getting up on a box and spinnig, or standing on the skate board were easy once those other ones were down. All I had to do was point and say go. Getting her footing right on the board just meant her re-trying till only one foot was on the board to get a treat and then to hold the stance.

Think training is easiest if you work with the innate skills of the animal. I spent about 6 months wolf whistling into Corn Ball's face to get her to finally whistle back! Being female and thus an unlikely singer, it was probably near futile to teach her a tune, but she can do it time to time. I've seen males pick up the wolf whistle under 2 months old. Cornelius was at least 5 months old before she got the first half down. Persistence. LOL

Of course, unlike dogs, they only do these tricks and commands on their own time and will. If she's not interested she'll throw a fuss, not want to come, or go, or do anything asked unless it benefits her and she wants to. LOL A dog does it to make you happy. She's all about herself.