Bird Lovers - HELP! Rescued cockatiel of unknown age...

I just aquired a cockatiel - my elderly neighbor lady passed away in the middle of the night Thursday night- (RIP Helen - we love you and miss you DEARLY) , and he was the only remaining pet at the time of her passing. I told her a few years ago if anything ever happened to her I would take in any and all of her animals and make sure they lived out their full lives while being spoiled rotten.

When I moved in next to her 6 years ago she had 3 cockatiels - 2 have died during that time, including the cage mate and girlfriend of the one I have now.

I know they can live to be 15-20 - any good way to estimate the age of this bird? I don't know if he'll live a week or 10 years.

What can I do for him to make the transition as easy as possible? He's been VERY quiet since Helen died - but does not seem over agitated at my house. I don't know if he's mellow and content or depressed.

I went out and bought him some spendy pellets as I read an all seed diet is not good for him, and I tossed the grit she had for him. I purchased him some toys, and have a HUGE cage (30x24x48 not counting the stand) on order because his current one is very small, old, and rather gross.

He's not tame as he hasn't been handled but I would like to get him used to human interaction beyond being spoken to thru the bars - is it possible he is too old and set in his ways for taming?

I really don't know much about birds - but as with all my pets I am committed to giving him the best life possible... both for his sake and in the honor of my beloved friend Helen.

Any and all help/suggestions/information will be much appreciated. I'm sure he misses Helen as much as I do, and I am concerned about him.

A vet who deals with birds may be able to tell you how old the bird is. If you think he may be depressed and he does not respond to your attempts to socialize, it may be possible to introduce another bird to his environment (especially when the huge new cage comes in). If you want to do that, it is always recommended that you keep the new bird in an adjacent cage before putting them in together--all the birds in the parrot family have a tendency to be a bit finicky about new partners. As far as taming, I have had small success in the past (with a direly abused Senegal parrot) by first training it to 'step up' onto a section of doweling. Usually, placing a perch against the bird's chest, low down, and pushing it slightly back will get them to step onto it. If he responds well to that, you can try it with a finger. The Senegal did not tame down well, but as stated, was an actively abused animal. She did, however, get to the point where we could take her for short 'walks' outside her cage with her perched on a section of doweling.

Other than that, I'd recommend looking up whatever you can find online. There ought to be LOTS of email groups on cockatiels at Yahoo.

but have been unable to find much regarding how a bird may grieve, how to help them through the grief, etc. I did find out about the food/grit thing - so I've started him on those changes.

I thought about another bird - but am also kinda afraid of freaking him out more...

Luckily, he was never abused - just never handled. Or, at least not during the time I was around - and likely not for a long while before that if he ever was.

GOOD idea about the dowel - that was a "so obvious I completely missed it on my own" idea - and I'm certain will be much easier on my fingers :)

Cockatiels can be picky eaters if they're set in their ways. If you switch from an all seed diet to a completely different diet, the bird might not recognize the new diet as food and starve to death. I've seen it happen before. It's very sad.

Older cockatiels can be difficult to tame. It's easiest to tame them when their under six months old. If the bird is very young, it will still have its baby feathers which (in males) moult into solid (instead of barred) feathers with yellow faces and orange cheek patches.

Gray cockatiels can be visually sexed. Males have solid yellow cheeks with an orange cheek patch. Females have yellow-gray faces with an orange cheek patch and barred wing and tail feathers.

You can sex a "fancy" cockatiel by listening to the sounds it makes. Females usually only chirp. Males whistle and sing a three-note song that ascends a major third with every note. It's cool.

I OCR'd a bird care pamphlet I wrote, but never got along to fixing it completely. If you'd like me to e-mail it to you, I will. It's fairly comprehensive.

PM me!

I have to find it... :D

I have very little to offer, except to say that your little one is almost certainly depressed. Cockatiels are very intelligent, as are all parrots and relatives. And change is always tough on them. I would suggest contacting your local SPCA for advice, and post a message on another message board concerning pet birds.

Is the bird eating and drinking? That's the most important. If he stops eating, call a vet.

I think of birds as my children, so I thank you for taking in this little sweetheart. And I'm very sorry about your friend/neighbor. Take care.

hanging in the cage - but not his seed in the cup - at least I haven't *caught* him eating from the cup yet.

I put the new pellets in there, AND his regular seed - the pellet food I got is ZuPreem Avian Entrees Ultra Premium - I am against artificial colors by nature - so I got the kind that has no multicolored pellets - they're all natural and has dried peas, apples, red and green peppers and tomatoes mixed in...

I'm hoping he'll eat it eventually - but he'll have his regular seed available too.


Gotta run - just got a call from Helen's granddaughter - and am headed over to take them boxes (I just moved from next to Helen 1 month ago) I have laying around after moving and to help them clean out her fridge and cupboards -

Keep the info coming - I'll be checking in later!

Thanks to all of you that have answered so far!

I don't have any suggestions, but I predict that is going to be one VERY happy cockatiel soon.

Many years ago I rescued some disabled canaries from a pet store where they were suffering. One was bleeding from being pecked by other birds, and the other was silent and sullen.

Within a week I found myself with two very happy canaries.

The thing is, all living creatures can respond to love and care, and it sounds like you're providing both.

:yourock: :hi:

count droppings to make sure it is eating - all birds are messy eaters - can't go by the scatter. Keep track of droppings for a few weeks - also good for monitoring overall health. I use flip chart paper - newsprint without the ink, don't use printed paper unless yo are certain it is not going to chew it. Another good "bottom liner is a layer of cat litter (the PLAIN unscented kind!)if its not real flighty ans likly to scatter all over the house. Watch for sitting around puffed up - very bad sign - put cage on heating pad and by all means keep out of drafts. They can take quite cold temps but NOT drafts. On way to check is hang a piece of paper nearby and watch for movement.

and when going to sleep. is that bad?

gotta run like I mentioned above, but will be back later!

Thanks!

does it smooth out when you "disturb" it? I'm talking about sitting like that all day, maybe shivering, but listless. - again watch the droppings - alot of plain watery ones plus puffy listless behavior is serious - especially for more than a day or so. You can put the cage on a heating pad and cover it - raising the temp and making sure it has plenty of water is first step first aid for birds.

You also asked about age, I think that would be pretty hard to tell, but maybe a breeder in the area or a vet that specializes in birds could give you a best guess.

Cockatiels are about the sweetest of the parrot family - you can even keep doves with them, I would think after a couple of weeks/months getting used to new home you could try a companion (another cockatiel, maybe a small dove, NOT budgies or any other parrot family) - again talking to a local breeder might be a good idea - The only problem is if they didn't get along you might have two of them then. (Not really a problem - they really are very sweet birds)

I wouldn't do it too soon for a couple reasons. One its already had some stress of new home, a new bird poses slight risk of disease, and in itself might be stressfull. I also wouldn't be in too big a hurry to switch cages or at least maybe try to put them together at the doors for a while or something (if the new one is really huge maybe the old one fits inside?)

One of mine was an older (not old but fully grown) male who had never been handled as a baby. He never did fully tame but I did get to the point where I could let him out and he'd land on me. I just couldn't get him to come on my hand or let me pet him.

Talk to him a lot - cockatiels are smart and like company. Music is nice too - mine used to whistle to the television. I also used to put a cover over the cage at night - the birds settled down better and it kept the warmth in and protected against draft.

It was very good of you to take him in. I know it would ease my mind to know that my pets would be cared for.

No grit. Grit is bad for cockatiels (and cockatoos) because their digestive systems actually have bile (unlike most of the hookbill family). They digest food much like humans do, rather than exclusively grinding it. Grit will only lead to upset stomach for cockatiels.

What you do want to have around are:

* Cuttlebone. This is an important source of calcium (and salt) and helps keep the bird's beak toned.

* Treats. This bird is mature and has lost its family. Spoiling isn't great, but treats can help to win its affection. (Birds can be bribed.)

* A diet similar to what it's accustomed to. Ideally, exactly the same brand to start with. If you want to change to another brand, mix it half and half for a couple weeks first. Most importantly, if the bird is raised on seed, you can try mixing in 10% (or less) of pellets but you can't migrate off of seed rapidly without health side effects.

* Some select human foods are OK, and can be used as hand-feeding treats to win favor. Raw broccoli florets and carrots (NOT cooked), saltine crackers, Goldfish crackers are often accepted. Don't expect all of these to be acceptable to your bird, but try different things.

Be careful, though -- artifical sweeteners, preservatives, and some seasonings that are fine to humans can be deadly to them. Stick to produce and simple foods. Avoid at all costs chocolate, caffeine, and avocado (e.g. guacamole), these are poisons to them.

Other points:

Do not keep the bird near the kitchen. Nonstick coatings on cookware put out fumes that are lethal to birds even in small amounts. Our birds are kept closed off while we're cooking if nonstick cookware is involved, and we turn on the kitchen exhaust.

If you have regular pest control service appointments, take the bird out of the house for the day. If possible, ventilate the house before bringing the bird back in. Most pesticides (typically the liquid spray types) also put out deadly fumes.

And most of all, you'll need to interact with it quite a bit. Dedicate some weekends coming up to exclusive attention directed toward the bird -- it's depressed and needs it. You might too.

Go to a pet store and get one of the larger hardcover books on cockatiels. You'll find a lot of important information such as how to pick up and handle it appropriately, and other human foods to avoid. You'll also learn some on how to train it, and yourself, on your ... er, mutual ownership of each other. (You'll understand what that means eventually.)

Enjoy. Consider it an adventure. Thank you from two cockatiel-owned humans....

(Edit below:)

Also, puffing out is often OK. Hookbills will puff up when comfortable and relaxing, most notably when sleeping. It is usually a sign of relaxation. Judge illness by whether or not the bird is eating regularly, if there is inflammation around the eyes, or if droppings are frequent and very liquid (rather than firm and green/brown/white).

Birds are quite intelligent and by nature are flock animals. They like to be where the action is and part of the family.
They like games, too. My parrot likes to play peek-a-boo and will turn her head away only to look back at me quickly saying, "Peek-A-Boo!"
I leave PBS on during the day for my fid (feathered kid) since she likes Sesame Street.

Watch using Teflon around birds as it puts out toxic fumes.
No using scotch guard around the bird or having carpets scotch guarded. It will kill them quickly.
No chocolate, no avocados.
Helen would be very grateful to you, and that little birdie is going to realize it is lucky, too.

Sorry this is not a direct reply to each of you that mentioned these things, but it's late, I just got back from the old neighbor's, and I have to work in the morning - so...

He's definitely an older bird - he may live one week he may live 10 years - I have no idea.

re drafts - how about when the heat kicks on? I've noticed there's a bit of a draft then - from the heat vent. I don't know if I can avoid that - is that a problem?


I think that when he's puffy he's just relaxed, based on my observations since Friday night. He just started puffing last night - and he looked relaxed and sleepy when he did it. He seems relatively alert, although sleeping a bunch - could be he's just adjusting I think.

He ate a bunch of pellets and stuff from the cup! When I got home I held the cup up in front of him so he'd see it - he was munching away - mostly eating the new pellets - I finally put it back because my arm got tired. He hasn't touched it since, but at least I know he likes it and WILL eat it if he wants to go to the cup for it.

GREAT idea to the person that suggested putting the old cage inside of the new one if it will fit - I'll try that. It will be awhile before the new cage comes, so he will have time to adjust to his greater surroundings before he gets moved.

Thanks everyone for the tips - I am going to buy the cockatiels for dummies book, as it looks pretty comprehensive and got good reviews on amazon. I did pick up a smaller one from the petstore on Saturday when getting him some new food and toys.... I hope he's going to be okay, so far, he's reacted better than I could have hoped for.

I was given a small urn with a portion of Helen's ashes in it by the family - and it was placed right next to the cage today. They are still near one another - as best they can be. :)

....I know one cockatiel who adores music and will sing along on hearing opera or other vocal music. One day I pulled up John Ashcroft's "Let the Eagle Soar" on the computer for him to hear, and he went berserk. I've been trying to teach him to whistle "That's Amore" when I visit that home. He hasn't whistled it yet, but one day when the eBay commercial came on the TV that uses that song, this cute birdie let us know for sure that he recognized the tune.

I want a bird. They seem to want to go home with me, too.

but I DO offer my condolences on the loss of your friend. You are doing a lovely thing, to adopt her bird. Good luck to you and your new friend.

I am so sorry for the passing of your dear friend, she sounds like such a special person. I am sure that it means so much to her that you are giving so much love and care to her bird.

Please contact me, I would be happy to give you my number to help in any way.

Do get him a good seed food for cockatiels immediately, as the pellets, plus the loss of his guardian, all of the change, can be very stressful for birds. Move slowly, talk softly and spend time with him. This may sound strange but they are very perceptive and intuitive, they grieve, like we do. Explain to him what has happened and that this is his new home and that you will take good care of him. If you can find millet sprays at a pet shop, you can put one in his cage. Offer food by hand, sunflower seed, lettuce, whole wheat bread, and corn are my birds favorites.

Be sure not to use air freshners/sprays/scented oils or spray cleaners as they can be very harmful. Also chocolate and avocado are poison to birds.

Be patient, play soft music and enjoy getting to know your new friend! Prepare to fall in love, they are such delightful little ones.