lucyg
Egg
I have a cokaeil aout 15 yo that all of suddent no longer can fly. He is healthy, eats and preens,
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Post by lucyg on Jun 23, 2014 23:19:59 GMT
Hi - It has been awhile since I have visited but you guys are always a great resource. So my male cockatiel which I adopted over a year ago who is about 16-17 YO has really advanced from being a scared and biting bird. Now a 180 turnaround has occurred and he will not leave me alone calling me all day. He wants to stay on my shoulder and ask for head scratches or just to be with me as an attachment. I am kind of afraid I created a dependency that may be unhealthy. I leave him with a radio on when I am not with him ( I am retired so at home more than most folks) but he screams ( scares my pit bull!!) until I come upstairs to his cage ( he is free to roam and has a cage of over 5 feet tall) and then immediately flies to me. He actually today figured out for the 1st time in over a year how to get downstairs to our 1st floor by listening to the tv in the kitchen...that was pretty smart. He is becoming more knowledgeable to not being alone and figuring out where we are in the house. The actions that I find most peculiar, and would like feedback on, are his recent obsession with rubbing his tail feathers against my shoulder back and forth like a sweeping motion while making a 'quork' sound. He will also grab my hand to hang on top my wedding ring while doing the same. Then he just relaxes and is happy to groom. Please tell me Tuck isn't thinking I am his wife, or doing gross mating stuff. Thanks!!
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Post by luvsanimals2 on Jun 23, 2014 23:23:09 GMT
Well, I have not experience with Tiels but it does sound like he is mating with you. I would limit his daylights hours and feed low fat diet
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Post by dianapalmer on Jun 24, 2014 1:56:36 GMT
It does sound like he is mating with you. This is not that uncommon, especially if there are no other birds to mate with.
Is he your only bird?
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lucyg
Egg
I have a cokaeil aout 15 yo that all of suddent no longer can fly. He is healthy, eats and preens,
Posts: 22
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Post by lucyg on Jun 24, 2014 22:12:14 GMT
I have 2 parakeets that are male and bonded who he hates..he is our only male cockatiel. He eats mostly pellets but does enjoy chicken most days. How does one limit day hours?
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Post by dianapalmer on Jun 26, 2014 16:15:29 GMT
Cover the cage with a dark cover for the required hours.
The theory is that if the light hours are less, breeding hormones are reduced, because spring and summer is the time it is safer to bring chicks into the world.
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lucyg
Egg
I have a cokaeil aout 15 yo that all of suddent no longer can fly. He is healthy, eats and preens,
Posts: 22
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Post by lucyg on Jun 26, 2014 22:29:03 GMT
Thank you...I'll try covering him, which he also hates but does reduce his screeching!
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Post by dianapalmer on Jun 27, 2014 1:14:33 GMT
It will probably take a couple of weeks for the longer nights to take effect. I don't know whether it will completely solve the issue. I know it is supposed to keep females from laying eggs. People say that if 12 hours doesn't work, try 14. If 14 doesn't work, try 15, etc.
I have a male budgie that mates with my female cockatiel. Giving them longer nights seems to have reduced the mating behavior, but not completely eliminaated it. However, I haven't gone beyond about 12 or 13 hours.
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Post by luvsanimals2 on Jun 28, 2014 16:32:16 GMT
Have you tried giving him veggies?
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lucyg
Egg
I have a cokaeil aout 15 yo that all of suddent no longer can fly. He is healthy, eats and preens,
Posts: 22
|
Post by lucyg on Jun 28, 2014 19:11:53 GMT
He does eat broccoli, squash and some raw slaw but he was raised by his former parents with just seed. He converted to mostly pellets, but his favorite treats are chicken, eggs and peanuts which I give him in small doses. I didn't get him until he was about 16 so he is a tough convert. His other owner once fed him potato which is toxic to birds and had to have a vet's intervention. My keets were raised with fruit and veggies so they are much better. Tough thing about covering him is has free run once I open up the cage so I guess I'll just leave him under cover a few hours more in the AM. His behavior is not that bad and is infrequent so II was more curious than disturbed about what the heck he was doing. Well I guess that means he likes me?
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Post by Pammy on Jun 29, 2014 4:18:09 GMT
Yes, ha! I think it's safe to assume that he loves you!  I think you're doing very well to have a formerly all-seed eating 17-year-old bird eating that many vegetables. Good for you! |
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