Cockatiel beak HELP!

[tungtruong4]

I just got a young cockatiel about 2-3 month old. I really like his/her color, but the only I was really confuse is the beak. It looks the same to the rest of birds in the cage(short beak), but except one that looks grey has the normal beak to me(Long beak). Are they going to develop the beak when they're mature? Anyway I got the prettiest one in the cage and hope it would be a male.It has a lot of pearl on the body and a pretty yellow face. Can anyone tell me if this bird is male or female since this is my first time to keep a bird, I had learned about them for a month, then decide to get one. Thanks all for the help

 

[MikeyTN]

Welcome to the forum!!! Sorry but your pictures did not show up....

 

[halogen]

How old are the birds? If they're young, then it may be the stage of beak development. I looked up some pictures and in very young tiels their beaks were shorter and pinker than the fully fledged ones. I'm not sure if that is true for the age of birds you saw though. The older they are, the greyer/sharper the beak it seems.

 

[tungtruong4]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoG0oc4GkKg&feature=youtu.be]IMG 06741 - YouTube[/ame]
Sorry for the pictures, I don't really know how to post a picture here, so I have a video hope it'll word, otherwise can you guys copy the link and go to the website to check my bird. I'm really curious about his beak, and one more question. When I get he'she from the pet store I saw it's eating, but when we came home and I had put a little bit food in the food plate for he/she and he/she eat it like non-stop and about an hour or two he came to the water plate and drink a bit of water. After that, he went back to the food plate and continue eating, otherwise he/she just sit on the food dish or when I get it to step on the pearch and it'll sit there for 2-3 hours, then come back to the food dish again . Is it normal behavior for a 2-3 month old cockatiel ? Thanks all

 

[tungtruong4]

Also, I have more question. Is it normal for a new baby 2-3 months old cockatiel being quiet ? from yesterday until now I haven't hear any whistling, chirping, or crying from it. Is it normal. I have also place a few toys and a bath in the cage for him/her but he/she doesn't seem like interest in the toy and just ignore it, I have even put some millet in there and he/she just doesn't like it. It seems like he's only accept one food( the food is a mix of seed sunflower and some pellet in it, but I only see he/she eating the seed(look like sesame to me) and ignore the sunflower nor the pellet. Is it health for him. Is there any way I can make it eat vegetable, fruit and the pellet in the mix? Thanks again

 

[crimson]

congratulations and welcome to the forum.
I would say he is a pied Lutino male, but would need to see the back of him to be sure.
he's very handsome

It will take a few days for him to settle in and relax.
I'm a bit surprised he is not eating millet.

When I first brought a cockatiel home, he didn't eat for 2 days. I was really concerned by this time, he didn't like what I kept giving him so I went back to basics of what he ate before I got him, then slowly changed him over.

do you know what he was eating before?

 

[crimson]

.....and yes, it's quite normal for him to be very quiet, he's just a baby still.
lots of things have changed for him, your a complete stranger, there are new noises, lighting, his whole world has been turned upside down, give him some time to adjust, and you need to relax too, he'll be fine.
He senses your stressing which doesn't help him, so remain calm, that will help him to relax, ok?

 

[tungtruong4]

Thank you for the replied I'll be very happy if this bird is a male like you said.
Here is the video of his back and the food he eating I don't know what is the brand of the food but it is a 2.9 kg of food. I don't know long will he finish that bag since it is a lot in my opinion.
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAwmzPD83hk&feature=youtu.be]IMG 06861 - YouTube[/ame]
As you can see he spend most of his time in at the food dish only take a break for 30 mins then back to eat. I'm really worry now. Will he overfeed himself ?

 

[crimson]

ok.....he is probably a she....she is a beautiful Lutino Pearl hen....spectacular pattern!!
you'll know in about 8 months after his/her first moult, and he could be singing as early as 6 months
males will moult out their pearl pattern but it can take up to two years.

If I were you, please remove those sunflower seeds, they are terrible for their health and can cause fatty liver disease. he can have a few a day, but not as many as what you have in the dish.
over time it will effect his health.

remember he's a baby, let him eat what he wants for nourishment.

cockatiels LOVE leafy greens, like kale,rapini,dandelion, & parsley.
you can put it in a separate dish right beside his other food....they also love corn & peas for starters as well.

 

[tungtruong4]

Thank you so much, Crimson
But do you use the frozen corn and then cook it ?
He has been eating the food for like 4 hours now :S I'm a little worry about it.
I will try to remove all the sunflower out of his food, so he won't get any health problem.
By the way, so when after he/she get the first molt, if all the pearl have fade it means it's a male right ?

 

[tungtruong4]

Concurrently, I want to ask about the sleeping schedule of this bird. I know they need 10 hours of sleeping for a day. However, my family usually go to sleep about 10-11pm, so do I need to cover the cage prevent the bird from not getting enough of sleep ?
Thanks again.

 

[MikeyTN]

I also want to add that it's not unusual for Cockatiel babies to eat none stop like that. It will cut down once she matures a bit. I tend not to cover the tiel's cage due to night fright. Any noise or shadow will scare them and they will go berserk within their cage. They do nap throughout the day as well so I wouldn't worry about it too much unless your always there keeping her awake. Then you should make sure she gets plenty of rest at night.

 

[crimson]

I buy frozen veggies(if they are not in season) and just warm them up in a pot of hot hot water, for about 2 minutes, they thaw very quickly. you can try beans,pea pods, broccoli (one of their favourites) cauliflower, peppers(green,yellow,red) sliced and diced.

there is a TON of good info on this forum for foods for birds of all species, just go into the 'parrot food, recipes and diet' section

you said he was on pellets but has not eaten any since you've had him?am I correct?

he will keep eating hoping to feel full, I've seen it before with newly weaned babies that I buy....it's due to lack of his nutritional needs not being met.
BUT that is ok, you can fix that for him, and it won't take long.

Once you start offering a variety of foods(you can literally put in as many seed cups as you like filled with different foods) he should be fine, you'll notice a difference in their attitude as well.



Like us, if you at MacDonalds every day, how would you feel?....same thing for birds, the require healthy nutritional foods just like we do.
I would suggest putting liquid vitamins in his water for now, to boost him immune system, calcium is also required and mandatory, along with Vit.A,D, and iodine block to help with their thyroid.

is she is a hen, she will retain the pearl pattern(one of my favourites!)...it's just beautiful, if it's a male, he will start to show some sign of whistling & singing as early as 6 months. the pearl pattern you see could molt out in about 2 years, if it is male.

 

[crimson]

here is a picture of my female .a.k.a. male- when I purchased 'it' from the bird show months ago, I thought she was a female, due to the pattern and the grey face....now his face is white and sings like no tomorrow....thus a male.
if your wondering about his tail, I know it's absolutely horrible!!...he has lost most of it due to lack of nutrition and getting it through the cage bars....I've put him in a very large flight cage and it's slowly growing back.

 

[tungtruong4]

I also want to add that it's not unusual for Cockatiel babies to eat none stop like that. It will cut down once she matures a bit. I tend not to cover the tiel's cage due to night fright. Any noise or shadow will scare them and they will go berserk within their cage. They do nap throughout the day as well so I wouldn't worry about it too much unless your always there keeping her awake. Then you should make sure she gets plenty of rest at night.

Thank you, now I will let he eats whatever he wants, I didn't cover the cage yesterday and this morning I saw he sleeping on the perches, so I guess I don't need the cover for his cage.

 

[tungtruong4]

Thank you so much, Crimson you're so helpful. I checked out the parrot food, recipes and diet' section I've learn a lot about the healthy diet for my bird For your question.
you said he was on pellets but has not eaten any since you've had him?am I correct?
No, He was on the diet as I shown in the video when he was in the store. He didn't eat any pellet in the store neither just a mixture of seed, sunflower,etc....
You have a really amazing bird from your guess is a female but turn out to be a male. That's awesome . Even when he has lost most of the pearl, but he's still handsome . Sorry for the tail and I hope it'll recover soon. Nice bird anyway.

 

[tungtruong4]

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=588728397847899&set=pcb.588728504514555&type=1&theater
Oh, One more thing I see at my cockatiel since I bought him from the pet store. Is his feather still growing I see some of the black feather in it. Is this normal for a young bird? Thanks

 

[MikeyTN]

Can't view that picture off facebook. Try either post it in the gallery section on here or post it in photobucket as its easier to share.

 

[tungtruong4]

sorry for the pics
IMG_0680_zpsfab1ede6.jpg Photo by tungtruong4 | Photobucket
Can you view it now ?

 

[crimson]

It's fun to make good recipes for you bird and see if he likes it. there is nothing better to have a bird dive into the food that you have spent preparing for him.

If he has only eaten seed, sunflower seeds etc... he will try and consume more to make up for the lack of nutrition, but if that is the only food he's ever given, he will become ill, at some point in time. it also reflects on their feathers, behaviour and overall look.
It really starts with the parents and how well fed they are and when they feed their chicks.

your picture did not show up

after his first moult he will have all of his adult feathers.
try your picture again