Cockatiel Issues

[juhason]

Hello everyone! I'm new to this forum and excited to learn new things about my birds!
Anyways, my question has to do with my cockatiel. It is a regular grey cockatiel who is most likely around 4 months old. I'm not 100% on the age or sex but I believe it is a boy, as its face appears to be getting more yellow everyday, and it imitates so many sounds. It's name is King Boo, or just Boo for short.
So the issue is that Boo seems to have separation issues. Unless he is in his cage, he CANNOT be more than 5 feet away from me. It takes me about 10 minutes just to get him on a perch rather than my shoulder. He is terrified of anything that is not me. I want him to be able to rest on the perch while I'm relaxing, because he tends to chew anything, like my remote, my controller, and my food, and I have to constantly watch him so I'm not really relaxing. Another thing is that he ONLY seems to talk when he's alone. I'd like to have him repeat phrases that I say and reward him, but I only hear him repeating things if he doesn't see me. So if I come running to reward him, he stops talking. I need some tips please!

 

[weco]

Welcome to the forums, but many of our companion birds are closet talkers, shying away from audiences...you often find the same thing happening when you bring out the camera.....

How old is Boo and how long have you had him? At 4 months old, he's looking to you for the security he had with his parents and siblings and because parrots are flock animals, it's a natural trait, but as he feels more comfortable around you and his surroundings and learns to entertain himself...something you may have to teach him as birds don't come ready to play/entertain themselves like kittens & puppies.....

TV remotes, car remotes & computer keyboards are attractive toys to most of our companion parrots and often the solution is to get them their own to play with/chew on.....something else you should realize, most parrots operate on their own agenda and while they can be taught to perform tricks, their talking is totally on their own, if and when they want to and because parrots are flock animals, Boo is assuming you to be part of his flock, hence he wants to share your food and drink, so you will need to always be aware of where you leave things lie around...unattended glasses of half-full liquid can be potential drowning pools...unattended foods that he's not supposed eat are definite attractions...also, unless he's locked in his cage, you will always need to be cognizant of where he is at all times.....when you read that parrots/companion birds are like perpetual two year old kids...believe it, they are ! ! !

Good luck & enjoy your new charge.....

 

[juhason]

When I said constantly watch him, what I meant to say was constantly taking care of him, moving him around, taking things away, etc. When he is on the perch I am still watching him but am able to be more relaxed and not have to worry about him stepping all over my food or chewing something I'm trying to use. But if he needs the extra attention I'm happy to give it to him! I just thought it was more of a "bratty" quality but if not I can learn to cope.
When I got him from the store 2 1/2 months ago, they said they were selling them at 10 weeks old, however, this is the same store that sold me a "baby male budgie" which turned out to be and adult female budgie. Last time I buy a pet without in depth research. I am assuming he is around 4 month old because that's where a lot of online sites are saying is the best time to teach cockatiels to talk, and he just recently starting mimicking every sound he hears, whereas before he wouldn't talk at all.

 

[EdwardH]

Most cockatiels will learn a few words. They mimic sounds like ringing phones, microwave oven beeps etc. They also pick up new words very quickly. If your tiel is a talker then just him hearing the word a few times is enough for him to learn it. If you want it to learn specific words, start repeating the same word in a high pitched tone of voice 4-5 times a day. They generally learn better if they are excited. Usually the better talkers will pick up the new word in a day or two.

 

[MikeyTN]

Grey are easily sexed if you would look under his wing feathers! The yellow dots go from the first primary down to the secondary all the way to the body would most likely be a female, if half, partial, or none, then it would be a male. IF he was 10 weeks old when you got him, it is about the right time for him to start singing and talking. It is the best time to teach them tunes and such at this moment!!! He will soon start his molt around 5-6 months of age. Soon you will know for sure what sex the baby is.