Worried for my new cockatiel

[worriedcockatielowner]

We just got Mr. Pastel yesterday(dont judge the name LOL) from a petshop. I know it's better to get one from a breeder however we had no choice since we don't know any breeders. I quite despise the petshops owner. There were two cockatiels but since I have never had a bird before, I only decided to get one. He took the bird, and forced it to lay on its back to show that it was 'friendly'. Well ***k you mister, the poor bird was suffering and screaming, now i mightve gotten a traumatised bird. Geez. I'm pretty sure he didn't even own the shop, since he was calling someone for prices. We had to get the bird in a boz because we had gotten a cage from another shop. I felt like ****.

So we cleaned the cage, tried to get the bird out of the box without forcing him..... until he escaped. And we had to get him forcefully. I felt like **** 2x.

He got in his cage, but didn't sit on a perch? He sat on his food bowl. After that we just spent a little time together. He just sat there all puffed up. I had heard that cockatiel noises could calm an another cockatiel. So... i played some cockatiel noises and suddenly he started chirping and running around the cage! I was worried that he would hurt himself because he kept running into the bars trying to go out. I was like, "whats the worst thing that could happen?" And i let him out. Oh boy that was the worst decision ive ever made. He got out instantly, and ran into the window, again and again! That scared me to death! Never again.
The worst thing about it is that i became quite scared of him. I guess i was to excited about getting a cockatiel and didnt think that a bird panicking would make me panic too... ****.
Ahhhh... im just gonna be patient.
Aannddd he is back in his cage again.... The night came, i closed all the lights and fell asleep. And once again i regretted putting him in my bedroom. Because i woke up at like 2 am and what if i woke him up? That would make me feel horrible! So i slept again and when i woke up i cleaned his cage. He seemed fine with it. But i realized that i forgot to put papers, so i was trying to take the part below again.. but he suddenly got very anxious. So we realized that this is not gonna do and put him in our family space. He seems fine for now. Just chillin in his perch all puffed up.
The thing that worries me the most is that he hasn't eaten, or drunk any water. I dont think he has slept either because his eyes close and then open back up like he is very sleepy. Its understandable that he is stressed after all we went through but im just very worried about him. I will keep you all updated.
Oh! And any advice? I will accept any critism(?) because i know ive made some ***ked up decisions and was clumsy. I guess i will learn from my mistakes? Im planning to start to train him after a week and once he starts to eat. Lets hope everything will go well

 

[worriedcockatielowner]

He drunk some water!!! Just a lil though. I think he is chewing on something but im not sure what it is.

 

[worriedcockatielowner]

Oh and also, after i train him to get on my finger, i plan on slowly letting him out of his cage. Once he gets used to me will he fly away in panic outside his cage?

 

[worriedcockatielowner]

I was planning on getting a budgie, however after doing some research many people have said that cockatiels are calmer animals, they are also a little bit more affectionate. So ive decided to get a cockatiel. The only downside to this is that im not used to getting bit by a bird, and since he is a bigger bird, im afraid i will chicken out in our training sessions. Am i overthinking? I think i should just go with the flow. He seems like a lovely little bird.

 

[worriedcockatielowner]

Good thing is that he has started preening! Im so happy. Sorry if i just wrote too much. Im really having complicated emotions and just want to express them somewhere.

 

[worriedcockatielowner]

Okay i promise this is the last one. Sometimes when i go near him he opens one of his wings and his tail. Is this a territorial thing or is he just telling me to ***k off? LOL

 

[worriedcockatielowner]

I dont think he is going to be active for a week, is that okay?

 

[LaManuka]

Hello and welcome to the Forums to you and your new cockatiel! Does he/she have a name yet by the way?

The most important bit of advice I can give you here is to please slow down. Parrots like to hang out with us once they know that only good things come from humans and they trust us. Right now your cockatiel does not know you and has no particular reason to trust you. Some parrots can take weeks or months before they begin to trust and build a bond with us. Start by sitting close to his cage and reading aloud to him in a calm voice, it doesn't matter what you read, anything will do. Stay a few feet away from the cage at first and gradually move your chair closer. Most importantly, move calmly and slowly with no sudden movements, so he learns that you are not scary and are not going to eat him. This may take a few weeks, hopefully less, but always go at your parrots pace and not yours. My Lilly the lorikeet was TERRIFIED of me for the first three or four weeks that she was with me so I spent that whole time sitting close by her cage and reading to her, offering her treats and one day it was like a switch flicked on in her brain and she has been my little velcro bird ever since!

Here are a couple of links you may find useful..........

http://www.parrotforums.com/general-parrot-information/49144-tips-bonding-building-trust.html

http://www.parrotforums.com/budgies-parakeets/72068-taming-bonding-budgerigars-tips-beginners.html

(Yes that second one is about budgies but the info is still useful.)

It's also a good idea to have a wellness check carried out by a Certified Avian Vet (CAV) fairly early on, in order to have any potential underlying health issues identified so they can be treated early. The following link may help you find a CAV close to you.........

https://www.aav.org/

No doubt more members will weigh in a little later with some more advice for you. Don't forget to post some pictures, we love baby photos around here!

http://www.parrotforums.com/technical-support/6287-how-post-pictures.html

Thanks again for joining, we are happy to have you aboard!

 

[worriedcockatielowner]

Thank you! His temporary name is Mr. Pastel //>//<//. And another good news, he has changed perches!! I will post pictures soon!

 

[LaManuka]

Oh of course, you did say that! Nothing wrong with Mr Pastel! Although depending on how old he or she is, you may need to change it to Miss. Or Ms. Cockatiels do not achieve their adult plumage until they go through their first moult, which is typically between six and nine months of age. Once they go through that moult, a female bird will always retain the rippled colouration on the underside of the tail feathers, and the male will take on a solid colour.

Looking forward to those baby photos

 

[worriedcockatielowner]

Yes! You are right, Mr./Mrs. Pastel might be a female. We got him as a male however I'd never trust that petshop owner. Thank you once again! I added some photos to the album however the pictures are all sideways, is there a way that I could fix that?

 

[LaManuka]

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm not sure to be honest. I ended up having to rotate a lot of mine and try to reload them, it's a bit hit and miss unfortunately.

You should also be able to post a thumbnail pic along with your post. Click the "go advanced" button underneath the text box, then click the paper clip icon. You will then get the "choose file" button, so then click the "upload" button on the right, close out of that box and post. The picture should show as a thumbnail under your text.

Many of us load up our pics onto an account through Imgur and link them from there. That way they are always the right way up, and there is no problem with upload limits. Best of all, it's free!

 

[worriedcockatielowner]

He just ate a millet!!!

 

[itzjbean]

Hi there and welcome to the wonderful world of parrot ownership!!

I have 4 cockatiels that I breed and there are lots of members here with tons of experience and owners of cockatiels alike!

Sounds like you are experiencing typical new bird behavior -- some anxiety, some stress, slow but beginning to eat and drink, but overall if you can remain calm around him, he will be much calmer, too!

You'll want to start slow and build up your trust with him so that eventually he can come out of the cage safely and calmly. THey pick up on our mood a lot, so the more calm and level headed you are, this will be easier for the bird.

Speaking of your bird, we would love to see pictures! I personally use Imgur or Flickr to post images and then post the link here so it can be displayed on the forum. We would love to see your new baby and we could help you determine gender.

Do you know how old the cockatiel is?

Do you have a picture of your cage, so we can give you some pointers as to what to put in there? You'll want a couple perches at least, soft rope perches are my tiels favorite, and if they chew you can always wrap up perches with vet wrap, its soft on their feet and easy to sleep on too. They love toys so having a few toys in the cage is ideal. You also want an adequate food and water bowl, I keep stainless steel bowls as they are the easiest to clean. I use newspaper on the bottom of their cage and I give millet sparingly, once or twice a week, on top of their normal quality seed and pellet mix. You can also serve your tiel fresh fruits and veggies -- mine love cornbread muffins served warm with chopped jalapenos, broccoli, carrots corn and peas inside, mmm! They love that stuff.

If you have any more questions, please keep posting and I'll do my best to help!

 

[worriedcockatielowner]

Hello there! Thank you for all the advice. I will post some more pictures soon, sadly i couldnt find any soft perches however im planning to visit the garden to gather some safe branches to make some natural perches. I did get him toys, however i soon realized that those toys were for budgies and they were too fragile for my cockatiel. I will try to get rid of this issue as soon as possible. He currently only eats millets i wont give him any more so that he can find and eat his seeds and pellets too. He also hasnt touched his mineral block or bone sadly. I dont think he will eat any fruits or vegetables for now. Will keep you updated!

 

[worriedcockatielowner]

Oh and im not really sure how old he is. (Not even sure if he is a he) the petshop owner just told us that he was young. i think he is either very young or a few months old.

 

[worriedcockatielowner]

Little update(3 rd day) he becomes agitated once he hears ANY type of bird(and randomly sometimes which is weird) it is okay but a bit sad. He seems lonely although i am with him most of the time. Once he is trained, we are planning on getting a bigger cage and giving him a friend. He did eat some seeds today and drank some water(he didnt drink that much water though, i thought he was afraid to go down so i just brought it up. He drank some water while i was holding the water cup!! Even though my hand was outside the cage, it is a big improvement!! ) . But when he becomes agitated he just flies everywhere. He spilt a lot of seeds on the floor, little troublemaker good thing is that i didnt forget to put papers on the bottom this time. He doesnt seem afraid that much but he is a little aggresive which is fine. Lets hope he will get used to us soon

 

[worriedcockatielowner]

Oh!! And he chirped a little when i was singing. Great!!!

 

[Laurasea]

https://lafeber.com/pet-birds/bird-behavior/

https://lafeber.com/pet-birds/stress-reduction-for-parrot-companions/

Welcome to the forum, and congratulations on your new birdie.
The above links have great info and well worth the read.

 

[Txcockatielguy]

First of all. Like LaManuka said.....slow down and take a deep breath. I'm sure your new tiel will be fine but it's simply going to take some time. I'm sure this poor bird was traumatized at this "so called" pet shop. No doubt that idiot at the store didn't help matters by handling it the way he did! Put yourself in Pastel's place....wouldn't you be kinda scared sh#$less too? As you can see by my heading, I have dealt with many cockatiels and I can tell you it's just going to take time for him to get use to you and his (or) her new home. Send pics when you can.