Cranky teil?

Question

I have a pet Cockateil, she is about 4-6 months old. I have had her for about a month 1/2 and she seems to have only warmed up to me a little. I have her out quite a bit and interact with her as the books and research I have done has told me to. She has a clean cage and always gets her food refilled as soon as it is gone, I change her water often. She is not malting(sp) or anything. The other teil in the house ,as well as my sisters who doesn't live with us, are super loveable and almost beg for petting. They have Fancies but mine is a Grey. We are unsure of the sex of my bird but we are pretty sure it is a female.I am the ONLY one she will willingly go to so that means pretty much I am the only one who interacts with her.She gives some affection but not alot and is very picky about when and how much.. sometimes she is just cranky and nibbles (has yet to bite very hard or draw blood). With all that said... how can I gain her trust more and get her to give/except more affection?

Thank you tomtay. My bird does get the variety... loves hard boiled eggs and noodles of all things! lol She gets a shower.. usualy with me(read that the steam was good for them and she loves it). I can't get to that area of her to check her sex .. she doesn't really care for to much touching... though I persist at petting her back, just getting to the point she will let me. Guess I will just keep up with what i am doing... still any other sugestions are welcome!

Answer 1

It just takes time and patience...Keep doing what your doing and keep handling it often..Its best to be handling them while they are young, so they will adapt more easily to you.. They are a cranky breed especially if you introduce a mate to them, then watch the p.m.s set it..You can tell the sex of the bird by turning it over and feeling its pelvic bone..If its wide, its female, if its narrow its male..Males are ususally more vibrant in color than the females....They love to be misted with a misting bottle, when its warm....Or sit a shallow dish on the bottom of the cage and watch them bath..My cockatiels loved corn on the cob, nuts, and apples and carrots...Even a little scrambled egg once in awhile....It wont hurt them..They love and variety and its good for them...Another good hint is too put egg shells in the micro for a couple of min..Let them cool then crunch them into fine pieces and they will love that....Good calcium..Good luck (p.s. they love looking at themselves in a mirror)

Answer 2

Tiels do get cranky sometimes. I have a 14 year old Grey and sometimes he "sword fights" with my finger. Normally, he's very loving.

You're doing all the right things now by taking him out a lot and interacting with him. It just takes time and a lot of patience. Don't make any quick moves around him/her as this would cause her to be jittery around you. Is she near a TV or radio? Maybe she doesn't like so much noise around her cage. Don't keep any birds near a kitchen either. Kitchen fumes can make a bird sick, too.

Just continue what you're doing and pet her a lot, talking softly and I'l bet she comes around for more. Keep in mind that the location of a bird cage is very important. They need to be in a place that is quiet at night. If she isn't getting enough sleep, that could cause her crankiness as well.

Answer 3

climate would not make me cranky, yet ......... An all day rain only makes me choose to sleep all day - this is dark and dreary. in the wintry climate, whilst the sidewalks are lined in ice and that i can not get out, i'm getting depressed using fact i think like a prisoner in my own residence. spectacular now we are promised a minimum of four days in the intense ninety's. Too warm to go out, yet i ought to. this is sunny and glossy so i'm getting issues completed around the abode (as quickly as I can get off the laptop). Excuse me, please, I ought to repair my one hundred+ misspellings, and extra punctuation.

Answer 4

She may just need more socialization.

Answer 5

Eat it... I hear they're very tasty