My new bird and cage

Hey everyone so I went to petsmart on the 11th to look at fish and came across this little girl. I noticed her following me around in her cage so I started to ask the people there some questions about her. After a few minutes they told me she had been in there for 6 MONTHS. I felt so bad for her and knew I couldn't leave her in there any longer. I went out to eat then went back and got her. I got everything thing she needed and brought her home. Well after a day of having her I decided she need a bigger cage and bought one off of Amazon. I love the room she has but I think she needs more perches or something. Not sure what I will end up doing. I know I'm not happy with how it is setup right now, but I just got the cage put up about an hour ago. Let me know what you think or any suggestions. It has been years since I've had a bird and need some pointers to make her as happy as possible.

 

She'll like the bigger cage!

What are you going to feed her?

That one toy looks a little big for her. Tiels won't be able to chew the big blocks of wood very easily. Maybe get a few smaller wooden toys for her? Most of what's recommended for parakeets and conures will work for her.

I'd also recommend removing the tent. Yes, she may love it now, but she can become territorial and get in the breeding mood when she uses that tent. She'll start to think of it as her nest, and may become more nippy towards you. I don't put anything in my cockatoo's cage that resembles a nest (no buckets, baskets, or tents), and I've had no issues with sexual behavior (and he's past sexual maturity - he's over 9 years old now).

I'd also invest in different perches. The plain wooden cylindrical perches are terrible for their feet, causing sores and pain. I'd get some natural wooden perches (manzanita, grapewood, etc.) and a sandy perch or two (these will help keep her nails trimmed). I'd recommend at least 5-6 perches in a cage that size (but the more, the merrier!).

Take it slow with her, gain her trust, and enjoy your new friend

 

Thank you for the reply. I am feeding her the maintenance brand food. I was told by a few people I know that it was really good for teils, but you can correct them if they are wrong. And yea I thought the same thing when I saw that toy, but it had a picture of a teil on the package so I bought it. Also, she has taken to the smaller toys I have given her so I will go swap the one out for a couple more smaller ones. As far as the tent, I didn't know that they would get territorial since I have seen them in so many cages. I did take it out because she has warmed up so much in the last few days and I would hate to see her got back to her old ways of biting and running away. As far as the perches, I did buy ones of different sizes. For that reason. Two of them.are natural wood and I used one that came with the cages because I only had two. I was looking for the more natural looking ones, but not sure where to get them from.

 

Most pets stores carry them, Petco seems to carry a good selection where I live. Congrats on you new teil. Nice cage. A play top on the top of the cage when she starts coming out, A swing also would be nice. I also agree with the different size perches. Only one of my birds, I have 3, uses a tent and that is my female African red bellied parrot, Tiki. she likes to play in it at times but doesn't sleep in it. Two of the favorite toys are a spiral rope covered toy that is a couple of feet long and and they climb up and down and two of them sleep on top of them. The other is a round ring covered with strings about 7inches across, which they sell for birds that pluck , which mine don't but they just really like them and love to play in them. Alison

 

Congratulations on your new friend! I've never had a pet bird but the Cockatoo at my LPS likes me and asks for shoulder rides

If you want to make your own perches, just get the safe wood branches you like, scrub them clean then bake them to sanitize them and put a hanger bolt in one end with 2 washers and a nut. It's easy, I make perches for my chinchillas all the time

 

Thank you for the reply. I am feeding her the maintenance brand food. I was told by a few people I know that it was really good for teils, but you can correct them if they are wrong. And yea I thought the same thing when I saw that toy, but it had a picture of a teil on the package so I bought it. Also, she has taken to the smaller toys I have given her so I will go swap the one out for a couple more smaller ones. As far as the tent, I didn't know that they would get territorial since I have seen them in so many cages. I did take it out because she has warmed up so much in the last few days and I would hate to see her got back to her old ways of biting and running away. As far as the perches, I did buy ones of different sizes. For that reason. Two of them.are natural wood and I used one that came with the cages because I only had two. I was looking for the more natural looking ones, but not sure where to get them from.

What type of maintenance food? There are many brands

I like to buy my perches online or make my own. Buying online is usually cheaper than buying stuff in stores. Pet Solutions, Drs. Foster and Smith, Petsmart, and Petco have good online sales sometimes.

Congratulations on your new friend! I've never had a pet bird but the Cockatoo at my LPS likes me and asks for shoulder rides

If you want to make your own perches, just get the safe wood branches you like, scrub them clean then bake them to sanitize them and put a hanger bolt in one end with 2 washers and a nut. It's easy, I make perches for my chinchillas all the time

Agreed, I make my own perches for my Too. You can look online for a list of safe wood for birds, and just make sure that the pieces you collect haven't been treated or sprayed with any chemicals. If you think I'm particular about my fish, you should see me with my bird! When I make my own perches, I soak the wood pieces in bleach water, scrub, then bake to sanitize.

 

I have thought about making my own perches, but of course, I'm worried about doing something wrong. I may go out and loom around and see what I can find later today. I will also go look at petsmart when I go return her cage she was in for two days.
This is her food. It will not be the only thing she gets though. She will also be getting good seeds and fresh foods as well.
Any tips on getting her to bathe? She doesn't want anything to do with water unless she is drinking it.

 

I have thought about making my own perches, but of course, I'm worried about doing something wrong. I may go out and loom around and see what I can find later today. I will also go look at petsmart when I go return her cage she was in for two days.
This is her food. It will not be the only thing she gets though. She will also be getting good seeds and fresh foods as well.
Any tips on getting her to bathe? She doesn't want anything to do with water unless she is drinking it.

Roudybush is a good brand, I use it too. I also mix in Zupreem fruit blend. Glad to hear she'll have a varied diet! She'll enjoy being spoiled.

I take my Too into the shower with me, and he runs around the bottom and bathes. You could try that? Also try spraying her with a very fine mist. Mine only likes to be sprayed when it's raining outside, otherwise he wants nothing to do with it.

 

I could try misting her. Hopefully she won't hate me afterwards lol. Only downside of having her is the dust she puts off, but once she starts to bathe I'm sure there won't be a downside at all!!

Oh, do their feathers grow back? I noticed that some of her feathers have either been cut or pulled out somehow. So she can't fly right now.

 

Try misting her a bit, and if she acts like she doesn't like it (i.e. doesn't start preening and fluffing), stop. You don't want her to fear it! She'll want to bathe eventually.

Their feathers will grow back. Hopefully her chewing/plucking isn't serious. She might also have just gone through a molt. My bird goes through a molt or two every year, though it's at a different time than his wild counterparts because he's indoors and isn't exposed to the environmental cues (plus different environmental cues in the US than his native range).

If you haven't considered it, I would highly recommend clipping her wings and not letting her fly around the house. It doesn't hurt if done properly, and it can prevent her from flying off and getting injured (flying into windows, places around your house that she shouldn't get into, etc.). You also don't have to worry about her flying away if your door is left open.

 

Ok so I have yet to try the misting yet. I wanted to give her a break and not rush things. I plan on trying tomorrow when I get off of work. I would clip her wings but with having dogs that would more thank likely try to chase her if they were to meet, I need her to fly.
Other than that I made a few adjustments to her cage let me know what you think of what I've done.... excuse the nasty floor I need to get in there and vacuum. Haha

 

I'd still clip her wings enough that she couldn't fly away if she got outside. And I'm a big fan of having my pets get along well enough that I don't have to worry about one eating another. I have a cat and two large dogs, all of which are bossed around by my Cockatoo. I don't want to have to worry that if he were to get out of his cage or get startled and flutter to the floor, that he'll be attacked by the other animals. It's not fair to him to be in danger like that.

I'd start introductions between them as soon as possible, and make it clear to your dogs that messing with your bird is not allowed. I of course would not leave them together unsupervised, but supervised, controlled introductions are necessary to help them recognize that the bird is not to be messed with.

Cage looks great!

 

Looks like a fun playground for a bird!

 

Adorable! I have three tiels. We were supposed to only get one,but I can't complain

 

Your new little friend will love the larger cage! As far as toys go, you might not be able to figure out what s/he likes until s/he settles in a little more. There is what as known as the "honeymoon period" when bringing a new bird into your home - they are prey and we are predators. They will be on their best behavior and take their cues from you as to what is scary and not, what is acceptable and not, and what is safe and not, etc. As far as diet, cockatiels are granivores - meaning they do eat more seed in the wild than larger parrots. Australian parrots come from a different environment than say, pionus or macaws or greys...but that doesn't mean that a seed-only diet is acceptable. The seeds you get from the local stores are in no way similar to what your cockatiel would find in the wild. So you will need to supplement with other healthy foods. Your new friend can eat most of what you eat, with some exceptions. No chocolate, avocado, caffeine, peanuts, onion, or 'dairy'. Hard cheese is ok on occasion, as the lactose is mostly gone (parrots do not have the enzyme necessary to digest cows milk products - most people lose this ability after age 4 or so as well). Sprouts, veggies, a tiny bit of fruit (australian parrots do not have the requisite taste buds for sweet things, so if your 'tiel doesn't seem to like fruit, it's no big deal and normal.) It sounds like your 'tiel has been wing-clipped. I'd STRONGLY recommend you do not clip them again. Birds evolved for flight, and by taking their primary method of locomotion away, you are opening the door to lots of problems/issues down the road. Let your bird fly. You can easily teach flight commands. And should the horrific happen and your bird get outside, being recall-trained or having full flight will most likely save her or his life. A clipped bird running on adrenaline can go far outdoors, but after it wears off...well they are sitting ducks for predators. A fully flighted parrot with good flight skills has a much better chance of evading predators and finding their way either back home or to a human who can reunite her/hI'm with you. I've had parrots for over 40 years, and would never have a clipped parrot in my home. All of my current birds are fully flighted and I would not have them any other way. They are much safer if they can fly, especially in our homes with all the dangers we think of as normal (water, stoves, etc.). A bird with good flight skills will not fall into an open toilet, boiling water, fly into the windows, etc...they know better if they are allowed to be birds. If you have other animals (i.e. dogs, cats, etc) then you definitely want to leave your bird flighted - otherwise s/he has NO way to escape should your other pets get near...and no matter how careful you are, there will invariably be that 'one time' you couldn't get there fast enough...and you would never forgive yourself for that moment. Flighted birds are safer, all the way around.