Cheer up Rosie

She looks so happy now! Glad you were able to cheer her up.

Hello,

Very nice looking little guys. Good luck with them.

Mario

Very cute!

Actually make that TWO new additions. When we were getting Jim (new cockatiel) we also bought a little yellow budgie... really cute!!

Ok I know - MBS is a horrible thing!

Here are Rosie and Jim (kids tv show)



and our new little budgie Tweety Pie!

Hello,

Good to hear the news. I am happy that she is happier now. Good luck with the new addition.

Mario

That is awesome Siobhan! Where are pictures????

That's great your idea worked Siobhan.

I did the vet visit and he said he wouldnt prescribe anything for her as she wasnt actually sick. Of course it wasnt an avian vet as we dont have one within 4 hours of here.

So plan B, I got her a buddy at the weekend. And he loves her and she him. He whistles and she answers! Amazing. They sit huddled together on the perch. The first half hour or so I was a bit worried as they growled at each other a lot, But they seem fine now. Better than fine in fact. I didnt quarantine him, as I know the breeder and he has had him for about a year. I figured he was well.

But I am so happy for her. I do think it has made her day to have a buddy who is the same as her!

I think she was raised by her parents in an aviary and only banded when ready for sale. She was definitely not handled anyway!

Perhaps she was raised by a breeder that just didn't take the time to socialize her? Or maybe she was not handfed and is still just kind of wild?
You could try giving her a mirror to look at- maybe she would like that.

I had cockatiels and some of them never did really play- they would be happy just sitting and looking around. I think that you do the best you can for your little Rosie- she has good food, a nice home and other birds to look at and listen to. Try not to worry too much- she could be happier than you think! A vet visit is a fine idea though just to rule out any problems.

If you do get her a cockatiel friend be sure to continue working with her individually if you want her to remain tame. Best of luck to you.

I have never heard of a trade in imported wild birds in Ireland? I understood the open banded birds here were captive bred, not taken from their parents until they were fully weaned and hence too big for the closed band.

But I think you may have hit the nail on the head with the depression. That definitely sounds like what is wrong with her. I will bring her to my vet.

I have found an activity she actually likes to do... I thread pasta tubes onto a piece of string and she breaks them off one by one. It takes her about 2 weeks to break 9 or 10 tubes, but hey... at least she is doing SOMETHING!

Thanks Mario!

Hello,

A open band means that it is ia wild caught bird. When a wild caught bird is quarintined it has a OPEN band on its leg. A closed band is a hand raised hatched in home or breeders housing facility. I would say that the Teil is very skitish because it has been caught from the wild and has had a very hard time adjusting to captive life. You should bring her to the vet and have her looked at for depression. There is a pill for birds that is equal to a humans depression medication. Being a wild caught bird you have no way of knowing how she was treated when she was quarintined. She might have been mistreated at some point and never recovered. Birds have a great memory and will not forget if it has been mistreated or adused at some point. I would say that she is very depressed and will not make the change on her own.

Mario

She is mellow... the problem is she is too mellow. She really just sits there most of the time. I put her back with the budgies because I really didnt like her being alone. especially since she doesnt really like to be handled. She growls at us. Doesnt bite though.

I give up! She has an open band on her leg. I wonder was she captive bred?

Usually as long as both cockatiels are tame they will remain handleable. I would get same sex though to avoid nesting, then they cant be handled. Cockatiels are really mellow birds in general I had 3 and I could handle all three and they were caged together. Good luck

LOL I don't know Siobhan. Poor little girl! If you do get a mate, she may bond to that one and not let you handle her. Depends though on what you want. It may make her happier, but than you can't hold her. But they aren't always that way, but that is a chance. She may not have learned to play, our Quaker still doesn't know how, and she just sits there wherever we put her too, and basically uses hubby (Jay) for a play toy, which can get a little annoying if he doesn't want to play back lol. Men, they always say they are ready to play lmao. But no really, she never learned to play and doesn't do much on her own either. She has been with us for 9 years now and always been like that. Have you tried to introduce toys to her very slowly? Like start with it across the room for a week so she can see it and than moving it closer to her as the weeks go on. Like Jay said, some are just weird lol. Are you sure she doesn't have any health issues? Those are just some ideas. Hopefully someone else can come in and help a little. We haven't had our tiel long but like I said our Quaker is the same way, and we never thought much of it cause she was like that when she came here and still seems to be happy, full feathered until just recently, she has picked a little tiny bit around her neck, but there was a whole bunch of changes for her, new cage, new bird so I know that took a tole on her.

Do you think a buddy for her might help? If I was to get one, should I get a female or would they fight? But if I get a male will I end up with lots of little ones?

wow I don't know my daughter has one he's about 7 mo and he play's
a great deal. Maybe birds are like ppl and some are just boring.
Sorry I just don't know.

My Quaker is like that she just never learned to play.

Hi folks,

I have many birds, who are all doing wonderfully well and seem to be really happy in my home.... except my cockatiel. We call her the bird with no personality. I read all over the place how they are fun birds, and really gentle and I despair. Rosie my cockatiel just sits all day long. She doesnt seem to look right or left. She doesnt play with any of her toys. She really does nothing at all.

I have had her for over a year. If I go to take her out of the cage she growls and hisses and flaps. When I get her out she sits on my hand, my shoulder, a perch, a chair. Basically she sits where ever I put her. She seems to be afraid of everything. She wont take food from our hands. She wont play with any toys. She doesnt even nibble on paper, which ALL of my birds love to do.

I have had her in a cage on her own. I have tried her in the cage with the budgies. On her own she sits bored all day long. With the budgies she just seemed afraid of them.

Here she is sitting at the kitchen table. She can sit there for hours if I don't move her.


Please help me to enrich her life because I feel she has no life.