Newly acquired cockatiel, AMA

"aquila121" (aquila121) 01/11/2018 at 20:32 • Filed to: This thing flies

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Small shred of backstory: my last relationship brought with it a small bird into my life/home, and it was a very wonderful experience. I didn’t previously have any pets of my own at the time, so it was nice to have company once I got home from work or lounged around on weekends. I bonded very well with said bird, but now that myself and her owner have gone a bit of our separate ways, I miss having a feathered companion on my shoulder or chirping a bunch.

So, last week I decided to adopt this cockatiel named Juliette who needed a new home—her previous owner said she didn’t have time to care for and train her. I think I’m officially a bird person, now.

I have an appointment with an avian vet specialist tomorrow to check that she’s in good health, and I have some knowledge/experience with medium-sized bird care, so I’m not too thrown by this. I grabbed a larger, more suitable cage for Juliette, as well. We’re still feeling each other out, but I’m confident we’ll get along. She sits on my head or my shoulder, and likes to fly up on top of my kitchen cabinets.

Firebird decal on a Trans Am for your time.

Dogapult > aquila121 01/11/2018 at 21:09

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Here’s my Goffin Cockatoo. Birds are fun.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > aquila121 01/11/2018 at 21:13

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What is her vocabulary? I taught my dads bird to say “good morning James” one summer. Apparently he kept saying that long after I left the house much to my dads amusement.

For Sweden > aquila121 01/11/2018 at 21:14

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But what about round birbs?

For Sweden > aquila121 01/11/2018 at 21:15

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When people tell me they don’t like birbs

aquila121 > Dogapult 01/11/2018 at 21:31

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That’s pretty. And sizable.

aquila121 > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 01/11/2018 at 21:35

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Nothing yet—just happy beeps/chirps, the occasional whistle, and yelling at me when I try to get her to step onto my finger. I’m trying to find if she has a particular music or tune she’d like. I’ve heard males are a bit more prone to mimicking sounds, so I’m not in a rush.

She’s about three years old, and like I said, the previous owner didn’t seem to do any training, vocal or otherwise.

aquila121 > For Sweden 01/11/2018 at 21:35

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How do you keep that from rolling off? :D

winterlegacy, here 'till the end > Dogapult 01/11/2018 at 21:38

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The question is, how often does it scream at the top of its lungs?

winterlegacy, here 'till the end > aquila121 01/11/2018 at 21:40

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I’ve debated getting a cockatiel in the future. Possibly a white faced one.

I have the perfect name in mind that’s completely gender neutral as well.

aquila121 > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 01/11/2018 at 21:40

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With any luck, I might be able to train her to mimic the tune for Rod Stewart’s “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy,” or maybe an engine rev or blow-off valve.

smobgirl > aquila121 01/11/2018 at 21:59

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I love birds but I have too many feral cats in my house! My mom has had a cockatoo for the last 20 years or so.

There used to be a pet store I would go to and their African gray would imitate the phone ring just to make the owner go running. Birds are too smart sometimes.

Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever > aquila121 01/11/2018 at 22:13

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Nice Pokemon find! Enjoy and post pics often.

aquila121 > smobgirl 01/11/2018 at 22:18

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That sounds hilarious.

aquila121 > Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever 01/11/2018 at 22:20

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I’ll try.

E92M3 > aquila121 01/11/2018 at 22:23

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They love to mimic sounds.

dsigned001 - O.R.C. hunter > aquila121 01/11/2018 at 23:49

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I think a birdie will be our next pet. We bird sat a particularly ornery cockatiel and even she was pretty fun. She wouldn’t step up, and would try and bite (but not hard) if you put your hand in the cage. If you let her out she would fly around until she crashed into something. Then she would step up and let me carry her back to her cage. Those few moments of vulnerability were really sweet.

Dogapult > winterlegacy, here 'till the end 01/12/2018 at 00:31

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Constantly!

Dogapult > aquila121 01/12/2018 at 00:34

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He’s actually a pretty small Cockatoo. medium sized bird, I’d say.

you can see his head vs my fingers, there. Actually, that picture turned out really well.

winterlegacy, here 'till the end > Dogapult 01/12/2018 at 01:19

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I suppose it goes between “annoying” and “comical” depending on what he’s doing.

Dogapult > winterlegacy, here 'till the end 01/12/2018 at 01:25

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It’s comical sometimes. Most of the time it’s “you liked that food last time, now you’re just throwing it everywhere! What the hell?”

DutchieDC2R > aquila121 01/12/2018 at 06:30

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Meet Ghostface Killah and RZA (not their actual names lol). Moms birds, love em! The smaller one has some sort of thing going on where the feathers dont grow properly. Other than that, theyre happy and healthy birds. The bigger one keeps the smaller one warm, lol.

SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media > aquila121 01/12/2018 at 06:38

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It’s amusing to see so many Australian arid zone birds end up as pets. Shows how adaptable they really are.

Bearin mind that cockatiels (like budgerigars, cockatoos and corellas) are highly social animals (we rarely see them fly in numbers less than five) and need a lot of interaction to make up for the lack of mates.

The other thing about cockatiel (also called quarrion) is that, like budgerigars, they are spectacular flyers. If you have the opportunity to put them in a large flight cage then they’ll think that’s marvellous...

aquila121 > SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media 01/12/2018 at 07:51

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Noted. I’m trying to give her lots of attention in the afternoon/evening to make up for the time she’s alone while I’m at work. I’ll find some more toys and such next week so her cage never feels empty, as well.

As far as a flight cage, I feel better about just leaving it open so that she can climb all over the outside or fly around the kitchen/living room to wherever she wants. I feel so bad for birds where they need to be contained in a cage (for their own safety or otherwise) all the time. Juliette’s going to have as much free reign at my place as I can give her.

But yes, I’m surprised at how well these types of birds adapt, given the differences from their natural habitat.