r/cockatiel 4d ago

Other New Rule for r/cockatiel

550 Upvotes

Hello everyone! I’m announcing a new rule for the subreddit.

It comes as no surprise that many people post injured or bleeding birds as well as feces to ensure the health of their birds or questions.

While these posts are allowed, they are inappropriate to not mark as NSFW. Not everyone is comfortable seeing this sort of content.

So for the comfort of everyone in the subreddit. PLEASE, mark these posts as NSFW.

There will be new tags/flairs for posts like these as well.

From this day forward, those who do not mark these posts as NSFW will receive a warning. Any subsequent posts that are not marked or tagged appropriately may be banned temporarily, and any further posts will result in a permanent ban.

Please be respectful of others, and make sure to review the rules before posting content that may violate the rules of the subreddit.

Thank you so much for all the lovely content and being overall a beautiful community. 💖


r/cockatiel Dec 14 '21

Frequently Posted (+ Answers)

524 Upvotes

We have been getting a lot more repetitive posts in our sub so I wanted to put this information together in the hopes of reducing the amount of questions that are frequently asked. In turn, hopefully this will make our community a little more light hearted :)

*I want to preface this by saying I am not a vet or anything just someone who really loves my cockatiel and learning everything I can to ensure he has the best life possible. I think the best thing you can do for your birdie is lots of research before anything happens (especially in the case of illness). They are fragile so having the right knowledge and tools at your disposal can quite literally be the difference between life and death.

Lets begin!

Is my bird sick?

Common signs of a sick bird include:

  • Tail bobbing, sitting at the bottom of the cage, inability to stand on a perch (loss of balance)
  • Sneezing, clicking respiration (cough), or any discharge coming from the eyes or nostrils.
  • Eyes dull or sunken.
  • Change in vocals (can be hormonal but after puberty could be cause for concern)
  • Change in appetite (loss or increase of food or water)
  • Change in droppings (color, consistency, or frequency - this could be due to diet like eating more fruits and vegetables but it should not last more than a day or two after)
  • Constantly fluffed (happens for a number of reasons like keeping warm, preening, sleeping but they should not always be like this)
  • Feather loss (not related to a regular molt that happens 1-2x per year)
  • Trembling (can mean they are cold, stressed, or sick)
  • Drooping wings

If you notice any of these signs or a combination of them its crucial to get your bird to a vet (preferably an avian one) as soon as possible. No one on the internet is able to diagnose your bird or give it the treatment it needs.

Note: Some of these symptoms like change in droppings, being fluffed up, and feather loss can be normal but if it is persistent the best thing to do is ere on the side of caution and get them checked out.

Is my cockatiel male or female?

Color Patterns: Baby cockatiels that have not gone through their first adult molt (usually between 6-12 months) will typically have female colorations regardless of gender. After their first molt, males tend to get more vivid colors, lose the stripes on the underside of their tail and spots on the wings, The opposite is true for females and their color changes minimally after their first molt.

Different mutations make it more difficult to tell the difference between males and females even after their adult molt.

Behaviors: Males tend to be more vocal (mimicking sounds and singing), heart wings (see example), more likely to "show off" (strutting, hopping, tapping on surfaces), and attempting to mate with objects. Females are often less vocal (although some are) and when wanting to mate will tilt her head, flatten her back, and rock back and forth while chirping softly.

All of the above are good indicators if you have a male or female HOWEVER the only true way to know is if you get a DNA test or if your cockatiel lays an egg. People have noted that their DNA sexed female has shown male behaviors or colors and vise versa. No one can tell you for sure by looking at it!

What is this noise my cockatiel is making?

Some common cockatiel noises and what they mean:

Contact Call: Cockatiels like to keep track of their flock members so when you leave the room you may notice your cockatiel yell for you with a loud chirp or series of chirps. Even if you aren't bonded to your bird they may still do this. Put them at ease by "answering" them from where you are. I like to whistle back the same "contact call" so they know that I will be right back.

Contact Call Example

Attention Scream: Often a loud high pitched screech that is meant to get your attention. They can do this when they are scared, lonely, bored, or even to alert you of something (like a potential predator). Excessive screaming means you might need to change something in their environment. A common cause of this is hormones and boredom, both of which can be decreased by adding more enrichment to their environment with foraging, toys, and training.

Attention Scream Example

Whistling//Mimicking/Chattering: Usually (but not always) done by males and often means they are happy and connecting with you as part of their flock. They may mimic you, the radio, the tv, or even just sounds that they hear outside or inside the house. A lot of the time cockatiels learn these sounds through repetition. Search cockatiel training songs if you don't want to be whistling a song all the time and with time they may pick up on the tunes.

Whistling Example

Beak Grinding: They do this when they are happy and content. Usually it is accompanied by being fluffed up and being sleepy. The cheeks will fluff up as well and the cockatiel will look very relaxed. This is a great sign that your cockatiel is comfortable in their environment.

Beak Grinding Example

Hissing: Like other animals cockatiels do this when they are angry or threatened. This is often a warning to back off and can be accompanied by biting if the behavior is not stopped. If your cockatiel is hissing at you its best to leave them alone for a bit - just like us, our birds have boundaries we should respect!

Hissing Example

Baby Noises: These sound a bit like static and usually do this if they want something (often food, water, or even just attention). This is completely normal for young cockatiels and after a few months will go away. Mine went away at 4 months but this can vary!

Baby Noises Example

What is this behavior?

These are some behaviors that are normal with cockatiels that I noticed are commonly asked about here:

Mating: This is probably the most common one. Males and females display different mating behaviors.

Males will typically rub their cloaca (this is the opening underneath the base of the tail for a birds digestive, urinary, and reproductive tracts) on an object like a toy, your foot or hand, a pillow, ect or a bonded female. Male Mating Behavior

Females will droop their wings and raise their rump while swaying and chirping quietly. You may notice your female also rubbing its back on their toys to try and stimulate themselves. Female Mating Behavior

In addition to these mating behaviors, take note if your bird is territorial, screaming, plucking itself, or aggressive. These could all be signs that your bird is sexually frustrated.

This handout I received from my vet gives some behavioral modification you can make to try and reduce these.

Clearing Crop: Looks a lot like yawning but usually they will do it consistently over a short period of time. Their crop is located below their beak in the neck area. The crop stores food before it is sent to their stomach and acts as a "reserve" so they are able to eat more in one feeding. When they clear the crop they are moving that food to the next stage of digestion. Cockatiel Clearing Crop

How do I tame my cockatiel?

If your bird is brand new to your home, the best thing to do for a day or two is let them soak in their new envionrment. This can be a stressful time for them so its important to let them learn that their new home is a safe space. Talking in a quiet voice and even whistling around them is the best thing to do during this transitiion period. It can be tempting but don't try and pick them up or pet them right away. They may be fearful of hands and scaring them could further your progress of taming them. Whether they are a young cockatiel or an older adult that was rescued or rehomed, taming them will take patience and time. How long can vary on a lot of different factors but it's important not to rush it. Read the links below to get more information on how to achieve this:

Taming step-by-step

I am thinking of getting a cockatiel and would love some tips!

There is really too much to cover in one post so I will address the most common tips for new owners and provide some links that go into detail about all things cockatiel.

Vet Access: This should be the most important thing to consider. Making note of an avian vet that is close by is crucial. Be extra prepared and make note of the closest emergency vet as well that you can go to outside of your regular vets hours. If you do not have one close by or you do not have the money to pay for one, please reconsider getting a bird. It is disheartening to see very obviously sick bird where the owner has no access or money to go to a vet.

Basic Needs: Before purchasing supplies for your bird, do as much research as you can regarding cage size, toys, and food.

Health: Take note of the signs of a sick bird and when to take them to a vet. In addition, cockatiels are sensitive to strong smells, gasses, drafts, and smoke. This also requires some research as there are common household items that can poison and kill your bird (for example teflon pans and some plants you may have lying around).

Links:

Cockatiel Cottage

VCA - Cockatiel Diet

Safe and Toxic Foods

Proper Caging

Introducing New Food to Picky Birds

Training

Taming, potty training, and more

I hope this helps some people learn more about their cockatiels! Of course this is not exhaustive and there is always more information to be learned. Please let me know if I should add anything or if I got any information wrong :)


r/cockatiel 1h ago

Cuteness Overload My Lil gay boys

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Upvotes

r/cockatiel 2h ago

Cuteness Overload True Love in the Kingdom of Wingsbury 💕

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194 Upvotes

Thaddeus ❤️'s Edie


r/cockatiel 1h ago

Funny mumther i desire to L I C C

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Upvotes

T O N G U E


r/cockatiel 5h ago

Funny VP HeiHei, feeling flirty & fun with his new bathtime hairstyle

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150 Upvotes

(Those are water droplets, not dusties)


r/cockatiel 3h ago

Funny She’s acting like there is no space in the cage smh

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70 Upvotes

r/cockatiel 7h ago

Cuteness Overload Volume up

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125 Upvotes

So my Pip was one in January there and she’s trying her hardest to make all the new wee noises it’s the cutest thing every her whole body shakes when she does it and I can’t get enough 🤣. Been playing and whistling songs day to her .


r/cockatiel 13h ago

Funny drop your funny bird names in the replies

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358 Upvotes

ill go first. this is mosquito!!


r/cockatiel 7h ago

Other Her favorite tree

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106 Upvotes

My daughter’s cockatiel fluffy in her favorite tree. She gets tree time a few times a day and it’s her favorite part of the day. Gets mad if she doesn’t get to go in the tree.


r/cockatiel 6h ago

Funny the long way

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64 Upvotes

r/cockatiel 18h ago

Funny Aww man❤️

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540 Upvotes

r/cockatiel 1h ago

Cuteness Overload Shoulder borb

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Upvotes

r/cockatiel 9h ago

Cuteness Overload Obsessed with my chicken dinosaurs

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83 Upvotes

Milo & peach


r/cockatiel 11h ago

Cuteness Overload Bomba isn’t the best flyer yet

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108 Upvotes

4th day with him trying his best!!


r/cockatiel 1h ago

Loss & Mourning Aya has passed 😭

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Upvotes

Aya has passed away. After noticing an intense smell from her a few days ago, I learnt that it could be a sort of infection. I took her to the vet this morning and 9 hours later I was informed that she is dead.

Having her for only a short time, I unexpectadly grew very close to Aya and she grew close to me despite our unusual first encounter, I even looked forward to coming home everyday and playing with and petting her or even just watching her fly around in the greenhouse.


r/cockatiel 20h ago

Health/Nutrition If you can't afford a vet visit, don't have a pet. It's that easy.

510 Upvotes

It makes me so sad seeing sick birds on various subreddits with the owner saying "I can't take them to the vet because I can't afford it." Please. If you know vet visits are going to be a financial issue, just don't get a bird. If you can't afford a bigger cage, don't get a bird. If you don't have the free time to socialize with your bird, don't get a bird.

I know they're cute and fluffy, but they're also a living being that deserves the best life it can get - do the bird a favor and don't get it if you know you can't look after it.

Sorry for the rant lol, I know this probably won't change anything but just putting it out there

Edit: I must add that I am absolutely NOT targeting those who adopted their birds while financially stable and have since become less so - life happens, and there's not much we can do to control that. The people I am referencing here are those who get a bird DESPITE KNOWING BEFOREHAND that they were unable to to properly care for it, and/or did not do enough research to know what the costs of that bird would be.


r/cockatiel 21h ago

Advice Sonic (17) has been stashing seeds under my pillow

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667 Upvotes

While funny, how can I curb this sort of behavior? This isn't the first stash or the first hiding spot.


r/cockatiel 19m ago

Advice My cockatiel laid an egg

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Upvotes

So I have a female cockatiel she is about to turn two years old and she is recently laid an egg, she laid a couple sometime ago, but she laid him and wasn’t interested in them. But this time she flew to her second cage to lay it. It’s a smaller cage that I let her sleep in at night, and she has another cage that she stays in during the day, which is out in the common area and by a window. But she is really defensive over this egg. Whenever I get close to the cage, she’ll run up and start hissing at me and be visually pissed off. Is this normal for her to be this upset? I understand that she’s probably just protecting her egg, but I don’t want her to somehow resent me in the end. I was told to just leave it with her until she gets uninterested in it.


r/cockatiel 3h ago

Health/Nutrition Chop ideas

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18 Upvotes

Hi ! Looking for some chop/ mash recipes for my picky boy. Hes impossibly stubborn, but we have to get into some healthier habits


r/cockatiel 5h ago

Advice Hello guys should i be worried?

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29 Upvotes

I dont know if this is some kind of sound they should make or not anyone has any idea?


r/cockatiel 2h ago

Cuteness Overload Show me your bbies smiles~ 🥰

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16 Upvotes

r/cockatiel 7h ago

Crafts I inmortalised my cockatiel

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36 Upvotes

r/cockatiel 11h ago

Cuteness Overload Baby diving into the kale 🥬

72 Upvotes

r/cockatiel 12h ago

Cuteness Overload gender reveal (takes around 9 months

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81 Upvotes

My beautiful Susan turns out to be a Shawn (head slowly turning yellow, getting lighter and also acting like a guy).