Question: I have five cockatiels: three males and two females. I have had the females and two of the males since they were a few days old. The other male is 15 years old. He took over one of the females. Their eggs are not fertile and the other birds won’t breed.
I think they are in love with me. I have one who screams if I leave the room, and in the morning he starts when the sun comes up. I have to let him out to sit on my shoulder. They have toys and I have tried pellets. They are 3 years old now.
They all get along except for the older one, who is just starting to listen to me. But the screamer, whose name is Peep, is starting to beat him up. When the older one came, he was a real bully, still is, but not as bad. Peep bonded with him like a mate for awhile and then stopped. Peep also sometimes grooms one other male I have and forces him to groom back. So I don’t know what is going on. Can you help me? - Rose
Answer: Birds have a complex social structure and in the wild they would need to fly in search of food and shelter every day. They would be busy trying to find enough food to stay alive and possibly raise a family. These cute little birds still have ?wild bird instincts? .
When we keep birds in a cage and supplying them with high calorie food that they can eat quickly, they have nothing else to do for the rest of the day. They often turn to ?abnormal behaviors?. Abnormal behaviors, like screaming, over-preening, and aggressiveness, can create stress for you and your birds.
Your birds are lucky because they have a ?flock?. We can help to enrich our captive birds lives by providing a more stimulating environment.
Make foraging for food fun and exciting! You can wrap food and treats in small paper packages or place them in cardboard tubes. Hide bits of food in holes drilled in boards or perches. Make a sandbox of large wooded buttons, dried beans, and pieces of cardboard and hide food bites in the sandbox daily. The birds will need to scratch and dig and look for their food. Cockatiels like to forage for food together as a flock and this will give your birds a chance to work together in a more normal environment.
You can make a special foraging tree containing various toys that must be flipped or unscrewed to deliver a bit of food. There are various DVDs and web sites that have many ideas and tips on teaching your bird to forage. Try www.thebirdbrain.com or www.goodbird.com. Give your birds the opportunity to bathe daily. Try a shallow bowl of water, or a gentle drip of water from a faucet. Some birds like to come into the shower with you and other birds prefer a gentle misting with a spry bottle.
A little training time daily can help establish you as the leader. Use a separate training perch and teach your bird to step up onto your hand on command. Keep the perch lower than your face and never let your bird ride on your shoulder. Always use positive reinforcement with birds and never punish them.
Your little flock will be more content and have more social interaction if you can make these simple changes!
Dr. Baker
Baker Veterinary Clinic
1801 S. Congress Ave.
West Palm Beach, FL 33406
Read more articles by Dr. Baker | Ask her a question
Source: http://blogs.palmbeachpost.com/pawshere/2011/06/02/cockatiels-behavior-worries-owner/
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