I was so lucky with my Conure, the breeder had handled her and taught her step up really well, all she wanted was to come out and be with us.......nothing has changed 2 years on 😊
Yes! I am so happy to hear you advocate for a slow diet conversion after bringing home a new animal! And letting them acclimate a bit before getting them out of their cage is great advice. This is hands down the best information on bringing home a new animal. Very smart, down to earth, practical advice all around. You're my favorite bird education channel Sophie! 💖
Super useful video, I wish I had seen it before I bought my cockatiel home! I had done a TONNE of research but there was just so much conflicting advice out there - I know now I should have left him to acclimatize in his cage, but I had seen others saying to let them out so I opened his door to let him roam. He was immediately flying about panicked, crashing into windows and walls. He's fine, but more damage could have definitely been done! It also made feeding him and having those passive interactions so much harder.
Thank you so much for your comment! I agree that it’s hard to sift through so much conflicting information online. But these are the tips that I truly believe will set a bits up for success. We all make mistakes but it’s just important to learn from them and share experiences, so thank you for sharing yours! 😊💙🦜
Just got my baby cockatiel yesterday and I did the exact same mistake lol, I didn't wanna hold him to get him back so it took me all morning to try and lead him into his cage. I wish someone gave me straight up instruction
my mom surprised me for my birth day thats today and got me a cockatiel yesterday :D i did some of the research before, but not some additional one like this video, so im doing it now and we actually did all the things right! its so good to have good content on youtube that helps in the same time :3
@@BirdNerdSophie so my pet store has alot of good toys and perches.. but not good quality pellets. Will my bird still be healthy if I don't feed pellets?
I'm looking forward to bringing home a rescue cockatiel soon. One of my plans is to sit and look at cookbooks near the cage. They have vibrant pictures and lots of tasty looking veggies. My first cockatiel loved looking at magazines, so I plan to get a few new ones to peruse too.
Just found your vids while looking for some guidance, as I'm about to bring home my first bird. I've been watching a slew of your and David's videos and you guys have given a lot of really useful information. Will definitely be putting it to good use!
Thank you very much for this video. Today is my first day with my new baby bird. First time home, and I am glad that you shared these helpful tips to avoid needlessly adding more stress for my bird today. ❤
This video was so helpful! I'm getting a new cockatiel in the next few months. I've been researching and wanting a bird for about a year. Thanks for making this video! ❤❤
Hi Sophie! I had a bit of a weird experience today: I made a toy out of natural fibre rope and pieces of unbleached,uncolored paper, after watching your video about the toys: Something they can shred up. I hung it into the cage of my two cockatiels now that they've been in the cage for 13 days and one of them made a biting motion (twice) towards me/the toy as I hung it up. They huddled together on their branch all the way against the wall. They seemed extremely scared of the toy. When I returned 30 mins later, they hadn't moved. I feared I have gone over their boundary and quickly removed the toy. I hope I didn't break the little bit of trust I may have built up. I'm a bit disheartened by the experience. The only improvement I've noticed these past 2 weeks is their increase in whistling, but they still seem to shy away from every move I make (I make moves slowly, and make sure I'm not loud or have anxious body language). We've been spending at least 1 to 3 hours a day in the same room, reading, passive bonding, but not much has come of it yet and I fear I may have put a dent in their progress by giving them the toy. How should we proceed?
Great video very helpful advice I feel like every bird is so different and reacts differently and has a different experience some of my birds have adjusted straight away and it’s like they’ve been with me their whole lives others have taken months to fully adjust surprisingly most of my rescue birds have wanted to interact straight away while most of my baby birds from breeders have been pretty scared for the first few days
Oh I totally agree Kylee! If. A bird is so comfortable that they’re ready to interact and desperately want to be with you the. That’s amazing! But some people suggest taking birds out of the cage, putting them snack bang in the middle of all of the activity to they can ‘get over fears’ which I really don’t like. It’s like taking away their choice to interact, and choice is such an important part of keeping birds under human care!
@@BirdNerdSophie yeah that’s not good I watched a video by a big parrot TH-camr who was working with a rescue bird who was visibly terrified and took it out straight away and started interacting and changing the diet on day 1 I felt really bad for the bird when I first got my black cockatoo he was on a straight sunflower seed diet so I did introduce some new seeds on day 1 but nothing like chop and I definitely agree it’s very important to give them lots of choice
Just arrived home with my parrotlet, so far she is very very quiet and still in the box we took her home in however we opened it and left the box with her inside her cage. We are just going about right now with our evening and let her come out when she feels ready, will take it slow 😊
I’m getting a bird in about 2 months and I already know the breeder and all of that and I’m so lucky because the breeder hand feeds them, and lets new owners play with the parrot for a while before bringing it home! I’m so excited 😆!
Your video resources have been great as I’m adding to my knowledge of being a bird owner! I’m getting a cockatiel for the second time, now 30 years later and experiencing it thru my own children. I’ll be bird training and young child training as well as the kids (5 years and older learn how best to take care of a pet). Do you have a master-list of your link recommendations? I can’t always find the links you reference. Thanks!
his really helped thank you so much. Before i watched a video i brought a bird home and me and my freind were opening the cage a putting our hand in and trying to grab it and then when we went to sleep the next day we saw it dead in the cage so we got a new one and now i not my mistake thank you!!
Thank you so much, Im trying to convince my parents to let me get a cockatiel and have been researching everything about them for the past couple years, I have some budgies right now, one of which has been with me for five years, so I have some experience with birds but your video was still super helpful
I have a question, I got a new cockatiel hes like 8 months or so. Hes super friendly doesn't bite, bonded to me right away and is doing great with training. But how long will it take for him to be comfortable in his cage, he sits on the bottom and hasn't explored any of the tops parts. The breeder kept him in a wide but very short cage, so I assume he was on the bottom alot compared to my big tall cage. Other than that, and trying to get him to eat fresh foods (he was on an all seed diet), hes pretty chill and not frightened by people.
100% agree with not letting them out. All 3 of ours were spooked for the better part of a week. Peewee even longer. Forcing them into a new environment and then out of their safe space on top of it? Total stress! I wish I had these videos when we were new bird owners.
I know, as I said, you can kind of get away with it for bigger birds, but for smaller species, it's a recipe for disaster! I hope you like Peewee being pride of lace on the thumbnail! 😍
Can I leave there cage door open for them to come on when they please I have a 8 week old cockatiel and just got a 1 year old also same bread both males they been in same cage and seem to get along but the older one nips softly when little one comes near do I leave cage open for free time?
Yes, I think you shouldn't let them out on the first day, but what a lot of people say is to leave the bird completely alone in the cage for.. maybe one day, a couple days.. some people say two weeks! I don't agree with this at all, I think you should have some sort of interaction with them on day one- whether that's passive interaction, hand feeding them... but yeah I wouldn't let them out on the very first day
Oh absolutely! Do interact on the first day and go at their pace, but letting them out in a strange new environment immediately is a recipe for disaster!
I got new paralett bird male he is 9 months old I had on the 28 of February he is eating and drinking ok but not making noise I also bought toys for him I had him fro a breeder he is parent raise how long will it take to settle in
Every bird takes a different amount of time to settle and tame - o have some videos on my channel about gaining trust, bonding and taming, and target training which you might find useful!
Hello! I have a question. I just got my cockatiel yesterday and I haven’t seen him eat or drink. When I brought him his breeder didn’t tell what food he was eating and his not eating the food I’m giving him I’m very stressed out and worried about him. His already 2 years old so I understand it might be bit hard to bond but him but his completely rejecting me😭
started with wild budgies, the passive tame works crazy well. Parrots are such curious critters. Once they figure out you aren't going to eat them they start to get very inquisitive about what is going on outside the cage. I think a huge thing with that is diet. If they are on all seed, you have nothing to really offer them outside their cage. Not when they can just sit inside and get junk food for nothing. Soon as my birds are on my heathier diet. They are all over coming out because they know where momma hides the treats lol! Same deal when I got Buddy, I am using the same method with Holly now as well. Each parrot moves at its own speed, and you should never rush it.
Oh I totally agree on the diet - you see it a lot - why should I work for treats when my diet is full of them! But at the same time some people make such a drastic change of ‘okay you can have your old diet anymore, tough luck!’ Which I think it’s a very harsh approach- there needs to be a transition and it doesn’t have to be ages!
@@BirdNerdSophie I agree, I always give them time to transition over to a better diet. Their digestion is just used to what it had, not what you want it to have. It is nice Holly is already interested in sprouts, that is a good way to transition off seeds because well they are seeds, just way healthier! I know a lot of people get stuck on the transition to veggies part. I think some just take only 1 approach, then give up when it doesn't work. Parrots are all unique they are going to love and hate certain things. They are going to love and hate certain sizes as well. 1 bird might love whole broccoli, where another might only like broccoli chopped into tiny pieces. Holly seems to be enjoying the chop. Even though I put her old diet in the bowl as well. She is picking around it. Love seeing those little bits of green on her beak :D
Hello, thanks for the great video. I have a budgie named Bert and was looking into getting a second Budgie for him to share a cage with and was looking into rehomed birds. I came across someone who lives 2 hours from me and is getting rid of 3 and they said that they have spent years in a cage and have been neglected and some have died due to lack of food and water. They are rehoming them for a family member so they are not responsible for the state of the birds and have been feeding them but I am considering taking all three when I was just looking for one. I have an extra flight cage that is very big but one extra bird and three are a big difference. I am wondering what I should do when they get here as they’ve had very little human interaction and most likely very poor nutrition. If I get them I will quarantine for 30 days but is there anything I should do to supplement their diet? Also they haven’t been out of a cage in their entire lives so how would I go about easing them into being out and about like I have my other birds, in a safe way?
Hi Ash, that’s awesome that you’ll be able to give these sweet birds a loving home! I have a couple of videos on how to get your birds to eat vegetables and how to gain trust which I think would be worth a watch! Go at their own pace - there’s no rush! Respecting when they are uncomfortable is just as powerful as making progress when they are willing to interact 💙
@@BirdNerdSophie Thanks a lot. I noticed you had rescue birds so I didn’t think it would hurt to ask :) I will definitely look for those videos. These birds are not going to be the same as my other birds I brought home as these are severely neglected and have had only small amounts of human interaction. Bert (my budgie) trusted me the 2nd day and my Cockatiel loved me from day one lol. This will be a first for me dealing with such fearful birds. I’m thinking patience and consistency is key but I don’t want to traumatize them.
@@Ash43509 absolutely. Some people rush birds are it rarely ends well, though they might surprise you! I think I mention passive interactions in this video and my trust one, that is going to be a powerful tool in building trust and a relationship! :)
When we were rescuing our birds, we did not research much. The situation for our birds was dire, if we waited too long they could have died. We had only 1 week to learn everything bird related and clean up our house to accommodate space for the birds cage. We were told that we would get the birds with their cage and all the things they need. Apparently they were living in a broken travel cage for 2 years. And they didn’t have many enjoyable toys either. But they were on a seed and veggie diet, although not a very good quality seed. For the first day, we let them stay in their cage. But at the second day, we put our hands in the cage to see if they would eat from our hands. And by the third day they decided they wanted to step up for millet. They did bang into the walls a little in their first couple weeks, but nothing major. They mostly stayed on the ground because one of the three still didn’t grow his flight feathers in.
Ya, they tell us how much they love us and their huge flight cage everyday. We’re still working on diet, but they throw everything down if they don’t like it lol. Their prior owner was just a kid and was doing as best she could on her own since her parents were not at all involved with them. Unfortunately, the things that are cheap are not very good for birds. I wish there was good quality items for cheap so that new owners are less likely to make mistakes.
Hello. I am thinking about maybe getting a cockatiel as my first parrot, though i am not sure yet. School starts for me in a week which means i don’t have too much time to spend with them. If i get a cockatiel, will it manage to take care of it self while i am gone for around 6-7 hours at school? After that time i can probably spend 1-4 hour taking care of the bird and spending time with it with my parents. And one more thing, do you think a 14 year old (me) could take care of it alone?
Hey! If you want my honest opinion, I’d recommend waiting. Cockatiels are social birds and need more company. They can also live for 20-25 years which is a huge commitment and lots can change as you grow up!
@@BirdNerdSophie Hello again. Do you think it would be better to have two cockatiels instead of one? That way they can entertain eachother while i am gone. If that makes stuff worse then i will probably just wait until i get older and more responsible. Thanks!
Hi Sophie - what is the correct age to buy a hand reared baby cockatiel? I have read after 12 weeks is good? which is 3 months plus? I would not want to get one which is very young but one which had established itself etc so any tips? is there a range which is generally good so its not too old and hard to tame etc but not too young that I panic as its tiny etc
Hi Raj, cockatiels usually wean between 8-12 weeks. Once they are weaned they are usually ready to go, it's unusual for a breeder to keep them any longer than that! As for taming, its down to the individual and there's no way of knowing. You could get a just weaned cockatiel and they could take weeks-months to bond with you, or you could rehome an adult bird and they could bond with you quickly! It's all about being prepared for things to take ages but the willingness to put the work in and go at their own pace 😊
This really helped thank you so much. Before i watched a video i brought a bird home and me and my freind were opening the cage a putting our hand in and trying to grab it and then when we went to sleep the next day we saw it dead in the cage so we got a new one and now i not my mistake thank you!!
i was between either lovebirds ( any type really ) or cockatiels, but the more research ive done the more I feel that a cockatiel would be a much better fit! a conure would be good as well, but I haven't found many in my area. I'm thinking of getting them in the summer, where I'll have more time to tame them ! ( and my family ) .
I got a pair of cockatiel 1 month back and the male died within 1 week ....the female looked ok , we went to vet as well with her but he said she is in good health ...after which we started giving a little bit more attention to her so she doesn't feel lonely she was doing ok after few days my husband was able to get her out of her cage ....but after that day she started growling at yes first we thought she growls to come out of cage but even after coming out she keeps growling so we thought she might be missing her partner so we got her a new mate but nothing changed....I don't what else I can do to help her
Did she see an avian vet? What sort of behaviour does she show with the vocalisation? Losing a companion is very stressful for a bird so they can show unusual behaviour for some time.
Yeah we did and she is not aggressive at all ....it just if we are in their room she will keep growling at us it doesn't matter if she is outside or inside of the cage
is it okay to keep male and female cockatiels together ? I am in no way able to take care of baby cockatiels, and don't want to risk it. Im hoping I can get 2 males, ( or 2 females ) but I'm not sure how well I'd be able to tell the genders apart at the store with different mutations, ( there are literally no breeders [ except budgie ones ] or rescue centers in my area at all, ive tried )
My budgie Skye has just come to get hand fed through the cage. A major improvement from last week. Hang in there owners of shy birds, they will come through. God bless
@@BirdNerdSophie hi again, as we live in the UK. How do you go about a birds bedtime when it gets dark at like 4pm in the winter. Does that mean they only get a few hours of light? Thank you
@@BirdNerdSophie well I mean I don’t know if you can help or not but I got 3 budgies on 2020 but I was researching on how to tame them it looked easy but I failed then I got my own cockatiel and a conure it’s basically I don’t know how to tame them 😢
@@simplyroyaleoldaccthenewis3596 taming can take a really long time - it totally depends on the individual birds! This video will help you! th-cam.com/video/-P_RD7PFJMc/w-d-xo.html
@@simplyroyaleoldaccthenewis3596 use millet and try handfeeding every day through eh cage. Make sure they make the move and you dont scare them. Be patient as they will come through one day
I was so lucky with my Conure, the breeder had handled her and taught her step up really well, all she wanted was to come out and be with us.......nothing has changed 2 years on 😊
That's so cute! 😭💙
Yes! I am so happy to hear you advocate for a slow diet conversion after bringing home a new animal! And letting them acclimate a bit before getting them out of their cage is great advice. This is hands down the best information on bringing home a new animal. Very smart, down to earth, practical advice all around. You're my favorite bird education channel Sophie! 💖
There’s no rush, slow and steady wins the race with these little guys 💙😊
Super useful video, I wish I had seen it before I bought my cockatiel home! I had done a TONNE of research but there was just so much conflicting advice out there - I know now I should have left him to acclimatize in his cage, but I had seen others saying to let them out so I opened his door to let him roam. He was immediately flying about panicked, crashing into windows and walls. He's fine, but more damage could have definitely been done! It also made feeding him and having those passive interactions so much harder.
Thank you so much for your comment! I agree that it’s hard to sift through so much conflicting information online. But these are the tips that I truly believe will set a bits up for success.
We all make mistakes but it’s just important to learn from them and share experiences, so thank you for sharing yours! 😊💙🦜
Just got my baby cockatiel yesterday and I did the exact same mistake lol, I didn't wanna hold him to get him back so it took me all morning to try and lead him into his cage. I wish someone gave me straight up instruction
my mom surprised me for my birth day thats today and got me a cockatiel yesterday :D i did some of the research before, but not some additional one like this video, so im doing it now and we actually did all the things right! its so good to have good content on youtube that helps in the same time :3
I’m glad you found the video useful and I hope you had a great birthday!
I am getting a cockatiel in May or maybe sooner. I hope this helps me when I get my bird. Love your channel and continue the good work!
Thank you so much! Let me know if you have any questions! 😊💙🦜
@@BirdNerdSophie so my pet store has alot of good toys and perches.. but not good quality pellets. Will my bird still be healthy if I don't feed pellets?
@@natalie_and_pheonix6693 if you feed the correct blend of veggies and sprouted seeds then yes!
@@BirdNerdSophie Okay thanks, I would rather do that then be lazy and feed bad quality pellets
I'm looking forward to bringing home a rescue cockatiel soon. One of my plans is to sit and look at cookbooks near the cage. They have vibrant pictures and lots of tasty looking veggies. My first cockatiel loved looking at magazines, so I plan to get a few new ones to peruse too.
Great idea!
Just found your vids while looking for some guidance, as I'm about to bring home my first bird. I've been watching a slew of your and David's videos and you guys have given a lot of really useful information. Will definitely be putting it to good use!
Glad you find our content useful 😊
Thank you very much for this video. Today is my first day with my new baby bird. First time home, and I am glad that you shared these helpful tips to avoid needlessly adding more stress for my bird today. ❤
You are most welcome 💙😊🦜
This video was so helpful! I'm getting a new cockatiel in the next few months. I've been researching and wanting a bird for about a year. Thanks for making this video! ❤❤
Glad I could help! Let me know if you have any questions! 😊💙🦜
These are great tips Sophie, so much information, lots of new bird owners will have a nice guide!
Thank you! 😍
Hi Sophie! I had a bit of a weird experience today: I made a toy out of natural fibre rope and pieces of unbleached,uncolored paper, after watching your video about the toys: Something they can shred up. I hung it into the cage of my two cockatiels now that they've been in the cage for 13 days and one of them made a biting motion (twice) towards me/the toy as I hung it up. They huddled together on their branch all the way against the wall. They seemed extremely scared of the toy. When I returned 30 mins later, they hadn't moved. I feared I have gone over their boundary and quickly removed the toy. I hope I didn't break the little bit of trust I may have built up. I'm a bit disheartened by the experience. The only improvement I've noticed these past 2 weeks is their increase in whistling, but they still seem to shy away from every move I make (I make moves slowly, and make sure I'm not loud or have anxious body language). We've been spending at least 1 to 3 hours a day in the same room, reading, passive bonding, but not much has come of it yet and I fear I may have put a dent in their progress by giving them the toy. How should we proceed?
I’d recommend watching my video on trust, and you can show toys out of the cage next to them without them having to interact with it 😊
Great video very helpful advice I feel like every bird is so different and reacts differently and has a different experience some of my birds have adjusted straight away and it’s like they’ve been with me their whole lives others have taken months to fully adjust surprisingly most of my rescue birds have wanted to interact straight away while most of my baby birds from breeders have been pretty scared for the first few days
Oh I totally agree Kylee! If. A bird is so comfortable that they’re ready to interact and desperately want to be with you the. That’s amazing! But some people suggest taking birds out of the cage, putting them snack bang in the middle of all of the activity to they can ‘get over fears’ which I really don’t like. It’s like taking away their choice to interact, and choice is such an important part of keeping birds under human care!
@@BirdNerdSophie yeah that’s not good I watched a video by a big parrot TH-camr who was working with a rescue bird who was visibly terrified and took it out straight away and started interacting and changing the diet on day 1 I felt really bad for the bird when I first got my black cockatoo he was on a straight sunflower seed diet so I did introduce some new seeds on day 1 but nothing like chop and I definitely agree it’s very important to give them lots of choice
Great video sophie!
I sent the pickles drawing on Monday.
Yay! Thank you! We can't wait to see it! 😀🐤
Bringing my little guy home tomorrow! I loved this, thank you
Glad you liked it 😊💙
Just arrived home with my parrotlet, so far she is very very quiet and still in the box we took her home in however we opened it and left the box with her inside her cage. We are just going about right now with our evening and let her come out when she feels ready, will take it slow 😊
Hope she settles in well 😊
How are you and your bird?
I’m getting a bird in about 2 months and I already know the breeder and all of that and I’m so lucky because the breeder hand feeds them, and lets new owners play with the parrot for a while before bringing it home! I’m so excited 😆!
That’s great to hear! Good luck for when your little baby comes home 😊
Lucky im getting mines in 2 or 3 years
@@defnotventi plenty of time to prepare!
Your video resources have been great as I’m adding to my knowledge of being a bird owner! I’m getting a cockatiel for the second time, now 30 years later and experiencing it thru my own children. I’ll be bird training and young child training as well as the kids (5 years and older learn how best to take care of a pet). Do you have a master-list of your link recommendations? I can’t always find the links you reference. Thanks!
Thanks for watching! No I don’t but you are welcome to contact me any time for links or recommendations!
his really helped thank you so much. Before i watched a video i brought a bird home and me and my freind were opening the cage a putting our hand in and trying to grab it and then when we went to sleep the next day we saw it dead in the cage so we got a new one and now i not my mistake thank you!!
Glad you found it useful!
I will get a cockatiel in the future, this video is very useful, thank you for sharing.
Thanks for watching! 😊💙🦜
Thank you so much, Im trying to convince my parents to let me get a cockatiel and have been researching everything about them for the past couple years, I have some budgies right now, one of which has been with me for five years, so I have some experience with birds but your video was still super helpful
Glad you found it useful! 😊🦜
Thank you for the great video. I have picked up many good bit of information from you.
I’m glad you enjoyed it 😊
Great video. Thanks for sharing your experiences.
Thanks for watching! 😊💙🦜
Thank you this has bin helpful for my new cockatiel
I'm glad it was useful! 😊
You reply so quickly I love it
Good job!😊
Thanks for the info
Thanks for watching!
@@BirdNerdSophie Welcome nd congrates on 2k suubs😊
How can you introduce a play stand to a conure I’ve had it sat in the room which he can see but he won’t go near it
Baby steps to get close through target training and lots of high value treats 😊
Fun fact (for aspiring falconerds): these tips can apply to birds of prey! I use some these techniques when i receive rescue hawks
Absolutely! 🦅
I have a question, I got a new cockatiel hes like 8 months or so. Hes super friendly doesn't bite, bonded to me right away and is doing great with training. But how long will it take for him to be comfortable in his cage, he sits on the bottom and hasn't explored any of the tops parts. The breeder kept him in a wide but very short cage, so I assume he was on the bottom alot compared to my big tall cage. Other than that, and trying to get him to eat fresh foods (he was on an all seed diet), hes pretty chill and not frightened by people.
I’d recommend target training as you can then target your bird up and around the cage!
100% agree with not letting them out. All 3 of ours were spooked for the better part of a week. Peewee even longer. Forcing them into a new environment and then out of their safe space on top of it? Total stress! I wish I had these videos when we were new bird owners.
I know, as I said, you can kind of get away with it for bigger birds, but for smaller species, it's a recipe for disaster! I hope you like Peewee being pride of lace on the thumbnail! 😍
@@BirdNerdSophiefor sure. And LOVE IT! She was chatting up a storm talking back to you on the video. So I think she loved it as well.
@@sarahmwmi 😭💙
Would you recommend playing bird sounds for lonely birds
Hey! No I wouldn’t recommend this as it can stress them out as they can’t find the bird making the noise!
Why is this not viral?
Haha thank you! 💙
Thank you best youtuber ever.oh yah l got a big bird cage now and toys & ladder...l have the bell on &subcribed &gave you a thumbs up
Thanks Melissa! I really appreciate it! 😊💙🦜
hey
i have a question
my cockatiel is fluffed up and trying to sleep
how do i give her food?
like she is scared of my hand
Is your bird weaned How long have you had them?
@@BirdNerdSophie i got it yesterday
Not great o computers, is there a page where I can bring up all you and David’s videos?
Hi Lana, here are all of my videos: th-cam.com/users/BirdNerdSophievideos
Here are all of David's videos: th-cam.com/users/WarGamingParrotvideos
@@BirdNerdSophieI get a “not available” page warning when I click this link for David’s page.
@@rachellebrandt9546 his channel name has changed - here’s the link: youtube.com/@TheParrotTeacher
Can I leave there cage door open for them to come on when they please I have a 8 week old cockatiel and just got a 1 year old also same bread both males they been in same cage and seem to get along but the older one nips softly when little one comes near do I leave cage open for free time?
You can do but they will need to be supervised when they're having out of cage time so they don't get hurt :)
Yes, I think you shouldn't let them out on the first day, but what a lot of people say is to leave the bird completely alone in the cage for.. maybe one day, a couple days.. some people say two weeks! I don't agree with this at all, I think you should have some sort of interaction with them on day one- whether that's passive interaction, hand feeding them... but yeah I wouldn't let them out on the very first day
Oh absolutely! Do interact on the first day and go at their pace, but letting them out in a strange new environment immediately is a recipe for disaster!
I got new paralett bird male he is 9 months old I had on the 28 of February he is eating and drinking ok but not making noise I also bought toys for him I had him fro a breeder he is parent raise how long will it take to settle in
Every bird takes a different amount of time to settle and tame - o have some videos on my channel about gaining trust, bonding and taming, and target training which you might find useful!
thankyou Sophie
Hello! I have a question.
I just got my cockatiel yesterday and I haven’t seen him eat or drink. When I brought him his breeder didn’t tell what food he was eating and his not eating the food I’m giving him I’m very stressed out and worried about him. His already 2 years old so I understand it might be bit hard to bond but him but his completely rejecting me😭
Can you ask the place where you got him from what they were feeding him? You’ll still be able to bond with an older bird!
started with wild budgies, the passive tame works crazy well. Parrots are such curious critters. Once they figure out you aren't going to eat them they start to get very inquisitive about what is going on outside the cage. I think a huge thing with that is diet. If they are on all seed, you have nothing to really offer them outside their cage. Not when they can just sit inside and get junk food for nothing. Soon as my birds are on my heathier diet. They are all over coming out because they know where momma hides the treats lol!
Same deal when I got Buddy, I am using the same method with Holly now as well. Each parrot moves at its own speed, and you should never rush it.
Oh I totally agree on the diet - you see it a lot - why should I work for treats when my diet is full of them! But at the same time some people make such a drastic change of ‘okay you can have your old diet anymore, tough luck!’ Which I think it’s a very harsh approach- there needs to be a transition and it doesn’t have to be ages!
@@BirdNerdSophie I agree, I always give them time to transition over to a better diet. Their digestion is just used to what it had, not what you want it to have. It is nice Holly is already interested in sprouts, that is a good way to transition off seeds because well they are seeds, just way healthier!
I know a lot of people get stuck on the transition to veggies part. I think some just take only 1 approach, then give up when it doesn't work. Parrots are all unique they are going to love and hate certain things. They are going to love and hate certain sizes as well. 1 bird might love whole broccoli, where another might only like broccoli chopped into tiny pieces.
Holly seems to be enjoying the chop. Even though I put her old diet in the bowl as well. She is picking around it. Love seeing those little bits of green on her beak :D
You're birds are so cute .do you have a video how you trande your bird ???
thank you! 🐦
Hey Sophie I just got a quick question but what does quarantine do again? Tiki is in quarantine rn so I'm just wondering
Quarantining allows you o see if the bird is ill before introducing it to your other birds as you don't want them getting sick too!
Hello, thanks for the great video. I have a budgie named Bert and was looking into getting a second Budgie for him to share a cage with and was looking into rehomed birds. I came across someone who lives 2 hours from me and is getting rid of 3 and they said that they have spent years in a cage and have been neglected and some have died due to lack of food and water. They are rehoming them for a family member so they are not responsible for the state of the birds and have been feeding them but I am considering taking all three when I was just looking for one. I have an extra flight cage that is very big but one extra bird and three are a big difference. I am wondering what I should do when they get here as they’ve had very little human interaction and most likely very poor nutrition. If I get them I will quarantine for 30 days but is there anything I should do to supplement their diet? Also they haven’t been out of a cage in their entire lives so how would I go about easing them into being out and about like I have my other birds, in a safe way?
Hi Ash, that’s awesome that you’ll be able to give these sweet birds a loving home! I have a couple of videos on how to get your birds to eat vegetables and how to gain trust which I think would be worth a watch! Go at their own pace - there’s no rush! Respecting when they are uncomfortable is just as powerful as making progress when they are willing to interact 💙
@@BirdNerdSophie Thanks a lot. I noticed you had rescue birds so I didn’t think it would hurt to ask :) I will definitely look for those videos.
These birds are not going to be the same as my other birds I brought home as these are severely neglected and have had only small amounts of human interaction.
Bert (my budgie) trusted me the 2nd day and my Cockatiel loved me from day one lol. This will be a first for me dealing with such fearful birds. I’m thinking patience and consistency is key but I don’t want to traumatize them.
@@Ash43509 absolutely. Some people rush birds are it rarely ends well, though they might surprise you! I think I mention passive interactions in this video and my trust one, that is going to be a powerful tool in building trust and a relationship! :)
When we were rescuing our birds, we did not research much. The situation for our birds was dire, if we waited too long they could have died. We had only 1 week to learn everything bird related and clean up our house to accommodate space for the birds cage. We were told that we would get the birds with their cage and all the things they need. Apparently they were living in a broken travel cage for 2 years. And they didn’t have many enjoyable toys either. But they were on a seed and veggie diet, although not a very good quality seed. For the first day, we let them stay in their cage. But at the second day, we put our hands in the cage to see if they would eat from our hands. And by the third day they decided they wanted to step up for millet. They did bang into the walls a little in their first couple weeks, but nothing major. They mostly stayed on the ground because one of the three still didn’t grow his flight feathers in.
Oh poor birds, I bet they are glad to be with you! Thank you for sharing! 😊💙🦜
Ya, they tell us how much they love us and their huge flight cage everyday. We’re still working on diet, but they throw everything down if they don’t like it lol. Their prior owner was just a kid and was doing as best she could on her own since her parents were not at all involved with them. Unfortunately, the things that are cheap are not very good for birds. I wish there was good quality items for cheap so that new owners are less likely to make mistakes.
Hello. I am thinking about maybe getting a cockatiel as my first parrot, though i am not sure yet. School starts for me in a week which means i don’t have too much time to spend with them. If i get a cockatiel, will it manage to take care of it self while i am gone for around 6-7 hours at school? After that time i can probably spend 1-4 hour taking care of the bird and spending time with it with my parents. And one more thing, do you think a 14 year old (me) could take care of it alone?
Hey! If you want my honest opinion, I’d recommend waiting. Cockatiels are social birds and need more company. They can also live for 20-25 years which is a huge commitment and lots can change as you grow up!
@@BirdNerdSophie Hello again. Do you think it would be better to have two cockatiels instead of one? That way they can entertain eachother while i am gone. If that makes stuff worse then i will probably just wait until i get older and more responsible. Thanks!
@@Brutusen two are definitely better than one 😊
Hi Sophie - what is the correct age to buy a hand reared baby cockatiel? I have read after 12 weeks is good? which is 3 months plus? I would not want to get one which is very young but one which had established itself etc so any tips? is there a range which is generally good so its not too old and hard to tame etc but not too young that I panic as its tiny etc
Hi Raj, cockatiels usually wean between 8-12 weeks. Once they are weaned they are usually ready to go, it's unusual for a breeder to keep them any longer than that!
As for taming, its down to the individual and there's no way of knowing. You could get a just weaned cockatiel and they could take weeks-months to bond with you, or you could rehome an adult bird and they could bond with you quickly! It's all about being prepared for things to take ages but the willingness to put the work in and go at their own pace 😊
This really helped thank you so much. Before i watched a video i brought a bird home and me and my freind were opening the cage a putting our hand in and trying to grab it and then when we went to sleep the next day we saw it dead in the cage so we got a new one and now i not my mistake thank you!!
Glad you found it useful!
i was between either lovebirds ( any type really ) or cockatiels, but the more research ive done the more I feel that a cockatiel would be a much better fit! a conure would be good as well, but I haven't found many in my area. I'm thinking of getting them in the summer, where I'll have more time to tame them ! ( and my family ) .
Lovebirds are very sassy, worse than conures haha! 😂
I bought cockatiel today.. should i go to vet ? Tomorrow?
Its seem healthy.
Just for checkup.
Or should i wait to settle him and then go to vet!.
It might be better to go now! Vet trips are stressful and you don’t want to waste any trust you build beforehand!
@@BirdNerdSophie ok will go tomorrow.
Thankyou for your instant reply.. its really helpful.🤗.
I got a pair of cockatiel 1 month back and the male died within 1 week ....the female looked ok , we went to vet as well with her but he said she is in good health ...after which we started giving a little bit more attention to her so she doesn't feel lonely she was doing ok after few days my husband was able to get her out of her cage ....but after that day she started growling at yes first we thought she growls to come out of cage but even after coming out she keeps growling so we thought she might be missing her partner so we got her a new mate but nothing changed....I don't what else I can do to help her
Did she see an avian vet? What sort of behaviour does she show with the vocalisation? Losing a companion is very stressful for a bird so they can show unusual behaviour for some time.
Yeah we did and she is not aggressive at all ....it just if we are in their room she will keep growling at us it doesn't matter if she is outside or inside of the cage
@@iranisarkar2359 Hello this topic draws my attention, how is she doing now? Just curious.
is it okay to keep male and female cockatiels together ? I am in no way able to take care of baby cockatiels, and don't want to risk it. Im hoping I can get 2 males, ( or 2 females ) but I'm not sure how well I'd be able to tell the genders apart at the store with different mutations, ( there are literally no breeders [ except budgie ones ] or rescue centers in my area at all, ive tried )
Yes it’s possible but you will have to be very strict with hormone management to reduce the likelihood of mating!
I am getting 2 birds how do I let them settle in do i just let them out in my room or put them in their cage?
Put them in their cage and follow the tips in this video and my trust video 😊
My uncle is giving me the bird on the left in the thumbnail and a blue bird but idk the species
My budgie Skye has just come to get hand fed through the cage. A major improvement from last week. Hang in there owners of shy birds, they will come through. God bless
That is awesome!
@@BirdNerdSophie hi again, as we live in the UK. How do you go about a birds bedtime when it gets dark at like 4pm in the winter.
Does that mean they only get a few hours of light?
Thank you
@@weshouldsaveourselves6780 hey! We use a small lamp in the bird room so they still have light until 8pm 😊
@@BirdNerdSophie oh ok thanks
I just got my baby bird....adopted yesterday
Awesome! What species?
I forgot to say he not tame also
When I got my birds it was so hard I’m like Help me. that time was 2020 I was 9 pls I need help
Thanks for watching - what sort of help do you need?
I could absolutely not tame them
@@BirdNerdSophie well I mean I don’t know if you can help or not but I got 3 budgies on 2020 but I was researching on how to tame them it looked easy but I failed then I got my own cockatiel and a conure it’s basically
I don’t know how to tame them 😢
@@simplyroyaleoldaccthenewis3596 taming can take a really long time - it totally depends on the individual birds! This video will help you! th-cam.com/video/-P_RD7PFJMc/w-d-xo.html
@@simplyroyaleoldaccthenewis3596 use millet and try handfeeding every day through eh cage. Make sure they make the move and you dont scare them. Be patient as they will come through one day
i’m getting a cockatiel in 2 days! (i’m gonna have to drive 4 hours to get her though lmao)
That's dedication haha! Good luck!
@@BirdNerdSophiesince we’re gonna have a lot of time in the car with the bird, is there any way i can make sure she’s not scared in the car?
@@desori make sure the car is a cool temperature, talk softly to her and you could also play caking/quite music!
@@BirdNerdSophie ty!
❤
😁💙
Nc
Thank you!