The new addition...by 8 week old tiel

Good night dear readers
I hope all is well with you and your fids A month ago I seeked your esteemed opinion on whether or not I should get a cockatiel or a pair of love birds, I went with the tiel Its been less than 24 hours and I almost lost her ( when I purchased her yesterday I was told shes clipped and unable to fly, and to let her out at least once a day, however tonight she flew out the door and to the fence, if it wasnt for my dad I would have lost her, I am annoyed with the pet store for telling me shes unable t o fly, if they were honest I would have taken the necessary precautions and put the harness on her, will be ordering one tonight). I m so sad I almost lost her, shes quite a darling. I ll post pictures in the morning. To everyone that helped and took the time to read this thank you very much. Have a pleasant night

I bred cockatiels when I was in my teens. I learned the hard way that they are masters of the air. At the time I didn't know the damage it does to clip a baby bird, so I clipped a fledgling that had never flown. I clipped him fairly short and had him in a cage outside. Let me assure you, I knew how to clip and had done it right, a budgie clipped like that would have been grounded. He got out of the cage I had him in and flew across the street into a tree, then from tree to tree when we tried to get him back. We never did get him home. Chances are the pet store workers are of the common variety, the kind who knows just enough to sell pets and want to do the right thing but really don't know much. They probably have never had a clipped bird fly away from them.

Never trust clipped wings to keep a cockatiel where you want them, a hard lesson I had to learn, I am glad yours turned out better!!

Hello Silver Sage
Thank you very much for yout response. I m sorry to hear about your tiel though This is the first tiel I ve ever had, she doesnt seem settled yet and is very quiet, I m not letting her out of the gave until the harness arrives. Should I get the aviator flight harness of the flightsuit with bird diaper? Also can she eat most fruits tat are bird safe? Thank you

prsgirl77 said:

Hello Silver Sage
Thank you very much for yout response. I m sorry to hear about your tiel though This is the first tiel I ve ever had, she doesnt seem settled yet and is very quiet, I m not letting her out of the gave until the harness arrives. Should I get the aviator flight harness of the flightsuit with bird diaper? Also can she eat most fruits tat are bird safe? Thank you

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Please please please do not think that a clipped bird is a 'grounded' bird. The slightest breeze can give a bird enough lift to be gone before you can blink.

Doors, windows, any gap in anything, needs to be closed and blocked off. Vigilance is needed otherwise accidents will happen and you may not be so lucky next time. Clipping is not a necessity.

Aviator is a brilliant harness and I feel to be 'much safer' than flight suits, but as I've never used a flight suit, I am biased, so someone else who has 'tiels in aviators/flight suits are better chiming in.

Fruits and veggies that are 'bird safe' are more than fine for your tiel. But may need to be in 'smaller' chunks if your tiel is not one for diving in to food. Make sure all cores, pips and seeds are removed (from most!) and you should be fine.

Millet will be your best friend in the next upcoming weeks, soft talking, slow movements and the offering of millet when she sweetens up will win her over.

Good luck and congratulations on your new fid!

No avocado! It is also good to avoid citric fruits like oranges and lemons. I would also avoid things like onions, garlic, and peppers. Keep in mind that veggies are MUCH better for your bird than fruits. Try feeding mostly veggies. That is more of a shoot off of your question, but since you asked. Also, I have never used any kind of harness (yet!) but I urge you to buy from someone reputable and never EVER restrain your bird with any kind of homemade tether.

As promised here are some pictures of my little one Enjoy

Oh she is just BEAUTIFUL!!, what a lucky bird to have such a caring owner. I am so relieved to hear that you and your dad got her back safely.
we all learn, and birds are NOT EASY. We all strive to be one step ahead to ensure the safety of our fids, watch out for moving ceiling fans, make sure the lid on the toilet is always closed , and windows and doors are closed at all times.
Make sure she is safely tucked in her cage when cooking a meal.
It up to the owner to keep our birds safe & healthy, it will take plenty of experience to know what to watch for, but no worries, that is why we all love this forum, we all help each other out.

Depends how they were clipped! I've been breeding for years and there's different clips, you don't need to cut it short to prevent them from flying. You just have to clip right for them not to take off. I don't clip my adults nor any bird of mine unless I have to. I've clipped countless birds throughout the years and only made one mistake cutting too long on one baby but the rest I never not do it right. I take my baby tiels outside all the time every when it's gusty and they never took off.

Again, it's a individual choice to clip or not to clip. If your unsure with your clipped birds if they can glide or not, please don't take chances with them outside or with the doors open.

Since even clipped parrots can get lost outside, and clipped parrots are potentially in more danger than flighted parrots, I've chosen not to clip.

Your new tiel could use some natural perches, rope perches and some toys in there! I'm sure he or she will enjoy some variety! (not a fan of round cages, though!)