New here from southern Ontario!

Hi folks. I’m a huge fan of forums and belong to a few of them due to various hobbies and interests.

Just picked up a cockatiel today for my daughter and we’re all excited to start this adventure and friendship build! I’ve always been into pets of various species and this is my first bird.

My daughter wanted a pet and after research and debating on different animals we narrowed it down to a cockatiel. Small, friendly, loving, funny, full of character and fairly inexpensive compared to cats and dogs etc.

We have a decent sized amazon themed tank and the cage is sitting right beside it. So she (assumption of where I got it) has lots of entertainment between that and the tablet I set up playing hours of birds and cockatiels. It seems to have calmed her down. She is quite pissed understandably, however, when she realizes she’s got a good home she’ll come around. I hope.

Cage is 20X20 and 34” high. Different perches, rope perch, couple toys and because she’s so young I just added a tent which she was very happy to see me! NOT! Hates me. Lol. Biting at me and hissing. I put a black sheet over 3/4 of her cage to keep her feeling secure and safe

She was being fed seeds and I intend on breaking that routine. I picked up some Laferbers mixed. It has seeds, pellets and other things mixed it and I’m hoping it is enticing enough for her although I’m pretty sure she’ll disregard the pellets [emoji2369]. I plan on feeding strictly pellet with seeds as occasional treat in the form of a puzzle or game etc. Vegetables and fruits will be added for variety also and i think next summer I’ll grow my own so I know how it’s been grown.

Right now the room she’s in is 23.5 c. Is that too cold for her?

My daughter decided on the name Luna so let’s hope it’s truly a girl lol.




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Welcome to you and Luna! Related to temperature - 23 degree is fine, birds do best when as they’re not placed where there’s cold drafts . Hope you enjoy the forum - there’s tons of great info, and knowledgeable and friendly peeps here.

Welcome to you! You will soon come to regard Luna as a companion!

Welcome to the forum. Luna is a cutie. How is Luna and your daughter bonding? Is your daughter old enough to care for the bird on her own?

Thanks! That’s the plan! I want her to do everything with me when I can. Watering gardens, watching TV, tinkering in garage etc.

She’s right next to my tank which is heated to 80. Open top so a bit of moisture comes off. Keeps humidity a little higher which is good especially in winter! There are no vents and she’s about 2 feet from a window With blinds. It’s east facing and we have close neighbours so she Wont ever he getting roasted in the sun. I’ll move her around when she’s more comfortable but I figure the soothing aquarium and watching the fish could keep her entertained along with the tablet I’ll have next to her. I plan on playing soft classical music and soft jazz music regardless if I’m home or not throughout the day and some nature sounds wouldn’t hurt either.

My intentions are to do all I can and provide this little thing with all it can want. The diet thing will be a huge learning curve and I’m gonna try to find an easy way to keep fresh veggies ready to go and available while not
Being wasteful. I’m mean she can only eat so much lol. Another reason I may grow my own and might even get a hydro set up for simple herbs and greens I can grow indoors all year

Based on that pic is it too early to sex it ? The guy said it was a female but also said it’s young so...


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That's absolutely crazy. I'm also in Ontario and my cockatiel is also named Luna lol! Welcome to the forum Birdistheword and Luna! 23.5 C isn't too cold. The only thing is rapid temperature changes can put your bird into shock so when it gets really chilly outside, be careful bringing to the vet or what not.

munami said:

That's absolutely crazy. I'm also in Ontario and my cockatiel is also named Luna lol! Welcome to the forum Birdistheword and Luna! 23.5 C isn't too cold. The only thing is rapid temperature changes can put your bird into shock so when it gets really chilly outside, be careful bringing to the vet or what not.

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Nice! Love seeing local peeps on forums !

My 4 year old named her [emoji1787]. I told her to pick a name she thinks is best. Took a few minutes and I can see the wheels in her head spinning. Out comes “Luna” in a shy quiet whisper [emoji3590]. My 2 year son was shockingly quiet also which is nice. I’m hoping they don’t stress Luna out. We mainly play in the top floor so she won’t be surrounded by chaos with the kids. And main floor is mainly study desk and where we eat so kids aren’t too rambunctious lol.

She just let out a chirp that was quite high pitch and wondering if that was a night terror or the evening flock call [emoji2369]. I’m giving her her space and tomorrow will read her a few kids books as we have no shortage of those and play some music for her.




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That's adorable! I'm sure they'll love Luna and I can already tell you do as well. Most birds like noises, just observe your Luna and see how she feels about the whole thing. I will mention though often times they try to match the noise level of the house. As for night terrors, most likely it's an evening flock call. Especially if you're leaving the room or since she's new to your house. Night terrors are often much more clanging, hitting the cage, and flying into things.



That sounds lovely! I'm sure she'll love that.

Welcome to you and Luna! Don't fret if it is a "he," we have a member with male Amazon named "Amy!"

You'll note a "honeymoon" of a month or longer. There are various strategies to build trust and bond: http://www.parrotforums.com/general-parrot-information/49144-tips-bonding-building-trust.html

Diet is critical, but tread lightly at first, so many changes. http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-...7-converting-parrots-healthier-diet-tips.html

munami said:

That's absolutely crazy. I'm also in Ontario and my cockatiel is also named Luna lol! Welcome to the forum Birdistheword and Luna! 23.5 C isn't too cold. The only thing is rapid temperature changes can put your bird into shock so when it gets really chilly outside, be careful bringing to the vet or what not.

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I'm sooo glad that you chimed in munami. I don't like mentioning members close by so I'm delighted you are there for local support.


Birdistheword_1, I think it's great that you are getting your children acquainted with the care of birds from such an early age. Well done and I do hope all goes well.

Hi again!
I wanted to add a warning on the aquarium!
When your fid starts to wander, make sure the aquarium is covered, it poses a drowning risk!

Flboy said:

Hi again!
I wanted to add a warning on the aquarium!
When your fid starts to wander, make sure the aquarium is covered, it poses a drowning risk!

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Thanks for the heads up!


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So glad you're invested in caring for her (please be a girl, Luna!)

I'd hesitate to say parrots inexpensive - I've shelled out about 1k for one illness that our little guy had. But no doubt buying a cockatiel is cheaper than buying a pedigree dog or cat

Just a quick note, I'd avoid the tent if it is what I think it is. 'Happy Huts' and other tent-like structures come with known side effects. Either they stimulate your bird to become hormonal due to the nest-like structure - hormones trigger behaviours such as biting, egg laying, and territorial actions. Or they build up in your bird's digestive tract slowly over time, eventually requiring surgery to remove the material fibres that block your bird's digestive system.

Good luck with little Luna - hope your daughter will learn lots together with the new little one

charmedbyekkie said:

So glad you're invested in caring for her (please be a girl, Luna!)



I'd hesitate to say parrots inexpensive - I've shelled out about 1k for one illness that our little guy had. But no doubt buying a cockatiel is cheaper than buying a pedigree dog or cat



Just a quick note, I'd avoid the tent if it is what I think it is. 'Happy Huts' and other tent-like structures come with known side effects. Either they stimulate your bird to become hormonal due to the nest-like structure - hormones trigger behaviours such as biting, egg laying, and territorial actions. Or they build up in your bird's digestive tract slowly over time, eventually requiring surgery to remove the material fibres that block your bird's digestive system.



Good luck with little Luna - hope your daughter will learn lots together with the new little one

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Thanks!

I removed the tent 5 minutes ago actually. Gave her spray Millet in a feeder and put her tablet on that 8 hour parrot video on YouTube lol. She’s singing away and talking back. Finally started to explore after being stuck in the corner since yesterday afternoon.

Spray millet was a peace offering lol. She still hates me and hissed at me as I installed her feeder but at least she’ll start to associate me with yummy stuff [emoji2369]


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