First time Cockatiel owner need some advise!!

[silverhuntress]

So here is my story.
I have always wanted a cockatiel and so forth but never could afford to fully buy one and all the stuff for them... like the cage toys and even the bird can be expensive at the pet store... so instead i settled with owning rats.... well long story short i was trying to find a home for my last rat as i am moving and he didnt get along with everyone else. well another long story short i got a email asking if i would consider a trade for his cockatiel for my blue dumbo rat. i agreed and the next day i got my cockatiel and everything he needs with him. now heres a update about him
He is 6-7 months old and is apparently a boy. lol from what they got told.
They got him from mauches pet store in oshawa...
now the question i have is
Is it normal for a cockatiel to always bite while you are trying to pick it up? from what they said he has always done it too them also but they ignore the light bites and pick him up anyways. i have given him 24 hours to adjust as for rats thats what i normally do. i have read online that the longer is better but he is so young im afriad he will turn wild like rats do at such a young without being handled often.... i know he is scared so i leave his cage open and he instently flies to my head to rest... but again if i try and put my hand near him he will try and bite it. but if i ignore him he will stop and adventually just go on my hand. and sometimes even pass out... i need help how do i stop him from biting me... and is there anything else i should know. how to make him calm down faster and what not...
another thing is im moving november first... i really dont want to stress him out anyone have any ideas how to move him without stressing him out more from bouncing to another place? thanks you guys!!! i love this bird he is amazing! and nice to meet you all!

 

[MikeyTN]

He's older then 7 months old I can tell you that much! He's probably not trained right to begin with but boys are known to be a bit nippy!

 

[strudel]

Just be nice to him all the time, always talking to him in a calm voice, when you want to pick him up, don't do it all of a sudden. You can also try offering food when you pick him up so that he gets to associate you with good things and stops being afraid of you. It's natural for him to think you are a predator, especially as he doesn't yet know you very well. Give him time and don't do anything scary and hopefully he'll stop.

I have some adopted cockatiels who aren't tame. I'm trying to get them so they let me handle them. I just let them bite me (a little bit) while I keep still and I talk to them. They then stop when they realize that my hand isn't trying to kill them. It seems to be working at getting them to settle when I'm around. The "bird people" can tell you the proper way to go about it, but I think you need to look at your own pet and try to figure out what'll help him get over feeling scared of you. First step, relax. If you expect they'll bite, you'll be tense and then they'll bite you because you aren't all floppy and relaxed.

 

[Mike17]

Welcome to the world of weeros/quarrions/tiels, Huntress. As Mikey said, boys can be a bit nippy. Our now convalescing whiteface, Ariel, is quite nippy and he's three years old. He often gives a light nip as he's coming to or leaving the hand and if really cranky can break the skin (which, when you're as old as I am, is quite easy). As Strudel has mentioned, you'll just need to work with him, lots of attention and handling, and be prepared for the occasional nip. He'll be stressed and unsure at first. Eventually, he'll "bow" for a scratch and this is a good way for him to bond to you. Our boy will still bite when receiving head scratches though... you just have to be patient.

 

[silverhuntress]

Thank you everyone! And yea i have held him a lot today as my boyfriend was not around. if he is peaches would instantly fly to him (that's what the people named him before but idk if i was going to keep it or not cause he does not seem to know it.)
He seems to be fond of men more then females...
I have learned not to be afraid of his biting and anticipate it cause its going to happen if i like it or not. and you are right strudel he just doesn't bite if i don't think about it.
Mikey i figured he was older but didn't know for sure.. i never seen any real reason for them to lie to me.. :/ but he is a hand tall (well my hand size which is not the hand in this photo. this was taken from the people who owned him before.) I will be taking pictures tomorrow and post them on here
Mike Is there a limit on how much you would suggest holding him? i don't want to stress him out. he does shake a bit when i do hold him. i was watching him very closely this afternoon .
Also i have been reading up on diets and such. is it true they can have freshly cooked chicken and turkey? as for veggies and fruit as long as its all fresh and the vegys freshly cooked. the fruit pealed? i don't want to make him sick. he absolutely loves Cheerios though. that's how i got him to fly to me from his cage tonight lol. makes me feel loved even if he only did it once lol, before biting me xD

 

[MikeyTN]

You don't have to cook the veggies but you could if you want to so they would be soft for them to chew on. You can feed stuffs such as broccoli, carrots, celery, romaine lettuce, spinach, kale, cucumber, banana, strawberry, mango, water melon, cataloupe, kiwi, apples, pears, grapes, pomegranate, etc. Those are some of the stuffs I feed regularly. Yes you can give chicken and turkey, just once in awhile along with many other items you can cook for your birds!

 

[silverhuntress]

That is awesome!!! i always make sure i have fresh fruit for my one year old all the time! so now when i make smoothies i can always give the left over peaces to him. i am so glade i found this forum!! thank you everyone for ur help! and can you add people to your friends list if so how? cause i would love nothing more then to do so for u three in case i have any later questions lol

 

[MikeyTN]

Your able to click on our names and add to contact list!

 

[Mike17]

Huntress, I doubt there's a limit to how much/long you can hold him. Some birds will find your outstretched finger VERY comfortable, but not so much for you holding your hand/arm in unnatural position for hours. Our birds are very happy on shoulders and if they want to eat, or be elsewhere, simply fly off. We have capes for the doo-doos that inevitably fall. Our female 'tiel, Ziggy, prefers the forearm or wrist and that's not very comfortable for humans. Because we have several birds indoors, and mixed species, we have shifts where we let the birds out indoors for a fly. Certainly, the more you handle your bird, the better acquainted with you he'll become, and encourage your boyfriend to hold too so bird doesn't become jealous.

 

[strudel]

He seems to be fond of men more then females...

Is your boyfriend taller? He might just be heading for the "higher perch"?

 

[silverhuntress]

Ah okay im deffinetly adding you guys!!! and that is so cool!!! i was going to see about getting a outside cage for him for when im out swimming or something so he can be near and i am very glad there is no limit! he loves heads more then hands but until he gets used to me id prefer holding him lol. nothing says hello like a nip on the hand when you try and get him to jump on your hand when you want him off lol. and my boyfriend is a tad taller then me. not by much. i remember the first day i got him. even the previous owners he tried to bite just to stay on his shoulder. he even gave him kisses it was soo funny lol. and if anyone tried to take him off peaches would fly right back to him... sorry for the spelling mistakes and lack of punctuation... English is not my strongest topic... i still wonder how i passed school and high school lol...

 

[MonicaMc]

You can avoid the bites by not forcing him to step up.

Living With Parrots Cage Free: Bucky and Strider - Millet Eating Fiends!



[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q88bN30qOjo]Sunshine in the Morning - YouTube[/ame]


[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9w9w8nMRmw]Hesitant Faye - YouTube[/ame]


[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rH9ZWxhCSAE]Not So Hesitant Faye - YouTube[/ame]


[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjKmHswgiHs]Cockatiel Feeding - April 24th - YouTube[/ame]

 

[silverhuntress]

thank you!!! i had gotten some parret dried fruit at the pet store, and that must have done it! lol i was hand feeding him some of the fruit and now he just bitterly climes right on me lol. not even with any attempt to bite! this actually made my day! as this morning he would not even go near me... :/ now hes sitting there wondering why im not letting him out... my cats decided to come in the room so for his safety i put him back

 

[MonicaMc]

The more positive experiences he has with you, the more willing he will be to come out and be with you!

The less reason he has to bite, the less likely he will be, i.e. not forcing him to do something before he's ready to do it. If you encourage it though, he is more likely to repeat the behavior more frequently!