Questions on Poptart's behavior (little long)

[hgr1374]

Hello everyone,
This site has been a lifesaver for me since I am new to the world of birds <3 I am having trouble telling what poptart is doing and thought I would ask here.

1. Sometimes when I am holding him he flaps his wings like crazy and acts like he is going to bite and just goes nuts, then he is fine a min later.

2. He knows kiss kiss and used to be gentle but sometimes kisses a bit hard and it hurts!

3. When I pet him sometimes he bites me (not hard) and runs his beak all over my hand like he is biting me.

4. He hisses at my family sometimes but mostly at night and I was wondering if they have trouble seeing at night.

5. Freaks out when my kids play and swing anything in the air even if were in another area and he sees them he freaks out.

sorry if these are dumb, On a better note his Vet gave him an awesome clean bill of health, we go back in 6 months for yearly blood work and a possible DNA test. Thank you for all your help!

 

[hgr1374]

Still need a lil help

 

[getwozzy]

1. Sounds like a fear response. My galah does this occasionally and it's usually because there's something within close range she's afraid of. Look for objects/noises/people nearby that could be a trigger...

2. You'll need to continue teaching him what bite pressure is acceptable, but after a while he should understand he needs to be gentle.

3. Sounds like beaking- testing and tasting

4. Birds have trouble seeing in dim light/darkness so he could very well be afraid

5. Sounds like he's scared of their fast movements, objects being thrown, and their loudness.

 

[songlake]

IMO the wing flapping is exercise and the beaking/biting is just some exploration. Both of my babies have done that and the nips were no where near as hard as they could have been.

He will probably stop freaking out at some point when he's more used to the family and things flying thru the air

 

[hgr1374]

Thank you for your help!!

 

[witchbaby]

For #3, where are you petting him? If it's down his back and/or under the wings, he could be trying to tell you that kind of contact is off-limits and he doesn't like you "that way." If that's the case, stick with head scratches.

 

[MonicaMc]

1. Sometimes when I am holding him he flaps his wings like crazy and acts like he is going to bite and just goes nuts, then he is fine a min later.
Either he's freaking out about something or he just needs to get rid of pent up energy.

2. He knows kiss kiss and used to be gentle but sometimes kisses a bit hard and it hurts!
He just might not always be in the mood for kiss kiss. I'm sure you don't always want to be smothered in affection.

3. When I pet him sometimes he bites me (not hard) and runs his beak all over my hand like he is biting me.
How are you trying to pet him? Many birds do not like being petted like you would a cat or a dog and prefer scritches to the head region only. (going against the grain of the feathers) Petting anywhere other than the head could be a potential sign to your bird that you are either attacking them or wanting to mate with them. Also, please note, not all birds will enjoy getting petted.


[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc1FKcVIPK4"]Casey the tiel getting scritches - YouTube[/ame]


4. He hisses at my family sometimes but mostly at night and I was wondering if they have trouble seeing at night.
That's typical cockatiel behavior! Once it gets dark they don't like to be disturbed. Once it starts getting dark, put him to bed and allow him to go to sleep if that's what he wants.

Cockatiels have been deemed "diva's" by some for their need for sleep!

5. Freaks out when my kids play and swing anything in the air even if were in another area and he sees them he freaks out.
Your cockatiel is prey. Cockatiels seem to have sensitive hearing and anything that looks like it could be dangerous can and does freak them out. You may want to have your kids either play out of site or move him to a calmer area.

 

[GW.Joe]

1. Sounds like a fear response. My galah does this occasionally and it's usually because there's something within close range she's afraid of. Look for objects/noises/people nearby that could be a trigger...

2. You'll need to continue teaching him what bite pressure is acceptable, but after a while he should understand he needs to be gentle.

3. Sounds like beaking- testing and tasting

4. Birds have trouble seeing in dim light/darkness so he could very well be afraid

5. Sounds like he's scared of their fast movements, objects being thrown, and their loudness.

HI Heidi, I remember you and Poptart !! So its only been about 5 weeks since you added Poptart to your home, so some more time is needed

Shirre said it all for me already But when you think about it all of those things might be reduced if your house is a bit "calmer" (number 5 above)

I think a slightly calmer environment would go a long way to solving your problems

Hope this helps!!

Joe