Hello there!

[Pajarita]

Parrots are hard-wired to be loud because they leave in such large groups where everybody is quite vocal so, when you have something real loud like music, TV or whatever, they scream louder in order to be heard over the 'background din'

She is learning there is nothing to fear from you. Parrots are not only very smart but also pragmatic so, when they see you take care not to push/scare/aggravate/antagonize them, they relax.

Fido?! Ay, ay, ay, that's not a good name for such a pretty little lady! She won't mind, of course, because names are just sounds to them but, as a grandmother with a special predilection for little girls, I can't help but feel that she looks more like a Fifi (now that's a name for a sweet, pretty, dainty little girl like she is!)

[Hannerz]

Perches are in! I ended up putting them in all at once and leaving the dowels alone so as not to overwhelm her with too much change. She seems to like the new perches. Looks like I do need to move one of them due to poop issues though. She did fairly well with the intrusion; not as much panicking as I thought there would be, but she did start hissing at the very end and since then has not been comfortable with me getting as close as I could when I last posted.

Haha! Fido may not be the best name for her- I chose it because it was so ridiculous that I thought I would have to change it- but it works, somehow! Unless she shows that she recognizes it as her name, I may still give her a new one when I get to know her better.

[Pajarita]

Oh, don't worry about her been a bit ticked off by the intrusion. She will get over it in no time at all - parrots are very forgiving of our 'mistakes'
And, yes, I can see the attraction in the silliness aspect of her name but, like I said, I am a grandma and call almost all my animals with human names (there have been exceptions but they are very, very few).

[Hannerz]

Fido already seems to be getting over her frustration with me setting the perch up. She's not back to where she was before quite yet, but she's getting there. She seems more nervous than before around my hands now, though.

I think I am more of a silly name kind of person. Whenever I give a person name to an animal, I end up giving them the most ridiculous nicknames and using them more often than not.

Fido's doing alright but I have been feeling a bit troubled about her situation the past few days. I am perfectly willing and capable of taking the time to gain her trust, however long it takes, but I can't help wondering if that is what's best for her. She doesn't do much and must be incredibly lonely. She sees me mostly as something interesting to watch to break the monotony of sitting in the cage doing nothing all day and as a cause of stress. I know if I keep at it, I can eventually win her over to some extent, but in the meantime, she seems miserable. I can't help wondering if it would be better to try to find somebody with a flock she could join and live happily with some of her own kind, without needing to worry about people. In the short term, that would certainly be easier for her. Reading up on it, I've seen that it can take birds years to become comfortable with people. I can't help but wonder if, on her side, that reward is worth all the time and loneliness and stress it will take to get there. Getting another cockatiel would definitely help, but I would really prefer her to have some level of comfort with me before taking that leap, even if it is only a little. I have no idea how long it will take for her to get there, either. It makes me sad that I can't do much of anything to help her in the present, besides be interesting to watch and listen to from a few feet away or more. I've got a strong background in rescue, and am all for sticking with an animal through thick and thin, but I have to wonder if this is really best for her or if I am doing it for myself- my sense of doing good, of pride, of love of a challenge, etc.- more than my regard for her happiness. I really wish I could find her old home, but it is looking extremely unlikely that they will show up or that I will be able to find a trace of them now.

[Wolf]

Well you are asking the kind of philosophical questions that truly have no answer and regardless of what you do, ie. keep her or rehome her or what, there will just be more of this type of quest.ions to keep you busy for the next 100 years. So that is a waste of time that could be better spent in giving the bird a chance to have an input into. Time that could be spent in enjoying the companionship that this wonderful little bird has to offer. There are times that we have to trust in our own processes and keep putting one foot in front of the other.
If you think that she is lonely, then spend time with her so that she is not so alone. If you think that she is bored, teach her to entertain herself through play and foraging and shredding toys as well as entertaining her yourself. Let the birds actions and reactions guide you and tell you what the bird thinks. Talk to her, I can assure you that she is trying to talk to you.
They really are not that much different than we are in many ways. They want food, water, a comfortable place to be, and someone to share it with. They want someone to talk to and who will listen to them. They want to love and be loved. They want some space to fly in and the chance to do it.
While it does take some time for these things to come together, it can happen surprisingly quickly or take a long time. I have an Amazon who is still working on these thing after two years, I have a Senegal that it tool about a year and I have a Grey that it took about 30 seconds. It took my parrotlet about 3 minutes to say she wanted this and a couple of months to work it out and a pair of budgies who have each other and as long as I will attend to their physical needs and talk to them a little are good with each other. The Senegal is also the first bird that I have ever had and she came here on her own and asked to come in.
I would love to help you but until you are ready to commit to this bird there is nothing that I can do or say to help. Well that is not true, if you can't or will not commit to the bird then take her to a rescue and let them find her a home.

[Pajarita]

Well, it happens very seldom but it does happen: I don't agree with Wolf on this one. I think that there is an answer to the question and we don't even have to dig too much to find it - just go to nature. They evolved to live in flocks so, obviously, the best for them is to live in one. Having said that, there is a vast difference between a handfed (hence human-imprinted) larger bird and a small, parent-raised one. I think that the larger ones can be content with a human for company as long as the human is home all day long, doesn't take many or long vacations, has no other immediate responsibilities (small children, sick parent, whatever) and keeps good husbandry. But little ones are always happier with other birds. Personally, I would never even try to get a small species to bond with me. I am not saying it cannot be done and I am not saying that, maybe (and this is a big maybe in my mind), in time, the bird cannot be content with this kind of life but I've had flocks of little ones and, for what I have observed, they are happiest that way. Aside from the fact that, as you already observed, the bird is stressed out by the 'taming' process -which is never good for them.

But this doesn't mean that you should give her away. For one thing, you are going to find that most people don't even keep them that well so it's not going to be very easy to find a good home for her (meaning: good husbandry and a flock). If it was my bird, I would get a large flight cage and a male for her and, once they are both comfortable with me (and this will happen in time even if you don't do a single thing about it -tiels are very mild-mannered and friendly), I would adopt another pair - and, if you can manage it, two because, in my experience, although the best size flock seems to be six pairs (there is some kind of magic in this number of pairs, the dynamics become identical to the wild flocks), three pairs do VERY VERY well together.

[Wolf]

Actually I was referring to all of the other questions not the one about would she be better off in a flock setting, but I thought that this was already known as I have consistently suggested that they be with others of their species, my bad. Of all of the questions that were posed this one was the only one that actually has an answer and it is readily apparent to any who care to look. Regardless of what course of action that is taken it requires a commitment to the bird and its well being and that includes the choice of rehoming the bird to someone who has a flock that could accept the bird into. If she keeps the bird she needs to commit to its benefit and all that it entails, and to my thinking that includes getting the bird at least one other companion and more if feasible for her to do so.

[Hannerz]

She is definitely lonely, and I spend tons of time in the room with her in hopes that I can help that. I talk to her, sing to her, read to her, watch tv with her, put music on and often sing and dance along, do my work in the room, and all kinds of other things. I can't see that she values my company very much though.

I've tried to teach her to play with things, but she peers at my like I am crazy when I am demonstrating how and won't go near the things when I put them inside. There are a bunch of other kinds of toys I can try out though. She seems pretty depressed and like she is becoming more and more indifferent to the things going on around her. I leave her door open when I am in the room to supervise, but she never even seems to consider going out. It just isn't a good life for her right now.

I think that she would eventually warm up to me, but it will cost a lot on her end if it is just the two of us. She would absolutely be happier in a flock, but I do not think I can support one. I don't have room for a cage larger than the one I have, am in school, am anticipating moving across the country when I graduate, live in a tiny townhouse, have a roommate I need to consider noise-wise, and so on. If I can keep her and a mate comfortably in the current cage (or the current cage and a second one the same size in a different part of the room), I would be able to handle it and could go ahead and see about finding her one. Keeping a larger flock, however, does not seem feasible in my current situation. Do you think that she would be happy with only one other bird? It would be years before I could expand the flock.

If I end up re-homing I won't just give her to anyone. There aren't any rescues near me, but there is an exotics sanctuary relatively close by. They have several birds and a big education program and it appears that the animals are all very well cared for. I have actually been considering volunteering there. They would be worth talking to. I also have a good friend back home who spends all of her free time volunteering at a bird of prey rehabilitation and educational facility. She knows tons of really serious bird lovers who may be able to help. If those failed, I could look into groups further away. I'd have no qualms about driving her several hours away if it would put her in a great home.

What would you do if you were in my shoes? I'm not going to make any rash decisions or blindly follow what yours would be, but I have huge respect for your opinions and would really appreciate some more of your input.

[Wolf]

When you are in the room with her are you across the room from her or up close like next to her cage? I would work my way up to her cage, while talking to her so that I could start offering her some treats. Sometimes, when first trying to gain their trust bribery goes a long ways. I would probably start with the assumption that the reason that this bird is not already coming out and spending time with me is that it does not know that it can do these things. This does suggest to me that this may have been either a breeder bird or an aviary bird, but they are gentle birds, highly social and are usually easy and somewhat eager to make friends if you will take the time to be its friend first.
Just in case I haven't provided it before here is a link to understanding their body language
http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww15eii.htm Don't count on it for total body language, but as a start to understanding the bird, a guideline so to speak. Use it to learn when the bird is more relaxed and this is when you approach the bird slowly and as soon as the bird starts to get nervous then you stop and back off one step and wait for the bird to relax. Use this in conjunction to talking softly and reassuringly to the bird with lots of praise to get you up to the cage. Then you will watch for the bird to relax and accept first your regular presence next to the cage and then calmly accepting treats from you while you are talking to it. Watch for the bird to start coming to the side of the cage you are on while you approach and sit there with it. When the bird is doing this then offer the treats at the entrance to the cage and begin to hold the treat to where the bird needs to step on your hand to get the treat. This is a good point to start clicker or target training with the bird. This is what you need to do to start earning the birds trust so that it may bond with you.

[liz]

I always had just 2 cockatiels. They were as happy as 2 budgies. Rachel moved in with her 2 cockatiels and they joined together. They all seemed happy. My flock started when Sweetie died and left Shadow alone then Shadow stole Tammy for Tommy which brings me to Maggie who would not accept a mate and so on and so on.
Two can be happy together.
Out of the cage the boys will step up. I have to scoop the girls. They are happy and that makes me happy.