Edmund likes sitting in food dish?

[Eric&Rebecca]

Recently Edmund has started sitting in his food dish. Not just standing he full on sits like he's nesting or something but he still remains active. He forages while he's in there and seems like he is playing... Is this normal?

He only does it in his pellet bowl too. The bowls are quite big.

Do you thinks he's playing or is this something behavioural i should change? p.s he is DEFINITELY male. I know it's a female tiel thing

[friend2parrots]

Toby (Bourke) used to do this a while back, like when he was 1 or two years old... and he is a DNA blood-tested male.

for him, I thought it was a food comfort/security issue - I think he just enjoyed sitting in "his" food, and the comfortable secure feeling of knowing that all the food in the world is right there beside him, and that he's literally swimming in it... i also suspected that it was because he enjoyed the sensation of feeling pellets under/around his feet.

luckily he stopped doing it after a while, maybe it got old for him. hasnt done it since.

it was annoying and expensive while he did it - for about a month or so i think - because i had to constantly keep changing the soiled pellets out of his bowl if he'd been there for a while.

[cml]

If he starts pooping in the bowl, like toby , can you not change it to a smaller bowl?

[Eric&Rebecca]

No he doesn't poop in it and he doesn't stay in there for long enough. He plays for like 10 minutes and then he gets bored. He does seem to find it amusing to get in and then try and lift the whole bowl out the fitting with him still inside it. If he needs to poop he hops out, does it and gets back in. I think its some sort fo amusement and a way of forgaging.

Unfortunately I can't get smaller bowls as the fitting only takes those size bowls... it's a montana cage. He pretty soon gets bored with it. He has a check up soon anyhow so i'll ask the vet. Also if he starts staying in there I will have to do something but he moves onto something else to quick. He's also taken to hanging upside off his swing with his wings and tail feathers open and hanging off his rope toy with one foot. I think he's just making displays!

[janetafloat]

My tiel does that too, but I made both my birds a platform to sit on having seen them on pine4parrots.co.uk and natural bird.co and he doesn't do it much any more. It had never occurred to me that a bird would want a flat surface to sit on rather than a perch til then. They both sit on their platforms all the time and my Sennie sleeps on it at night.

[GreenWing]

Haha that's so cute! Yes, Tiki does this, too... she actually rolls on her back while in her food dish. I think they're just being silly and playful when they do this.

[Eric&Rebecca]

My tiel does that too, but I made both my birds a platform to sit on having seen them on pine4parrots.co.uk and natural bird.co and he doesn't do it much any more. It had never occurred to me that a bird would want a flat surface to sit on rather than a perch til then. They both sit on their platforms all the time and my Sennie sleeps on it at night.

I have ordered one of those funnily enough! I got the little corner one and if we can get the new one introduced i'll probably get the double one. He likes to eat using his feet to pick things up so this will make it easier for him.

Thanks for the advice.

It is so cute though. He has really taken to the TOPS pellets, he likes eating from the bowl closest to us so if there's anything I really want to get him to eat I put it in that bowl like his veggies and fruits, which is the same bowl he rolls around in so he's probably just showing off for us!

We've ordered a feeding platform, some long flat perches and some circular flat perches from natural bird to use for foraging and we've also ordered a lettuce manger which is like a stainless stell mesh basket from another website which you can put the watercress, rocket, spinach, etc in and they can pull bits out and chew on them.

He beak grinds when he's playing in there too so whatever he's doing he's happy and content about it.

[janetafloat]

That sounds cute! Scout always looked comfy & happy when sitting in his bowl too. The only problem was, as you say, he'd poop in it & I had to keep throwing away his pellets. I must try TOPS on my Sennie I think....I'm getting nowhere with the Harrisons
Sounds like Edmund's going to have some great new perches!

[friend2parrots]

yeah, they certainly look awfully cute while theyre sitting in there - its the cleaning up afterwards that's a pain!

the platform things are an AWESOME idea - I have some platforms in my birds cages, and they like them so much. this is the kind I've placed in their cages:

http://www.amazon.com/Prevue-Hendryx-31 ... t+platform

I like it because its big enough for the bird to hangout on without getting its tail caught in the cage bars. I think it would be the perfect size for a cockatiel, because my bourke and my GCC both love it, and they are only a tad bit smaller than a tiel.

[Eric&Rebecca]

I'm just lucky that he jumps out to poop. Obviously a very hygiene conscious bird. I think its some sort of hormonal thing, he's starting 'growling' and really bobbing his head to the point of jumping up and down. He's not aggressive though so it's ok for the moment, he's getting a check up tomorrow so we going to mention it to the vet then