my cockatiel is quiet

[bomber11]

hello

i've just got my cockatiel , and he's really quiet , it's known that in the first few days he has to get used to the place and so, but he's so quiet and doesn't move a lot, he stays in the same place for 3-4 hours then goes down to have his food and stays there for another 3-4 hours , he looks sleepy all the time , but when i get near him he starts moving which means he's not sick because if he is then i dunn think he will be able to get away from me , is this normal?
hope you can help me guys,,,

**srry i posted here by mistake instead of posting it in the General Parrot Care forum.

[entrancedbymyGCC]

Where did you acquire him? Has he been checked out by an avaian vet? He could just be nervous from all the changes, but he could also be sick, especially if he's fluffy all the time.

Does he have toys and multiple perches in his cage? Is it easy for him to climb (or fly) around in?

[bomber11]

i got him from a pet shop, he's hand tamed. he hasn't been checked out by a vet. he has few perches but still no toys. whenever i get near to him he starts moving around but when i get away he just sits in his place. n yah most of the time he's fluffy unless i get around and try to touch him. also his wings are clipped.

[entrancedbymyGCC]

I'd recommend a vet visit. You'll need to find one that really knows birds, preferably a specialist in birds. It's a good idea to get a checkup with a new bird anyway.

[bomber11]

guess gonna do that. well today he made a progress, he began to walk around the cage whistling, he's eatin well, and everytime i move the food box around the cage he just follows it , guess he's greedy n wants the whole box not just the bowl he has

n thanks 4 ur reply

[guybo]

I have a cockatiel I got from a lady who could no longer take care of him. When he first came he did nothing but sit and watch... LOL almost creepy! Sometimes he'd crawl down and grab some food, but mostly sit.

Now he's been with us a couple months and he still mostly sits and watches and likes to spend time either on our perch-tree or in his cage. He does sometimes break out with what we call the chant. It's a beautiful song and tells us that he's happy even if he does just kinda sit there all the time. Sometimes he will fly from the perch to his cage and back aagin. We keep the cage open all the time because he's clipped and he's so well behaved that he can come and go as he pleases.

Give your guy time and space. Set up a perch so he gets out of his cage and encourage him to get out of the cage and explore his new world.

[Shani]

Hmm, I'm having the opposite experience with mine (who I got on Friday night). He was quiet for the first night, but from yesterday afternoon he was pretty vocal/playful, and today he won't shut up. He has his morning and evening chatter time, where he just makes cute warbling noises/whistles for 15 - 20 minutes. He whistles before he poops, he whistles before (and after) he has a drink, he whistles before he eats (and during, but it's pretty muffled), he whistles/squawks if he doesn't think he's been paid enough attention, etc.

If the whistling doesn't get the attention he's after he systematically throws seed out of his food bowl, or tugs on his ring toy to make a hell of a racket. Last but not least, if he really wants out right stat now, he goes down to the bottom of his cage and runs laps around it, raising and lowering his crest and occasionally whistling. I don't know if all those things are good, or if it means my bird is 'special' in the silliest sense of the word

Anyway, the difference could be that I got mine from an experienced breeder, so Barney was very well socialized and tame long before he came home to me. With pet shops (generally speaking) you don't know the bird's history. He probably wasn't interacted with too much being at a pet shop and all, so a new environment and all that would be very stressful. I'd also recommend going to see a vet to get a check up for him as Entranced suggested, and maybe get a few toys, spend some time talking to him, figure out his favourite treat etc.

[captwest]

Hey Bomber, Sounds as if you might have a hen, what tend to be more reserve and layed back than males like Shani's bird which sounds like a alpha male type, Flocks of cockatiels tend to have a song mister ,a male, that teaches the rest of the flock his style of singing/whistling. however you got good advice when told to take your bird to the vet for a wellness checkup. good luck and keep us posted, Richard

[guybo]

I'm pretty sure mine wasn't hand raised. I got him from a lady who had no clue where the bird was from or what she was doing. So we give Hades his space and he will step up but he isn't cuddly and is nippy (luckily it's not painful at all). So we are transportation to him and not much more. But he's happy and makes The Chant while he sits there and likes our company from afar. That's good enough for us- as long as he's happy.

[Shani]

Hey Bomber, Sounds as if you might have a hen, what tend to be more reserve and layed back than males like Shani's bird which sounds like a alpha male type, Flocks of cockatiels tend to have a song mister ,a male, that teaches the rest of the flock his style of singing/whistling. however you got good advice when told to take your bird to the vet for a wellness checkup. good luck and keep us posted, Richard

I was actually thinking that Bomber could have a hen as well. Very interesting stuff about the 'alpha male' sort of thing though!

Guybo, the fact your bird is willing to step up is a good indication you could start training him to get used to more handling. Birds that haven't been hand raised can become incredibly tame with patience, and persistence. Training can also be a great experience for both you and the bird. To be a broken record, Michael has some great articles on basic training that are well worth looking into