Hi, we became new cockatiel owners because one was in our tree “lost” outside one day. He flew to the neighbor and was with him for a while but they found they couldn't handle the bird with their dog and kids-it was too much. They also had tried very hard to locate the previous owner since clearly the bird was lost. No success with that online or with flyers and they asked us if we wanted the poor thing and we couldn’t say no. He is the sweetest bird you could imagine. He gravitates to people and being outside the cage. He’s very inquisitive and playful and loves affection. We couldn’t be more happy and we have had several parakeets in the past so it wasn’t that big of a learning curve.
So a few general questions. Is there any way to guess the approximate age of a cockatiel? We want to take him to our vet who is very bird friendly but covid-19 has restrictions and he isn’t sick or injured thankfully. Even after being lost for an unknown amount of time, he seems healthy and happy and eating, drinking, flying, preening and pooping normally. We have to wait on seeing the vet. I’m just curious as he seems to have an “old” looking face. We’re pretty sure he’s male based on coloring.
He also doesn’t seem to eat much. He loves millet but we try to limit it and offer high quality seeds which he won’t eat much. We then got pellets and he ate a few but has shunned that for the most part. I’ve offered healthy people food from a list I found online and he’ll eat a few bites sometimes but not much. He likes chicken but again, just a tiny bite. I’m just not sure if he’s eating enough and I don’t know what his favorite food is aside from millet. I have found him sitting on his food dish at night when it’s dark and I assume he’s eating since it gets all over the floor every day but should I worry?
Poor bird has been through a lot. A few people in our neighborhood have recently moved and I wonder if he was let out deliberately. He absolutely loves people and is bonded to males very well. The male voice makes him so happy. It seems to me he wouldn’t have gotten lost that easily because he comes so easily to you when you put your hand out and he wouldn’t leave the male neighbor who found him initially. It’s pretty sad to think he lost his fam. But we love him. He’s such a gift. He’s the nicest bird, doesn’t bite. Only hisses if you approach his cage in the dark.
Any input appreciated. Thank you!