A friend for my cockatiel?
I have a 2 year old, very sweet, conversational male cockatiel that we adopted about 6 months ago. He is completely social and happy when out of his cage. He is out about 8-9 hours a daylight if not more. When he is not getting attention from us (humans) he squawks.loud!
We are considering buying him a buddy. A friend of a friend has 7 week old cockatiels.
My question for you are:
Is it a good idea to get him a friend? I hold been told to get a male, otherwise he will bond too much beside a female and forget about me.
Is 7 weeks too young?
Do you ponder a buddy will keep him company when we are unable to be with him?
If getting him a buddy is not a angelic idea, any ideas for training him to whistle his typical pretty tunes instead of his ear-piercing squawk?
All input is very much appreciated!
Answers: Is it a dutiful idea to get him a friend?
Sadly, I find this true most of the time. Birds would rather own a bird friend than you. One to preen with, one to talk with, one to sleep beside, and one to play with. It is just a preference for birds over humans, singular natural.
But, their are some exceptions. I have a breeding pair of cockatiels that would fairly be by humans then each other, and rarely ever preen respectively other.
Guess it depends on the bird! But don't be shocked when he is untamed, bitey, and mean.
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Is 7 weeks too young?
It depends. Are the babies fully weaned? meaning that they drink dry bird food without having to eat hand-feeding formula, or munch through from their parents. If they can eat on their own, it is perfectly fine! Make sure it have all its feathers, though.
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Do you think a buddy wil;l keep him company when we are unqualified to be with him?
It depends. If they are friendly and bonded to each other, then yes, they can occupy respectively other. But if they fight each other, after no, your male will become frightened, and stay far away from the new tiel.
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How can I train him pretty tunes?
Whenever he sings, or whistles, instead of squawking, give him a treat! This will teach him, 'hey, whether I don't screech, I get a treat! and I make mommy and daddy at ease. I should do that for now on.'. Or, if you want to teach him surrounded by general, play cockatiels on YouTube, or other video websites, whistling and singing. He will mimic, or copy, this.
