Cockatiels and cages

Question
I don't know if it is how we treated our cockatiel, but it seems he prefers to be with us rather than be in his cage when we are home.  If we don't take him out when we get home, he paces on the bottom of the cage, tweeting until we do take him out.  Is this normal or should he be spending more time in his cage?

Pam

Answer
Hello Pam,

Cockatiels in the wild live in large flocks. As pets they easily adapt to us humans as the flock. Their wild instincts tell them that they should be part of the flock. In the wild however, being part of the flock does not mean having constant physical contact unless they are breeding. It is important that birds learn to be birds, meaning they learn to play independent of us humans. If cockatiels are raised with other adult birds and with humans they learn very important bird skills and skills needed to live in our human homes. If cockatiels are raised by humans only then they miss out on learning some of those bird skills. In these cases it is up to us humans to teach them independence and confidence. These birds need more patience and teaching from us on how to play with their toys.

In addition to how your bird was raised you can also train your bird to expect to be with you at all times. By taking your bird out of the cage when he paces and tweets you have taught him to pace and tweet to get out of the cage. You are rewarding this behavior. The only way to change this behavior is to ignore it. Instead focus on teaching him to play with his toys by showing him how. Also have several safe bird areas (playgyms, window perches etc.) around the house so he can hang out with his flock as much as possible.

I encourage you to learn more about cockatiel behavior and training. My website as links to several excellent resources.

Jennifer
www.feathersandscales.com