New tiel

[Stray_mind]

Thanks for all the advices.

Lately i have been not sure if he is sleeping at night or not. I myself am a very light sleeper and i have been hearing him moving about at night on few occasions which woke me up. He sleeps on his food bowl in the corner so him moving causes his feet to tap on the metal and i hear it.
I ordered him a platfotm perch. Maybe he'll be more comfortable sleeping there.

I cover his cage every evening at the same time and uncover it at around the same time and he has a night light by his cage. Nothing really changed in his environment nor was there something that could spook him.

I wonder what might cause this and if it's just him shifting into a more comfortable sleeping position or something else.

He does seem normal in the day. He is vocal every morning, plays with toys and seems content. He takes a short nap at around 5 pm every day. Nothing out of the ordinary.

I am worried weather he gets enough sleep.

Sorry for all those questions. I am still figuring out what is normal and what should be a cause of concern...

[Pipers Mom]

Some birds do have strange sleeping habits. I watched a cockatiel for my General Manager where I work, his name was Butch. Like Max, Butchie Bird (that is what I called him), slept on his food cup each night. Butchie's parronts said that is what he does and he was content sleeping on his food cups each night.

Max may have a sense of security sleeping on his food cup, but if you want to try the platform perch, it wouldn't hurt to try it. He may freak out with the new perch in his cage, but in time, he will get used to it. But no guarantee that Max will sleep on it.

One thing you are doing is keeping Max's routine consistent. If you uncover and cover him at the same times each day, then I can guarantee that Max is getting enough sleep. When these birds are tired, they will nap. If he is grinding his beak, preening and playing with his toys, than don't worry about his amount of sleep. Everything your describing is normal and I can assure you that Max is getting plenty of sleep or as I call it.. Night-Night!!

[Stray_mind]

Thanks for replying. I think i may be suffering from worrying too much myself haha.

I may have figured out why he was moving around though. The batteries in his night lights (they are actually just a chain of christmas decorative star shaped led lights) were almost out of power and the lights were getting pretty dim so he might have been feeling unsafe in the dark.

I changed the batteries next day and the lights became brighter and now he stays quiet and calm troughout the night again, even if i come in the room to sleep much later he makes no noises so i suppose i solved the mystery. My birdie is just afraid of the dark which seems to be a problem for a lot of tiels.

We are slowly bonding more and more. He sings to me every morning, lets me pet his head (still have to use my face for that) and climbs on my shoulder to play with the straps of my hoodie or climbs down to my chest to play with my zipper.

Can't wait until his playstand arrives. I also ordered some new natural toys for him.
I replaced the toothpicks with millet sprigs as you have suggested and he likes them all the same. He really likes toys made out of natural fibers that he can shred and chew on. He has two favorite ones, so i got something simmilar for him. I hope he likes them.

[Stray_mind]

Since i love Max so much and he is an amazing bird, i am seriously considering getting another tiel for a while now. Probably another boy to avoid mating.

Of course i will quarantine it and follow all the rules of introduction. I wonder if now is a good time though or should i wait until Max is more mature? Max is now 9 months old.

Btw i am totally fine with them bonding and doing their own thing if it happens. I will love them both all the same.

[Pipers Mom]

Getting Max a friend is totally your choice. I would get another male instead of a female. If Max did bond to the female, your female could turn into a chronic egg layer. By the way, females (hens) do not need a mate to be a chronic egg layer. Sometimes, when these birds bond together, they may reject you from the flock and all that work you put in with petting Max's neck with your nose, stepping on your hand for millet, that bond could be tarnished.

This is something for you to think about. Having one bird is work, but having two, you will need more time and patience. Have you thought about another kind of bird, perhaps a budgie?

Looking forward to hearing more about the playstand when it does arrive. My little guy loves to chew on the strings to my hoodie and zippers too. Having natural toys are great for stimulation and prevents boredom. My bird loves bells. All of my cockatiels love bells. Do you have any bells for Max?

[Stray_mind]

Yeah, i don't want mating or egg laying. I really feel like i want two tiels, idk why. It just seems right for me for some reason haha.

I just wonder if it's a right time for that and if Max won't experience more stress because he still does not feel like exploring his surroundings and sticks by his cage all the time. I try to walk to the middle of the room a bit when he sits on my arm or shoulder but he flies straight back to his room.

He has some toys with bells. He used to chew on the center of the bell a lot a couple of months ago, but now he prefers shredding paper, chewing on millet sprigs and dried millet leaves. Sometimes he gets mad at the toy swinging back and forth and attacks it. 😅

[Pipers Mom]

Tango has about 4 sets of bells in his cage and I switch them around every 2 to 3 weeks. The only one that I don't move is the mirrored ball/bell which he sleeps next to. I truly believe that is his favorite toy. Like Max, he will play with knocker of the bell and swing it around like he is fighting with it. That is there way of playing with the toy. Sometimes, he will use the knocker of the bells to scratch his own neck. These birds can be silly at times.

Tiels do like to chew paper to the point where your pet turns into a living paper shredder. Foraging is there nature too.

Seems like your bond with max is still in the development stages and he will fly back to his safe zone if you move around to quickly or go visit another area of the home or room that he may not be familiar with.

[Stray_mind]

Mine doesn't attack the bells but rather the shredding toys. He even makes a "battle screech".

I got a bird warmer in the mail today. I will put it in his cage for those cold winter days to make him more comfy. I have decided to not buy another tiel right away. I haven't found the one i feel a connection with yet as i did with Max.

[Pipers Mom]

Since you are Max's best friend, you will know what is best for him.

Some food for thought, you mentioned you purchased a bird warmer for Max. One thing I do know for sure that cockatiels are very curious and inquisitive creatures. Inquisitive beaks are more than likely go after the cord and try to chew it, especially if you allow Max to play outside his cage. Also, please make sure that the materials for the warmer don't contain contents such as PFAS or Teflon. those materials are very harmful / toxic to birds.

Max may freak out at first with something new in his cage, especially when it is going to be used on a seasonal basis. Personally, I don't use any heaters or warmers for my bird, however, his cage is in the warmest room of my home.

[Stray_mind]

The warmer has a special wire that is protected against said inquisitive beak. And it definitely does not contain teflon.

The warmer is basically a thick metal plate that can be attached to the cage bars and it is a neutral grey color so it would cause less anxiety for the bird.

My entire house can get really cold in winter at times so i don't want Max to feel uncomfortable if the temperature drops too low or worse, catch a cold.

[Pipers Mom]

You did very good on your research before you purchased the cage warmer. Just give Max time getting acclimated to it. You are doing great!! Keep it up! Sounds like Max is going to be one spoiled tiel.. But they are so worth it

[Stray_mind]

Thank you for the encouragement and all advices.

By the way, i have looked around the internet but haven't found an answer so maybe you can help.

I have made Max a foraging dish with some dried bird safe herbs and blossoms, dried fruit pieces and his pellets and seeds. I also added some dried pea chips (they are made for rodents actually). I introduced it to Max and he basically is digging around in that bowl looking for food.

The thing is he took a liking to those pea chips and is crushing them with his beak and eating them. Is it safe?
They are made from dried and crushed peas and look like cereal.

[Pipers Mom]

The crushed dehydrated peas should be okay for Max. You should try carrots too. If you look around on the website, just search recipes and you will find a recipe for "mash" It's a blend of peas and carrots.

[boomer girl]

Boomer use to love dried peas but they were from a organic stores bulk food department. He loved them. I would think the peas were bird safe since they are sold for pet rodents. If you want to be safe you can always find some that are for us to eat like I did. My daughters bird has the same exact bird heater and Tikki LOVES it!! He snuggles right up to it when he goes to sleep.

[Pipers Mom]

Tikki is such a snuggle bug.. Oh, I mean snuggle bird..