Hi there! In a couple of weeks I will be rescuing a very neglected cockatiel. He is about ten years old, and is the most fearful bird I have met. If you walk near him, talk to him, or move by his cage he immediately moves to bite. Even worse, his previous owner has three mirrors in his cage and I know it's been unhealthy for him. Do you have any personal advice for calming a traumatized cockatiel, and is it okay to take away his mirrors now that he is so attached?
Hi!
When I got my parrotlet she was pretty traumatized, and I have had budgies in the past that were pretty skittish birds.
(disclaimer that this is my opinion and if anyone has different tactics to try they are welcome to add on!)
I doubt the mirrors will be a big issue. I would wait until he’s been with you a little while before removing them, Birds with a lot of anxiety (which is normal during a rehoming!) sometimes need that familiarity of home to adjust quicker. The detriments of mirrors aren’t as important as his current stress levels being as low as possible.
I’m going to preface this by making sure that you know that your bird might always be fearful of people. There are ones that never want to be held or petted, and know that there is a chance that your bird might be a hands off buddy. There is still a lot of love and fun with a hands off bird! It’s just really important to keep in mind.
In my experience, cockatiels seem to be one of the easier parrot species to adjust from being fearful. Just like other birds, quietly talking and sitting doing slow, predictable things is good for them getting to trust you. I would not approach the cage unless youre doing food/water/cleaning until the bird seems to be less fearful (when theyre scared they tend to back away, feathers flat on their bodies. they might squawk or lunge at you)
after some time you should be able to do slow, quiet, predictable tasks around the cage. this is the point where if your bird isn’t showing signs of fear, I would grab a millet stick and poke it through the bars. you might have to wait a really long time before your bird will approach it, but the main thing is to never push them. they pick up pretty quickly when a human isnt respecting their boundaries.
I would just keep getting closer , moving treats to your hand, then in between your fingers, until you can be nearby. Then you are free to do the general step up training and such.
This will likely be a long process that might even be frustrating, but what the beeb needs now is a predictable stable home. I think that he’s a lot more likely to warm up to you than you think!
let me know if you have questions or need further information if you hit a snag. playing cockatiel sounds or music will help too! loud cockatiels are a sign that no predators are around, they get very silent when there are threats in the wild.
