New Cockatiel won't eat

[naturegirl]

I bought a Cockatiel yesterday whom was in a cage with 6 others. It is being very stubborn and won't eat at all. He/She is a lovely bird (cinnamon/latino).
Now there was a bird in the cage who threw a hissy fit when we removed this bird. The owner of the store said she/he were not a bonded pair but probably buddies instead. Any ideas? If she/he doesn't eat today then I am going to take it back and return it so it can be with it's buddy. The last thing I want to do is kill this bird because it misses it's buddy.

Cindy

[jazaroo]

Hi Cindy,

I would not worry too much about your new family member not eating just yet, let alone dying. The uprooting to a whole new environment can do this. Right now I would provide him with a good Cockatiel mix and water, which I am sure you have done and be patient. What I would additionally do is go and buy some millet sprays and put one of these in his cage, Budgies and Cockatiels find these very hard to resist.

Also, my thoughts about returning him are that right now he is a loving and caring home and could probably not ask for a better owner, odds are if you return him he will be separated again and not be quite as fortunate as he is now. He is lucky to be where he is at and given a little time, I am sure he will come around.

All the best,

Ron

[Lady Tarheel]

Cindy, it may take a few days for him to get used to his new environment. I agree with Ron - don't take him back because the pet store will break the pair up anyhow.

[TAWhatley]

Good advice has been given .. give the bird some time to settle in. OR .. go buy the buddy too

Terry

[naturegirl]

Hi everyone, well advice taken and it is good the bird is starting to eat his/her seeds, boy am I happy about that. I think it is hand shy which sucks but I think with some TLC it will come around eventually. Thank You everyone for the great advice.


Cindy

[Lady Tarheel]

Good news Cindy.

Would love to see a picture. He sounds beautiful.

[jazaroo]

Yes, good news indeed!

Ron

[naturegirl]

I will take a picture of all my birds and post them all. I also found out today that my baby pigeon took her first flight when she got away from me in the house and she flys beautifully!!! I am trying to adopt her out as I need to dwindle down on my birds. So if anyone is intersted contact me!!

Cindy

[maryjane]

You can also try some crushed lavender around the cage; it is very calming to birds and helps them settle in. Many cockatiels won't eat right away and will act strangely as they get used to their new environment. Also, a light misting with a spray bottle often relieves stress somehow. Good luck!!

[naturegirl]

Well she is eatting now and also swinging on her swing She obviously wasn't handled much because she is a little hand shy and makes the same noise my last Cockatiel made so I think she may be a she. I will try the lavender though as she is still nervous maybe that will help calm her down a little, I think she is going to take some time to come around as she really doesn't like to be handled as when you want to hold her; you have to chase her around the inside of the cage.

Thanks
Cindy

[jazaroo]

Hi Cindy,

Nice to hear she is slowly coming around.

Ron

[naturegirl]

Hi Ron thanks you for the nice words, unforuately I ended up taking her back to the bird store as she had a seizure yesterday and didn't want to start to put a few hundred dollars into her in tests. The ladies who own the store are going to take her to the vets to see whats up. Although she started to eat it wasn't enough as she was losing weight 6 grams in 5 days. I am going to purchase a hand raised baby tiel from her instead. Safer then getting one that is older and don't know the history behind her.

Thanks again
Cindy

[X3MTM]

cockatiels can be so much fun....anyways try this site, may find your answer there http://www.cockatielcottage.net/main.html

[Birdmom4ever]

I'm sorry it didn't work out with your cockatiel. Have you considered rescue organizations? I don't know about your area, but here in the Bay Area there is a great rescue organization for cockatiels and other cage birds. They get some nice, tame birds that need homes for whatever reason.

When I went to the animal shelter to pick up a dove I saw two adorable cockatiels there. They called to me and it was very hard not to take them home, but we have too many cage birds already (including a cockatiel).

One last thing on food. I realize I'm late to this, but I wanted to warn whoever might read this thread to be very careful with a small bird that isn't eating.

We had a situation last month where we almost lost our lovebird due to human error. Hubby and I went away for four days to celebrate our 10th anniversary leaving the birds in my grown daughter's capable hands. But I made a crucial mistake. My instructions weren't clear and I changed Lovey's pellets to a different brand right before I left. To make a long story short, he nearly starved to death because he didn't recognize his new pellets as food and my daughter misunderstood my instruction to give him seed, too. He was drifting in and out of consciousness when we got home and I think if we'd been gone another day, we would have lost him.

So always take it seriously if a bird isn't eating. Small birds don't have a lot of energy reserves and they go down very, very fast. Our lovebird was used to eating pellets, but when I changed brands he didn't recognize the new ones as food. It's important to ask, when you get a new bird, what it's diet has been.

[zoo keeper]

I just love cockatiels. Actually I love all birds. Right now I have 8 baby cockatiels which I hand feed and are just so sweet. I will miss them dearly when they leave to their new homes.