Found Cockatiel
Hi! I'm new here. I'm posting because I found a bird! I was taking a walk with my son the other day, and a cockatiel flew right in front of the stroller. I was able to pick him up (after a little bit of nipping at me), and he scrambled away and fluttered to the stroller, and then I was able to pick him up again. So, his wings appear to be clipped, but I can't handle him enough to get a closer look. I got a cage from a friend (a parrot owner who has a spare), wiped down the cage with hot water and a sponge, and set him up with food and water. The cage is not great - it's not very tall, and only has dowel rod perches. I have never personally had a bird, but I've worked with macaws, cockatoos, and an African Grey before, at a zoo, and at a place where we did bird shows. So that's how I know a little bit about them. But it's been a few years, so my bird skills are slightly rusty...
My questions are in two parts.
One is finding his people... I made flyers and am going to post them in the neighborhood tomorrow, including at the Trader Joe's. I registered him on parrotalert.com. I posted to craigslist in the community pets section. I posted the info on my Facebook and asked people to spread the word. I'm posting here, too! Anywhere else I can post? Info for him, in case people want to spread the word:
Cockatiel found at Wildflower Playfield (a soccer/lacrosse field) off of Avenida de los Arboles in Thousand Oaks, CA, on 2/7/2012.
Also - how long should I give it until I find him a permanent home? I want to give finding his people a good shot, but I also want him to have a happy home.
Sadly, that home cannot be with me, as I found out our HOA only allows 2 pets, and I have 2 cats, and I don't want to get in trouble. But I have two friends who are interested in him, who've had birds, so I'd be comfortable if he goes with them.
Part 2 ~ What should I do to make sure he's okay and comfortable in the mean time? I haven't taken him to the vet for a checkup, but am considering it (even though I don't have a lot of extra money at the moment). How much does that usually cost for a bird that size? He looks pretty good. His feathers are nice, and he preens them, he stretches from time to time. He's not chirping very often - is that a bad sign? He is eating. I'm not sure how much he's drinking. It doesn't seem like much. But for a bird that small, he wouldn't be drinking very much anyway, right? Even the macaws didn't drink lots of water, when I worked with them. He seems very afraid of me, and brings his face feathers up to hide his beak when I stand near his cage. But at least he's not flapping or freaking out when he sees me. I can put my hand in the cage, too, and he just sits there, but if I get my hand within a few inches of him, he kind of hisses at me and acts like he is going to bite me, but the few times he actually has struck out, he doesn't bite very hard. His beak looks pretty good, and his nails aren't too long, I don't think.
I don't want to stress him out by trying to hold him or anything, when he's clearly not ready. But isn't it bad that he's all cooped up and not coming out of the cage? What should I do in this case? Is it okay for him to stay in the cage until he's okay being handled?
I have been turning my head to the side and slowly blinking at him, and putting my hand in the cage without touching him, so that he sees me not being threatening, and I give him food. (This worked on a shy cockatoo at my former job who took six months to eventually step up onto my hand - he had other people he was okay working with, but took him a while to be okay with me, The New Girl, I guess!). I tried handing him sunflower seeds, and he pecked at them and threw them. But I saw that as progress. We were interacting at least!
He has 3 perches. I put a ladder in there, and a mirror with a bell, which he seems to like. He has food and water. Right now, it's just a seed mix, since I wasn't sure what kind of pellets might be good for him? Or if he's ever had them before, and would even eat them?
I gave him some shredded newspaper, which I've seen him shredding, so that's cool. And I am going to get some nicer perches for him tomorrow, like a rope perch at least.
And then hopefully find his family!
Oh another question - if I do take him to the vet, what should I get to carry him in? The macaws I worked with had plastic cat carriers with large dowel rods in them. But I don't know what to put a cockatiel in?
Thanks for any/all help!! I just want him to be a happy healthy bird! I took him in because it was cold and rainy that day, and he was walking around near the parking lot. Lots of dangerous stuff. So now I just want to do things right so he can be a great pet. (And am trying not to get attached to him, too, ha! He's pretty awesome.)
Okay, thanks a lot!
My questions are in two parts.
One is finding his people... I made flyers and am going to post them in the neighborhood tomorrow, including at the Trader Joe's. I registered him on parrotalert.com. I posted to craigslist in the community pets section. I posted the info on my Facebook and asked people to spread the word. I'm posting here, too! Anywhere else I can post? Info for him, in case people want to spread the word:
Cockatiel found at Wildflower Playfield (a soccer/lacrosse field) off of Avenida de los Arboles in Thousand Oaks, CA, on 2/7/2012.
Also - how long should I give it until I find him a permanent home? I want to give finding his people a good shot, but I also want him to have a happy home.
Sadly, that home cannot be with me, as I found out our HOA only allows 2 pets, and I have 2 cats, and I don't want to get in trouble. But I have two friends who are interested in him, who've had birds, so I'd be comfortable if he goes with them.
Part 2 ~ What should I do to make sure he's okay and comfortable in the mean time? I haven't taken him to the vet for a checkup, but am considering it (even though I don't have a lot of extra money at the moment). How much does that usually cost for a bird that size? He looks pretty good. His feathers are nice, and he preens them, he stretches from time to time. He's not chirping very often - is that a bad sign? He is eating. I'm not sure how much he's drinking. It doesn't seem like much. But for a bird that small, he wouldn't be drinking very much anyway, right? Even the macaws didn't drink lots of water, when I worked with them. He seems very afraid of me, and brings his face feathers up to hide his beak when I stand near his cage. But at least he's not flapping or freaking out when he sees me. I can put my hand in the cage, too, and he just sits there, but if I get my hand within a few inches of him, he kind of hisses at me and acts like he is going to bite me, but the few times he actually has struck out, he doesn't bite very hard. His beak looks pretty good, and his nails aren't too long, I don't think.
I don't want to stress him out by trying to hold him or anything, when he's clearly not ready. But isn't it bad that he's all cooped up and not coming out of the cage? What should I do in this case? Is it okay for him to stay in the cage until he's okay being handled?
I have been turning my head to the side and slowly blinking at him, and putting my hand in the cage without touching him, so that he sees me not being threatening, and I give him food. (This worked on a shy cockatoo at my former job who took six months to eventually step up onto my hand - he had other people he was okay working with, but took him a while to be okay with me, The New Girl, I guess!). I tried handing him sunflower seeds, and he pecked at them and threw them. But I saw that as progress. We were interacting at least!
He has 3 perches. I put a ladder in there, and a mirror with a bell, which he seems to like. He has food and water. Right now, it's just a seed mix, since I wasn't sure what kind of pellets might be good for him? Or if he's ever had them before, and would even eat them?
I gave him some shredded newspaper, which I've seen him shredding, so that's cool. And I am going to get some nicer perches for him tomorrow, like a rope perch at least.
And then hopefully find his family!
Oh another question - if I do take him to the vet, what should I get to carry him in? The macaws I worked with had plastic cat carriers with large dowel rods in them. But I don't know what to put a cockatiel in?
Thanks for any/all help!! I just want him to be a happy healthy bird! I took him in because it was cold and rainy that day, and he was walking around near the parking lot. Lots of dangerous stuff. So now I just want to do things right so he can be a great pet. (And am trying not to get attached to him, too, ha! He's pretty awesome.)
Okay, thanks a lot!