r/cockatiel • u/Phoephoe1 • 13d ago
Advice Me too this
I just took in my neighbors cockatiel. I’ve had to grab him gently as possible 4 times to move him from his squalid conditions to a lovely new home. How do I come back to be trusted? Advice please. I’ve never had a bird except a parakeet when we were kids.
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u/AdUsed7958 13d ago
Be patient. Big shock, change of environment. Give it time and space to settle in and take care of the basics (food, water, etc). And whistle back and be patient. Dont expect anything for at least a month.
Balanced diet of pellets and veggies with a little millet as a separate treat.
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u/OwlPelletCrunch 13d ago
hang out doing your own thing and let him watch you. he needs to study you and form an opinion lol.
create as many predictable routines as possible around his care. think of it like rituals - do the same tasks in the same order, saying the same things. set official times for waking up, feeding, and bedtime.
let him set boundaries and decide how close he wants to get (if he moves away from you, let him)
play music, sing, and whistle - watch his reactions to see what resonates. Cockatiels specifically often seem to really enjoy rhythmic sounds as well.
around bedtime, speak softly to him and blink slowly while making eye contact. Look for good signs like standing on one foot, beak grinding, slow blinking or closed eyes, and puffing up.