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concerned for my teil widower

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Re: concerned for my tiel widower

Postby gr8fulhuman » Thu Oct 23, 2014 12:32 pm

Okay another question about free feeding. ..
Every day we gave them cockatiels seed and veggies and they would munch on and off till 24 hrs later when I would clean out all dishes and start again. How should I be doing it if that's not the right way?
Also about the cage, there are no sharp objects of any kind. The only way she could've been that beaten up if from him. This makes me cry every time I think about it. Poor girl.
Also should the cover over the cage be completely opaque? Because what I've been using does let some light come thru..
gr8fulhuman
Parrotlet
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
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Re: concerned for my teil widower

Postby Pajarita » Fri Oct 24, 2014 10:00 am

OP stands for Original Poster, the person who started the thread but I don't know what a kitted cage is (I don't even know what 'kitted' means but English is not my first language).

OK, let's see about the other questions:
- solar spectrum means that they wake up with dawn and go to sleep when night falls at whatever time of our clock that might happen (like chickens or the birds in the trees) so there cannot be any artificial lights during twilight (dawn and dusk) and they need to be in the dark (or illuminated by the moon and stars) at night (so, yes, you need to use a blackout material to cover the cage but they also need quiet for a good night rest (it doesn't have to be complete silence but it needs to be low level in terms of volume). They need to be exposed to the change in light spectrum (the different wavelengths -or colors- that make sunlight) as it changes when the sun rays hit the atmosphere in a descending angle because it is this special light (twilight) that 'measures' daylength and what 'tells' their endocrine system to turn on or off the production of sexual hormones. Birds reproductive systems are not like mammals, their sexual organs (gonads) are small and dormant until the day is of a certain length (it varies slightly with each species and the specific number of daylight hours is called the point of refractoriness for that species) and then the master gland sends the signal that tells their bodies to start producing sexual hormones which make the gonads grow and become active. When you keep a bird at long days and rich food (inevitable in captivity) all year round, their gonads keep on growing when they should start to shrink and, eventually, they grow so big that they start pushing other organs out of the way and the bird is in constant pain (I call it sexual frustration but I once read a paper that called it 'sexual toxicity'). The pain combined with the constant high sexual stimulation (imagine been super horny all the time and never finding complete release) makes them aggressive and birds that have no mate (and some that do) scream, pluck and even self-mutilate because of it.

Diet: you can feed them seeds but you cannot feed seeds all day long (that's called free-feeding). They should get cooked whole grains mixed with vegetables (I call this dish gloop and I've been feeding it to my birds for many, many years), a different leafy green (or a cruciferous) and, if you want a piece of fruit (my tiels don't eat fruit but they love corn on the cob) in the morning for all day picking and, at sunset, they should get a good quality budgie mix (the kind that has safflowers, oats, etc). Vitamins once a week and a cuttlebone in their cage is all they need once they have been on this diet for some time and, when the hens lay, some extra Calciboost to replenish the calcium lost.

Box: Except for a single species (quakers) parrots only use cavities for nesting and having a nest box will promote sexual hormone production. I give my hens boxes in the spring but take them out mid-summer.

New mate: If you keep them to a solar schedule and don't free-feed high protein, they will not produce sexual hormones during the molt and resting season (fall and winter). But a mate to a highly social species (all parrots belong to them) is not only for sex, it's for 24/7/365 company with all that this implies and necessary for stress reduction (not my opinion but what nature decreed). You can put two males together and they might bond but they are always better off with a companion of the opposite gender (unless they are homosexuals which happens in birds -as it does in any other species of animal).

I think I covered all your questions but, if I didn't, let me know.
Pajarita
Norwegian Blue
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
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Re: concerned for my teil widower

Postby gr8fulhuman » Fri Oct 24, 2014 10:10 pm

Wow, what valuable information! Of course I do have follow-up questions, though. ..
About the cooked whole grain bird mush, what grains do you cook, and do u boil them?
When you give them that food, how long does it stay in there with them (if it was in all day, it would at some point become free-feeding, right? When does that point occur?

Upon getting him on a sunlight schedule, how long before the gonads shrink? I gotta say, his screeching is at times unbearable. Sometimes he sings tunes and whistles, but that is different than the screeching. Should we interpret the singing as being happy, opposed to the screeching? Is there anything we can do to aid him in releasing his pent up horniness? (without getting too involved! Lol!)

I get how they are social and don't like to be alone. But I can't in good conscience put another girl in there knowing she could be attacked. So I'm thinking I need to find a place for him to go, like a community of cockatiels. Any suggestions or recommendations?
Thank you.
gr8fulhuman
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Gender: This parrot forum member is female
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Re: concerned for my teil widower

Postby Pajarita » Sat Oct 25, 2014 9:40 am

Grains: I use wheat kernels, oat groats, hulled barley, black japonica/red Himalayan/wild rices (all available in Whole Foods) and no, they are not cooked to softness, they are cooked 'al dente' so the outside is a bit soft but the inside is still a bit hard and they keep their shape not sticking to one another (the idea is for them to think that these are seeds). I make large batches, split them into individual baggies that hold a daily portion each and freeze them - every day, I take out one and let thaw naturally (but, in a pinch, you can use the microwave) and serve it in the morning for all day eating, taking the plate (I use white paper plates on the bottom of the cage to encourage ground foraging) out and replacing it with another one with the seed dinner (about one tablespoon or so).

Gonads shrinking: it depends on how screw up their endocrine system is (very irregular and long days for years and years take longer than semi-regular days for a short term) and when you start it -if it's spring, it takes longer because the days are becoming longer and longer naturally but, if you start it this time of the year, it takes less time (he should be OK in a month or two).

Vocalizations: people think that birds 'sing' because they are happy but it's not true, all vocalizations mean something to them, it's a form of communication and, in most cases, it's because they need or want something (in your bird's case, a mate), sometimes, it's sheer aggression (as in a canary singing which is done to mark their territory and warn other males off) and, in others, is a form of cooing (like when senegals purr or amazons softly grunt). Parrots, been so very smart, learn that human speech (or whistles) is our form of communication and often use it to 'talk' to us.

Best thing to speed up the dissipation of sexual hormones from the bloodstream is flying but, even when he is no longer hormonal, he will still call for a mate only not so very peremptory-like or as often.

If you are convinced he will do better somewhere else, please make sure he goes to a home where he will be well taken care of (ask about light quality and schedule, housing, clipped or flighted, diet, whether there is an available female for him, etc).
Pajarita
Norwegian Blue
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
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Types of Birds Owned: RoseBreasted too, CAG, DoubleYellowHead Amazon, BlueFront Amazon, YellowNape Amazon, Senegal, African Redbelly, Quaker, Sun Conure, Nanday, BlackCap Caique, WhiteBelly Caique, PeachFace lovebird, budgies,
Flight: Yes

Re: concerned for my teil widower

Postby gr8fulhuman » Mon Oct 27, 2014 10:23 pm

You sound like an awesome bird caregiver!
Well, now when it's dark out, we started covering his cage with a dark cloth. We noticed a difference already.
I haven't started really looking hard for another home yet. He's tolerable now but I don't want him to be lonely. So all the things u said to check for sounds thorough. If you were me, what would you look for, as far as a bird community, flighted/clipped, availability of mates, etc.?
Thank you again for everything. :greycockatiel:
gr8fulhuman
Parrotlet
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
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Re: concerned for my teil widower

Postby Pajarita » Tue Oct 28, 2014 9:54 am

Oh, you can't go by me! I always try to take in the ones that need it the most so, even when I am looking for a specific species and gender (I always try to get all of them a mate or, at the very least, a companion of their own), I adopt them from CL or accept one that somebody wants to give me -I am not picky as to color mutation, age, condition or aggression-level because, for one thing, I find them all beautiful and, for another, in the long run, they all work out perfectly. But, in your case, I would look for an adult, not too young (3 to 6 years old) female and, if you don't find any on CL, look in nearby rescues, they always have too many tiels and budgies for adoption.
Pajarita
Norwegian Blue
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 18701
Location: NW Pa
Number of Birds Owned: 30
Types of Birds Owned: RoseBreasted too, CAG, DoubleYellowHead Amazon, BlueFront Amazon, YellowNape Amazon, Senegal, African Redbelly, Quaker, Sun Conure, Nanday, BlackCap Caique, WhiteBelly Caique, PeachFace lovebird, budgies,
Flight: Yes

Re: concerned for my teil widower

Postby Lizz » Tue Oct 28, 2014 8:27 pm

gr8, I rescued a pair of cockatiels at the same time I did Rambo. The pair had been together for many years. When I got her she was partially plucked. I thought she did it. I found out that Curley was ripping feathers out of Sunny. I separated them but she had battered wife syndrome. No matter what he did to her she wanted to be with him.
I rehomed Sunny to a Hospice nurse who had 2 males. One of them fell in love with her when she first went in the door.
I then had 2 lone males so I found 2 females. Curley claimed Rosie (pit bull) and loved her.
There is know way of knowing what is going on in their little bird brains.
She could also have had a fright and flipped around until she beat herself up. Birds bleed easily.
Did I confuse you enough?
Lizz
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Gender: This parrot forum member is female
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BF Amazon Myrtle
Cockatiels: Shadow Tammy Tommy Maggie Cagney Lacy
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Re: concerned for my teil widower

Postby Pajarita » Wed Oct 29, 2014 9:46 am

I don't know about Grateful but you confused me :lol: Was the point you were trying to make about a possible new mate or about the cause of death?
Pajarita
Norwegian Blue
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 18701
Location: NW Pa
Number of Birds Owned: 30
Types of Birds Owned: RoseBreasted too, CAG, DoubleYellowHead Amazon, BlueFront Amazon, YellowNape Amazon, Senegal, African Redbelly, Quaker, Sun Conure, Nanday, BlackCap Caique, WhiteBelly Caique, PeachFace lovebird, budgies,
Flight: Yes

Re: concerned for my teil widower

Postby Lizz » Wed Oct 29, 2014 10:04 am

It is possible that she caused her own death.
It is possible for him to bond with a new female.
Lizz
Conure
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 105
Location: Archdale NC USA
Number of Birds Owned: 8
Types of Birds Owned: DYH Amazon Rambo
BF Amazon Myrtle
Cockatiels: Shadow Tammy Tommy Maggie Cagney Lacy
Flight: Yes

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