Ask Lafeber

Cockatiel stopped talking

Teqi, our 22-month old DNA-tested male cockatiel w/big vocabulary & whistles & very bonded to me. He came from a pet store. 3-months ago we got another DNA-tested male cockatiel, Tau, 6-months old from a reputable breeder. Tau has also bonded to me. Tau was fully healthy tested & was kept quarantined for 1-month. They’re housed in separate cages. Teqi has stopped talking completely. He’s eating, drinking, droppings are normal. He’s more active than ever as he & Tau love to walk around together. They will have little spats from time to time where Teqi might start it & will open up his wings to back off Tau. Tau will sometimes start it trying to challenge him. They will call for each other if separated. Teqi is a bigger than average Tiel, 120g. Tau is 85g. They both eat a healthy pellet, fresh chop, seeds diet daily. We had had them both health checked with our vet 1 month ago and all is good. Our vet said that Teqi had this human flock interaction and language and now Tau brings a new language and social interaction to the home. And the fact that Tau has also chosen me poses a bit of rivalry but after a time Teqi may resume talking. I hope so and hope that we didn’t upset his world with this new bird. I spend time with each of them together and alone. Thank you for any thoughts and advice you have on this!

Hi,

I’m actually impressed with your vet, as many vets do not have any interest in pet bird behavior. But it’s very important to have an understanding because many things with parrots can be medical & behavioral. I agree with your Vet – give it time and hopefully both will be talking soon. They need to work things out. But be very cautious having 2 males. Male cockatiels can get overly hormonal right about 2 years old, and this often results in aggression. A flighted male cockatiel can be the worst – they will launch aggressive attacks. He can injure a human, but he can kill another cockatiel very quickly. Pay attention to warnings or any increase in aggression. Cockatiels have one mate, and when you have two cockatiels bonded to one person, it can end up being a nasty love triangle. The time may come where both birds can’t be out at the same time, or can’t interact with you at the same time.

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda