Ask Lafeber

my cockatiel behaviour

My 3 month old cockatiel is growing quickly he already learned to talk and whistle a bit but he is still eating formula. One think I noticed he doesn’t like patting him or touching him most of the time but lately he puts his head down for me to pat him and as soon as i start patting him he scratches himself for a long time and its happening every time. I heard scratching more often can be a disease or for lack of nutrients but i give him veggies, rice, egg with formula cuz he cries for it. Is it normal or should i do something about it?

Hi,

This all sounds very normal. It’s definitely best to only pet his head and neck, because as he gets older, petting him on the body can trigger hormones and cause behavior issues. Cockatiels are a prey species, so they do not like being grabbed from above – his aversion to being touched is probably related to this instinct. He is at the age where he should be weaning. The foods you are offering are fine, but he needs a nutritionally balanced food like pellets or our foraging diets as his main diet to wean to. Do not wean him with a seed mix. Each morning, before you hand feed, put the pellets and other foods in the cage and leave the room for at least an hour. This gives him time to explore the foods and work on self feeding. If he can see or hear you, he will just beg. Repeat this an hour before each feeding, and he will gradually eat more on his own and accept less formula until he is finally weaned. It is a gradual process and best to let him do this at his own pace.

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda