Ask Lafeber

Older cockatiel 10/15 years

Hi, me and my partner we have Kikki (our cockatiel female) from February now.
We have been lied from her previous owner who didn’t treat her properly and would do anything to have money and give her away, when we first saw her we felt love immediately for her and decided to make her become part of our family. At first we left her alone (as we read instructions) and let her adjust to the new environment as it can be really overwhelming. As a human it can be to us too so we gave her some extra time as well. We noticed few things about her : silent bird, always scared and really aggressive towards us (now she is much comfortable). She was sick, her wing had a really old wound and her feet was half broken (bless her) so we took care off that too. We thought she was 6 months old (as the previous owner claimed) but we found out the new veteran that she is so much older and he never had this old bird in his 15/16 years of carrier. He couldn’t say how old but he estimated around 10/15 years at least. So of-course she has seen a lot and wasn’t taken care of properly. She eats, drink and play by her self, sometimes we leave her outside of the cage (even though she seems to be much confer-table in her own space but she sits on the tv and stays there for 4/5 hours. She is super intelligent, caring and loving. But she still seems to not being comfortable around me and my partner. We tried to feed her, taim her and talk to her.. we need help. We are scared that she is never going to feel relaxed or comfortable.

Hi,

She may not be as old as what the Vet guessed. It’s really not possible to know a cockatiel’s age or age range once it has adult colorations – and this goes for almost all parrot species. A one year old and a 10 year old would look the same. If the bird had issues related to an extremely elderly bird – such as cataracts or arthritis or poor feather condition – this can be a sign that the bird is old. But since cockatiels can live as long as their early 30’s, then old is relative. Many elderly cockatiels never show signs of aging up to the point that they pass away. However, a bird that has not been cared for properly, fed a poor diet and with injuries that were never treated, might appear old. You will have to see how much she improves with your good care & love.

As for working with her and gaining her trust, she really hasn’t been with you for very long. And given her background, she needs a lot of time to learn to trust people. Always remember that cockatiels are a prey animal, so never try to grab her or chase her around to put her in the cage. To her, you are trying to kill her. Be patient with her, talk to her a lot and don’t try to make her step up or trust your hands. Female cockatiels tend to be a lot less social and less vocal than the males. Some females never make good pets as far as being handled. All you can do is give her time and see if she gets comfortable enough to approach you. She may never want to be handled, but that doesn’t mean she won’t trust you and enjoy being around you. I’m going to give you the links to our behavior and training pages to help you understand her better. No matter what, she is in a loving home now and this is the best thing for her.

Pet Bird and Parrot Behavior

Teaching Your Bird

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda