Thanks..it will be useful to have your feedback as this is a common problem but there are no set solutions. I hope all goes well.

Please let me know if you need any further information. Good luck, enjoy and please keep me posted.

Best regards, Frank Indiviglio.

Cheers,
Jean

Thanks for the kind words. That behavior might be a problem. She likely see the mirror as a threat – another female. Possibly views as a male, but not as likely as they are very visually oriented. She seems ready to breed – I’m guessing that the male is not sexually mature, or she is not “his type”.. (Cockatiels can breed year-round, unlike most birds).

Try removing the mirror…however, you’ll need to watch closely and experiment, as she may then pay more attention to the male. He may change as well – her aggression towards the mirror can spill over to him…perhaps she will be more “approachable”. Lots of speculation, but it’s the only way – there behavior changes in captivity, so the usual rules do not always apply.

Please let me know if you need any further information. Good luck, enjoy and please keep me posted.

Best regards, Frank Indiviglio.

I’m sorry to be such a pest, but I never had birds as pets before and I really know next to nothing about them. I have visited many sites trying to learn more, but with you I get the answer to the specific problem and it’s really helped.
The mirrors. She displays very strange (for me) behaviour in front of a mirror.
1. Keeping her front foot steady she slides the other backwards as far as she can, so her belly is resting on the perch. Then she puts her head under the little bell that is dangling under the mirror and she starts making little noises like the ones you hear from small birds chattering in trees.
2. She takes a few steps away from the mirror, bends her knees, then rushes forward with her wings a bit open and she stands tall in front of the mirror and then starts all over.
3. She sort of sits on the perch and rubs her bottom on it for quite a while.

Would that count as obsession? Is it harmful?

IN THE MEANTIME THE MALE IS NIBBLING THE TREATS AND IGNORING HER COMPLETELY!

It’s still beautiful here, and the sun is brilliant, but the temperatures are falling…

Kind regards,
Jean

Lemon, mandarin and other citrus branches are fine. They may strip bark, leaves etc., some will consume or at least destroy buds. Citrus trees in Greece is a nice image now …temperatures dropping here in NY…

Very good to give them a variety of perch widths and also materials. Perch where they roost/spend most time should be of a width that allows foot to extend appx. ¾ of the way around.

Your mirror idea is what I had in mind – give her too much to do! Just make sure that mirror is not stressful – some birds become “obsessed” or are even intimidated.

Please let me know if you need any further information. Good luck, enjoy and please keep me posted.

Best regards, Frank Indiviglio.

Jean

Thanks for the feedback. A large cage is always best. It sometimes helps to make the space more “complex” – extra perches, ladders and, especially, things to occupy the birds. Fruit tree branches with bark, buds or leaves, taken from pesticide free areas, are very useful in helping to dissipate aggression, energy. These birds are constantly on the go in the wild, it takes a lot to keep them “entertained” in captivity.

Please let me know if you need any further information. Good luck, enjoy and please keep me posted.

Best regards, Frank Indiviglio.

Cheers,
Jean

Thanks for your interest. Cockatiels can be very choosy…in the wild, they select mates from among a great many flock members, and there are definite individual preferences. Pairs often get along in captivity as they are social animals and need company, but those that bond to people, as with your female, may reject others of their kind.

An older bird of any sex may also dominate the other…this may change as the male matures. Hormonal surges can also be a factor…i.e. if one is ready to breed ad the other is not.

Sometimes removing the dominant animal to another cage for a few weeks allows the other to establish the main cage as its territory, and changes the situation…however this is not certain.

The situation may change in time if age/hormones are involved. Keep an eye on the male to be sure he is eating and all, and is not being attacked. If the bald spots worsen, you may need to consider splitting them up – broken skin can become infected. Feather loss can be due to stress as well, but most likely you’re seeing the results of an occasional fight.

Sorry I could not provide a simple solution, but like all parrots they are quite complex creatures in terms of social behavior….adds to their interest, but also complicates their care at times.

Please let me know if you need any further information. Good luck, enjoy and please keep me posted.

Best regards, Frank Indiviglio.

I have a pair of cockatiels and they seem to be fine healthwise but they don’t seem to like each other very much. The female is a little terror, takes over the snacks, toys, mirrors etc and only after she finishes with them does she “allow” the poor male to access them. He has a few semi-bald spots at the back of his head and I don’t know if she has pecked him or if it is something else. She doesn’t attack him or anything, but if he stands in her way she will chase him away. Their cage is large and every day I open it up so that they can get out and exercise their wings, but only the female gets out (even perches on my shoulder) while he rarely gets out and then stays put on the top of the cage. Am I doing something wrong?
Kind regards,
Jean (from Athens, Greece)