Birdies who flip out.........

[Darth_Kitten]

My tiel sometimes goes to the bottom of her cage and starts pecking at the grit there. That's not the problem? :shrug: Then she starts flipping out or, she hunches in the corner, starts chirping and squawking, and hisses when I come near her.

She does this for a few seconds and then is cool. What is she doing? :shrug:

[Demobrat]

1. Grit? You mean the gravel that you put there for her, right?

Birds need gravel as much as they need food. They can't digest without it. If she's not getting enough gravel, I guarantee you she doesn't feel good. And she won't eat the gravel from the bottom of the cage if it's not clean. Much, much better to put it in a feeding cup. You probably know all this, but just in case.

[Darth_Kitten]

2. it's lining for the bird cage.

covered with grit, yes. :)

[Demobrat]

5. Not good enough. Run,

don't walk, to the pet store and buy a box of gravel. Put it in a seed cup. The poor thing has a tummy ache.

[Whitacre D_WI]

8. NO! NO! NO! Wrong!

If she eats too much stone-type thingies, se will get a crop impaction. DO NOT give your cockatiel gravel!

[Whitacre D_WI]

7. As notmyprez mentioned...

Parrots do not require, nor should they receive, grit.


Murphee should have a cuttlebone or calcium/mineral block, but not grit.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

16. Not necessary

Members of the parrot family do not need grit. They crack their seeds & nuts open before eating them.

[Lady Freedom]

3. I know whats up!

The problem is she is starting to show signs of depression.

[Darth_Kitten]

4. Oh no, why?

:cry:

[Whitacre D_WI]

9. She is not depressed, she is being a cockatiel.

more later...

[Shakespeare]

17. Exactly--like their larger cousins, the cockatoos....

...cockatiels are indefatigable GOOFBALLS! Sounds like she's just being her usual cockatiel goofball self.

[Kat45]

6. PARROTS DO NOT NEED GRIT!

Sorry for the yelling, but this is an important point. Parrots are hookbills; they crack their seeds before eating them. The birds that need grit are softbills (like canaries and finches), who do not crack their seed. Grit can build up inside the bird and be harmful. I just use newspaper to line the cage bottom.

As for her activity, I'm not certain what it is. And it could be nothing to worry about, especially if she's immediately back to her old self. Perhaps she's just expending energy, letting off steam? A lot of birds I've had will sometimes get into a fit of "propellering," where they flap their wings wildly while chirping and squawking. My parrotlet, Grace, sometimes will fly back and forth all around the cage, chirping loudly the whole time.

[Whitacre D_WI]

10. Okay, here goes...

Hi there, DK. Eyesroll and I have two parrots, and I know she's written you before.

1) Parrots, including cockatiels, do not require grit. They are not finches or canaries. If they eat too much grit, they run the risk of suffering an impacted crop (which can be fatal). I urge you to REMOVE all grit from Murhpee's cage. Her cage floor should be plain newsprint, under a grate. That simple.

2) How often does Murphee exhibit this behavior? Remember, parrots are not people. They will sometimes do things we don't and can't understand. If she does not act like this HABITUALLY, it is nothing to worry about. Based upon my experience, it sounds like simple territorial behavior, just like any cockatiel (especially hens) will exhibit.

Well, that's really it. Don't get too worried about your little girl. She will be fine.

Just don't give her any grit.

[Darth_Kitten]

11. I don't have a grate in the cage.....

are pine shavings ok?, is newspaper ok?

[Whitacre D_WI]

13. Pine shavings...

I'd advise against 'em. Haven't heard anything about pine, but cedar can cause skin/lung irritation. Newspaper (plain black newsprint, NO COLOR -- color ink is toxic) is okay.

A grate is best, because it keeps your birdie from rolling around in her own filth (gross, yes, but birdies do it sometimes).

[Darth_Kitten]

12. She doesn't do it often

but it's like she does it for a few seconds, and then acts like she's perfectly "fine"

I worry about the depression, "SAD", as I've read on a bird site that birds can be susceptable to it, just like humans are, in the winter.

[Whitacre D_WI]

14. I wouldn't worry about depression...

Just like people, when birds are depressed, they STAY in that funk. Murphee snaps out of it in a few seconds, which says to me that it's probably either hormonal or territorial.

Without knowing too much about Murphee's living conditions, I can't give you much advice other than don't worry too much. To me this sounds like normal cockatiel behavior (my late 'tiel, Entropy, acted like this a lot).

One piece of advice I can give is this: read "Guide to a Well-Behaved Parrot" by Mattie Sue Athan. It's the bible of psittacine behavior: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0764110306/102-6643704-6774539?v=glance

[alfredo]

15. Til's do a territorial display where they flap their wings.

They also do a bathing routine, fluffing up their feathers.