My first bird ^.^ - Chiko the cockatiel

[arcadiareptiles]

so i bit the dust. she showed me chiko and some of her babys that were for sale and it was no competition. though Chiko is more nippy i love his character. he was fine. he had a meal with me and everything. she said she'd never seen him take to strangers like he did to me. and he was good with Al as well only nipped him a bit. he whistles jingle bell, whistles to say your pretty and says hi chiko and be a good bird.
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w183/ArcadiaReptiles/birds/DSCF0001.jpg
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w183/ArcadiaReptiles/birds/DSCF0002.jpg
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w183/ArcadiaReptiles/birds/DSCF0003.jpg
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w183/ArcadiaReptiles/birds/DSCF0004.jpg
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w183/ArcadiaReptiles/birds/DSCF0005.jpg

[Sue]

:yougogirl

[arcadiareptiles]

just a note. he tends to sometimes nip me hard, is there anyway to deter him. can you use bitter apple? and he only seems to like being pet when hes talking. if he talks you can. otherwise you cant really or hell nip you hard. any tips on getting over that? hes a real good bird its just getting him over those little quirks

[Jean]

Congratulations! :dance::dance: You two look great together. :heart: Your life is never the same once you open your heart to let a companion bird come in. :wub:

[arcadiareptiles]

Congratulations! :dance::dance: You two look great together. :heart: Your life is never the same once you open your heart to let a companion bird come in. :wub:
lol he doesent want me to put him in the cage. he's screaming at me to take him out right now. He rode on my hand when her former owner drove me back) he kept talking and singing to me all the way there lol. supposedly he LOVES to go outside and take drives

[Jean]

I'm so glad he enjoys going for car rides. Elvie loves to go places with me too.
It sounds like he is happy with you and looking forward to settling into his new home.

[arcadiareptiles]

I'm so glad he enjoys going for car rides. Elvie loves to go places with me too.
It sounds like he is happy with you and looking forward to settling into his new home.
yup. he flatters me too. everytime i get out of the room he screams for me. i dont want to encourage him but it makes me feel so special when he does it lol. hes whistling at me right now cause my back is to him(not screaming). i misted him down with a spray bottle couple of minuts ago. he's in the middle of a shed cycle. he one has three perches right now im working on changing a few things. number one is hes in a round cage. im gonna get him a square cage with a playtop. i got it free with him and it'll serve the purpous till i get him a newer bigger cage. tuesday were gonna go get some perches and a couple more toys for him. eventually im gonna deck him out. supposedly he's not interested in toys. just human interaction but i think he just needs to get the right toys. ;). heres some pics of his set up right now. deffinetly needs some changing. im planning on getting one of those rougher perches to help with his nails, etc. any tips on toys and perches?

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w183/ArcadiaReptiles/birds/DSCF0006.jpg

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w183/ArcadiaReptiles/birds/DSCF0007.jpg

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w183/ArcadiaReptiles/birds/DSCF0008.jpg

[arcadiareptiles]

yup. he flatters me too. everytime i get out of the room he screams for me. i dont want to encourage him but it makes me feel so special when he does it lol. hes whistling at me right now cause my back is to him(not screaming). i misted him down with a spray bottle couple of minuts ago. he's in the middle of a shed cycle. he one has three perches right now im working on changing a few things. number one is hes in a round cage. im gonna get him a square cage with a playtop. i got it free with him and it'll serve the purpous till i get him a newer bigger cage. tuesday were gonna go get some perches and a couple more toys for him. eventually im gonna deck him out. supposedly he's not interested in toys. just human interaction but i think he just needs to get the right toys. ;). heres some pics of his set up right now. deffinetly needs some changing. im planning on getting one of those rougher perches to help with his nails, etc. any tips on toys and perches?

the white cord is an extension cord farther away not near enough for him to touch(Were moving the cage anyway) and the purple cord is going to be moved but thats also been removed

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w183/ArcadiaReptiles/birds/DSCF0006.jpg

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w183/ArcadiaReptiles/birds/DSCF0007.jpg

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w183/ArcadiaReptiles/birds/DSCF0008.jpg

[Shirley]

Congratulations!
Yes, you can teach him to stop biting with positive reinforcement. In the meantime -- AVOID bites. Even the ones that don't hurt. With positive reinforcement, choices are the bird's, not yours, and if you want to take her out but she doesn't want to come out, then leave her in her cage. Watch her body language. You might want to read through the behavior forum and also Dr. C's articles in the articles forum.

When you can, I recommend a different cage style. The tall cylinders are "from the olden days" - rectangular (or large square) is preferred, and they need plenty of room to flap their wings really hard. Cockatiels do well in rather large cages.

She is really beautiful! And the pics of the two of you together are priceless!!
:dance: :wub: :dance:

[arcadiareptiles]

Congratulations!
Yes, you can teach him to stop biting with positive reinforcement. In the meantime -- AVOID bites. Even the ones that don't hurt. With positive reinforcement, choices are the bird's, not yours, and if you want to take her out but she doesn't want to come out, then leave her in her cage. Watch her body language. You might want to read through the behavior forum and also Dr. C's articles in the articles forum.

When you can, I recommend a different cage style. The tall cylinders are "from the olden days" - rectangular (or large square) is preferred, and they need plenty of room to flap their wings really hard. Cockatiels do well in rather large cages.

She is really beautiful! And the pics of the two of you together are priceless!!
:dance: :wub: :dance:


Im aware of the cage. i got it free with him so it suits his purpos till i can get him a large cage. im going to get one with a playtop. a breeder i know has a catalog with them for sale for 300$.

as for coming out of the cage he always wants out of the cage and will squawk loudly when he feels hes not getting enough attention(I dont encourage it). hell just nip me all of a sudden when he's out like hes trying to tell me something but i just dont know what. dont know if im annoying him or hes scared of something. its confusing lol. but he wants to be in peoples presence 24/7. he's actually on my arm right now chirping and talking to me(She's told me if he speaks it means hes very comfteable with you) and watching me type. oup there he goes nipping me. dont know if its cause my fingers are a bit too fast or cause im not paying him attention while im typing lol.

a vid i took of him
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSVEEVmgGLM

[Jim]

Congrats! Chiko is adorable. He looks good too. The smile and beaming look on your face tells it all. Chiko will have a great life with you.

If you want to change the nipping, it will take some time. With close observation we can learn what happens right before the nip and the consequence (payoff) for nipping. Once we learn this we can change what is setting off the nip, the consequence, and/or teach a new behavior (communication) he can use to get what he wants. win-win:)

[arcadiareptiles]

Congrats! Chiko is adorable. He looks good too. The smile and beaming look on your face tells it all. Chiko will have a great life with you.

If you want to change the nipping, it will take some time. With close observation we can learn what happens right before the nip and the consequence (payoff) for nipping. Once we learn this we can change what is setting off the nip, the consequence, and/or teach a new behavior (communication) he can use to get what he wants. win-win:)

this morning he had been squawking every so often for us to uncover the cage and give him attention but i only uncovered and let him out when it was little chirps and not his screams of attention. anyways i took him out and he's like a changed bird. hes singing jingle bells for me and hes letting me pet him. and everytime he talks or sings pet him gently and tell him he's such a wounderfull bird. His former owner told me he's like that. one minut hes the perfect bird the other he's a nipping machine(though never so hard that he draws blood). i dont mind the nipping too much i just want to be able to read him better and find out why he does it etc. i can tell the difference between playing nips too. lol i love him so much. hes chirping away at me on my wrist while im typing. tottally happy :p. i never thought he'd take to me so fast hearing her former owner. she says shes never seen him do that either. im the first person besides her whos been able to handle him. i think its cause she worked so well with him.

[tropiclegirl]

Congratulations :dance:, he is adorable :wub:

[arcadiareptiles]

youtube videos of chiko. one of them might not work yet.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSVEEVmgGLM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0AjITmxGxg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XR6NE5oMTw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1Xw_i0OoUY

he just took a shower with me and seemed to really enjoy it. hes in his cage right now taking a nap and drying up lol.

[Jim]

Hi Camille

Nice videos. You look so happy playing with Chiko and he looks happy to be with you. Sounds like you have a really good bird there and are off to a great start. He's settling right in. That's great.

If you don't mind or would like, your call. We could all learn from talking about the first video where Chiko is beaking your finger. Doesn't look to me like he's nipping hard but that video is excellent for showing the before (antecedents) and payoff (consequences) for beaking your finger/hand.

My boys beak my fingers and other body parts, that's fine with me. It's the not beaking/nipping hard that can be troublesome to teach in a positive way so our birds and us learn the difference between nipping/biting hard for defense or beaking for play.

Again, your call on if you want to talk about it.

[arcadiareptiles]

Hi Camille

Nice videos. You look so happy playing with Chiko and he looks happy to be with you. Sounds like you have a really good bird there and are off to a great start. He's settling right in. That's great.

If you don't mind or would like, your call. We could all learn from talking about the first video where Chiko is beaking your finger. Doesn't look to me like he's nipping hard but that video is excellent for showing the before (antecedents) and payoff (consequences) for beaking your finger/hand.

My boys beak my fingers and other body parts, that's fine with me. It's the not beaking/nipping hard that can be troublesome to teach in a positive way so our birds and us learn the difference between nipping/biting hard for defense or beaking for play.

Again, your call on if you want to talk about it.



i dont mind talking about it at all.

last night i was on msn for hours with sadeena and i had chiko on webcam and she helped explain alot of little questions and explained some little behaviors things(like the beak crunching or when he screams out to me when i leave the room in this kindof questioning squawk). Seems like he's already taken me into his flock :) and he's happy. wich is what i want. I want to make him comfterable and happy. ive made him a new perch and were going to buy a pile of toys for him and also contacted an online seller about getting him a big cage

maybe this one
http://www.parrotdiseperch.com/parrot/shop_details.php?prod=1155

Chiko seems to have a dual personality when it comes to nipping. i dont mind being nipped i just want to make sure im doing everything right and be able to pet him other times than when hes whistling jingle bells and talking to me(When he talks you can do anything to him lol). its more learning to read his body language and such. from what ive heard from the previous owner and a breeder who knew him. he came from awfull conditions before she got him. and he's ALOT better than he was. so he can only get better as long as i know what to do and research :). He's eating zupreme all natural pellets right now plus im planning on buying some mashes to see if he'll eat em and also try out some bird recipes and give him greens.

[arcadiareptiles]

Hi Camille

Nice videos. You look so happy playing with Chiko and he looks happy to be with you. Sounds like you have a really good bird there and are off to a great start. He's settling right in. That's great.

If you don't mind or would like, your call. We could all learn from talking about the first video where Chiko is beaking your finger. Doesn't look to me like he's nipping hard but that video is excellent for showing the before (antecedents) and payoff (consequences) for beaking your finger/hand.

My boys beak my fingers and other body parts, that's fine with me. It's the not beaking/nipping hard that can be troublesome to teach in a positive way so our birds and us learn the difference between nipping/biting hard for defense or beaking for play.

Again, your call on if you want to talk about it.

you know i only realised what your talking about after i watched it lol. im pretty much encouraging him arent i? i actually dont do that anymore that was the first day he was over and i was extatic to have him here. i try to ignore the nips mostly and if he gets really bad i put him in his cage for a bit to settle down.

[Jim]

you know i only realised what your talking about after i watched it lol. im pretty much encouraging him arent i? i actually dont do that anymore that was the first day he was over and i was extatic to have him here. i try to ignore the nips mostly and if he gets really bad i put him in his cage for a bit to settle down.Videos are great for looking at ourself aren't they.:) They have helped me many times when I couldn't figure out what was going on.

Yes, you're encouraging it. I encourage nice playing with their beak on my body parts. You don't want him to play gentle with your fingers? Personal choice, some don't allow it, I do.

What did you see you were doing that encouraged it?

What do you see happening right before the beaking? I mean, why did he beak your finger?

We'll start there and if you want we can work up to a most positive, least intrusive method of teaching no hard biting, okay.

FWIW - Saying 'No biting' and putting him in a cage will work, it's usually aversive (unpleasant) to the bird. Personally I like the bird to know it's OK to bite if he feels threatened but not OK to bite to get what he wants. That is unless that want is to protect himself from a perceived unpleasant happening. Like you, me and everyone else. We want to be able to express our dislikes and defend ourself if need be. Right? Makes us a confident whole person.;)

[arcadiareptiles]

Videos are great for looking at ourself aren't they.:) They have helped me many times when I couldn't figure out what was going on.

Yes, you're encouraging it. I encourage nice playing with their beak on my body parts. You don't want him to play gentle with your fingers? Personal choice, some don't allow it, I do.

What did you see you were doing that encouraged it?

What do you see happening right before the beaking? I mean, why did he beak your finger?

We'll start there and if you want we can work up to a most positive, least intrusive method of teaching no hard biting, okay.

FWIW - Saying 'No biting' and putting him in a cage will work, it's usually aversive (unpleasant) to the bird. Personally I like the bird to know it's OK to bite if he feels threatened but not OK to bite to get what he wants. That is unless that want is to protect himself from a perceived unpleasant happening. Like you, me and everyone else. We want to be able to express our dislikes and defend ourself if need be. Right? Makes us a confident whole person.;)

deffinetly. i find hes alot more nippy when my boyfriend is around. he's unsecure around him. in the morning when Al is sleeping he is extatic to come out of the cage and will sing and talk like crazy and i can pet him and tell him what a wounderfull bird he is. and the more i do it the more he talks lol. its adorable. though he is getting better, i was able to pet him when Al was around without him nipping me. he will every so often. but mostly its just to let me know that im bugging him. When hes nipping from a "Your bugging me" way you can tell. another nipping i find he does is to get my attention. if im on the computer and im not looking at him he'll nip me. ive started ignoring that. Also we ignore when he nips Al and such. and praise when he lets me do anything to him that he didnt before(Like petting him etc) or just for stepping up well.

One thing that you should know too is i had almost NO contact with birds before him. i had been around my cousins cockatiel who is confined to a cage in awfull conditions(I know that now), and the birds at the pet store that i went to see, to try to see if a bird was for me. I think im doing pretty good, learning his body language and correcting myself(and not him lol) very fast. thankfully i have you guys here too to learn from. You have no idea how much i love him lol.

oh and one question i asked Sadeena. Is it bad to feel flattered when I leave the room and hear him "flock calling" me? lol. OH and this morning i put him on Al and left the room to get toilet paper cause he pooped on the couch. he litterally flapped his wings jumped off the couch and tried to "birdy run" to follow me. lol He makes me feel so special hahaha. So far my two cats and the dog like us both but take a liking to Al the most. i love that Chiko seems to be mommys boy :wub:

[SadennaAndFlock]

I got to watch chico last night for about an hour when camille had him out with her..I tell you what you can't tell he is brand new to their home just by watching him he acted like he had lived there all his life...and seems very settled and comfortable with Camille..she is doing a great job with him :thumbup:

[arcadiareptiles]

I got to watch chico last night for about an hour when camille had him out with her..I tell you what you can't tell he is brand new to their home just by watching him he acted like he had lived there all his life...and seems very settled and comfortable with Camille..she is doing a great job with him :thumbup:


thanks ^.^. all i want is for him to be happy and he really seems to be. I got back home and all i could hear was him flock calling me as soon as i got in. i went to the cage took him out and he sang and talked to me for 10 minuts. its like he's so happy to see me he has to let it all out. once he's done he's fine. he even talked a bit when Al was around! wich is saying something cause he didnt even want to say anything around him. hes spoilt rotten too. im in the house and he's already on my shoulder.


.... Im even thinking of going on a diet cause he likes to eat with me and i dont want him eating fatty foods. lol Boy does he have me trained -_-'. And hes only been here 3 days!!! lol

[Jim]

Hi

I hope I didn't sound like I didn't think you were doing good with Chiko. The opposite is true, I think you're doing GREAT! To me there is nothing wrong with feeling flattered because our birds like us and want to be with us. I'm as proud as a peacock and very flattered that my birds want to be with me, come to me anytime from any place even when they have had the chance to be free. So be flattered and proud that Chiko likes you.:)

I'm only trying to point out some things I've learned in hopes others won't have to make the same mistakes. I've made plenty of mistakes, I'm sure I am now and will make more. I like this tag line an internet friend uses.
"Mistakes are just starting places!" Kellie

Ignoring is good but it's only a small part of the whole equation when modifying behaviors. I'll try to convey what I've learned about ignoring unwanted behavior using a modified version of the pop machine example.

Subject pushes button and receives the pop. Machine is slow at giving pop so the subject pushes the button harder and gets the pop. Machine wants to stop the hard pushing so when button is pushed hard machine ignores the request. Subject will push and push harder and harder to get what he used to get, the pop. We can at this point use an aversive such as time out for pushing too hard. Yes, the bird will learn that pushing too hard will get him put in jail.

A more positive, less intrusive method would look something like this. Push button too hard and the machine walks away. The subject has lost the chance to gain the pop which was the reinforcement he was looking for. Machine returns to give him another chance to do it easy. Or we could install a new way to get a pop - voice activated. Say "hello" and get the pop. Now it's the teachers job to teach him that hard pushing of the button won't work but saying hello will. He now has a choice and will choose the one that works. No aversive stimulus is needed plus the big factor is the subject is learning to learn. Once they learn to learn, it's been my experience they enjoy it, we both have fun and build a trusting companionship.

Sorry for the long post. Hope it wasn't boring. That's as short as I could make it and feel comfortable it was still clear.

[arcadiareptiles]

Hi

I hope I didn't sound like I didn't think you were doing good with Chiko. The opposite is true, I think you're doing GREAT! To me there is nothing wrong with feeling flattered because our birds like us and want to be with us. I'm as proud as a peacock and very flattered that my birds want to be with me, come to me anytime from any place even when they have had the chance to be free. So be flattered and proud that Chiko likes you.:)

I'm only trying to point out some things I've learned in hopes others won't have to make the same mistakes. I've made plenty of mistakes, I'm sure I am now and will make more. I like this tag line an internet friend uses.
"Mistakes are just starting places!" Kellie

Ignoring is good but it's only a small part of the whole equation when modifying behaviors. I'll try to convey what I've learned about ignoring unwanted behavior using a modified version of the pop machine example.

Subject pushes button and receives the pop. Machine is slow at giving pop so the subject pushes the button harder and gets the pop. Machine wants to stop the hard pushing so when button is pushed hard machine ignores the request. Subject will push and push harder and harder to get what he used to get, the pop. We can at this point use an aversive such as time out for pushing too hard. Yes, the bird will learn that pushing too hard will get him put in jail.

A more positive, less intrusive method would look something like this. Push button too hard and the machine walks away. The subject has lost the chance to gain the pop which was the reinforcement he was looking for. Machine returns to give him another chance to do it easy. Or we could install a new way to get a pop - voice activated. Say "hello" and get the pop. Now it's the teachers job to teach him that hard pushing of the button won't work but saying hello will. He now has a choice and will choose the one that works. No aversive stimulus is needed plus the big factor is the subject is learning to learn. Once they learn to learn, it's been my experience they enjoy it, we both have fun and build a trusting companionship.

Sorry for the long post. Hope it wasn't boring. That's as short as I could make it and feel comfortable it was still clear.

it does make sence :). makes more sence now that ive been reading up a bit on cockatiel and basic bird behavior as well. He's actually slowed down alot on the nipping. he'll do it on small amounts every so often. but hardly anymore. He even accepts my boyfriend now(Well a bit). he sings in front of him wich he wouldnt before. and today he went on his hand without giving him nips. he really is a good bird :wub: .


i wanted to share the little hawl he got today lol. he must think its christmas ;). i bought him a new perch(I know its not the best if he stands on it 24/7 so i have it in a spot where hell just cross over things on it. i wanted something to help his nails. i got him a cuttle bone, some millet(He went CRAZY for the millet), some all natural pellets and some seed mix, 3 toys and some dishes. now he has the pellets in one dish on top, water on top. and fresh food on top(if i give him greens, bird bread etc) and he has seed and a bit of pellet on the bottom(Theres holes that have to be covered by the dishes on the bottom). He went crazy for the pellet after he got his fill of the millet lol.

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w183/ArcadiaReptiles/birds/DSCF0012.jpg

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w183/ArcadiaReptiles/birds/DSCF0013.jpg


also got some cute pics not long ago. Chiko and I were looking at possible new cages for him ;)

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w183/ArcadiaReptiles/birds/DSCF0011.jpg

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w183/ArcadiaReptiles/birds/DSCF0010.jpg

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w183/ArcadiaReptiles/birds/DSCF0009.jpg

[arcadiareptiles]

a video of chiko exploring his new stuff

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T69pA-umN5Q