cockatiel crying at night

[htopiwala]

my 2 year old Luntino Cockatiel just started crying tonight. i have no idea why and its killing me. i take peter out and he sits on my and watches TV, and then ill put him back and around 30-40mins later, he starts crying again. does anybody know why?


also, on a side note, i think he brused his beak because hes got like a black spot on it, i called my vet and he said i shouldnt be worried. the spot has been there for around 3 weeks now. should i be worried?

[Gina]

Hi htopiwala,

Can you tell us a little more about this crying. What does it sound like, very loud screams, whimpers, is he trashing around in his cage? Also where does he sleep, does he have quiet, is he in pitch black etc?

As for the spot, I have no idea what it might be but you were right to want to get it checked out by a vet. I'm amazed your vet said it was nothing to worry about without even looking at it (mind you chances are it probably isn't anything to worry about, but it always safest to get these things checked out). I'd think about changing the vet, is he/she an avian vet?

[dlaura]

Does your bird stop crying while he is out with you? If so then maybe he is bored in his cage -- does Peter have toys in the cage to play with? Have his eating habits changed at all -- do his poops look normal? Birds are very good at hiding their ailments, as in the wild to let any other animal know you were sick would be a death sentence, so sometimes by the time we can tell they're ill - they are very very ill. So if the crying continues I would do a vet consult as soon as possible.

[htopiwala]

he has plenty of toys to play with, its little wimpers he is doing. his droppings look fine, he stops crying as soon as i take him out, im going to monitor him tonight to see if he does it again. its not completely pitch black, there is a very little night light that gives him just enough light to see himself move around. right now he is very playful, and as soon as i leave the room to post this, he is screaming to come back lol

[Gina]

Just sounds like he's a bit lonely and clingy to me htopiwala. I don't really know what the answer is, sounds like you're doing just fine with him. Maybe get him a little friend ;)

[jonesy zoo]

when Apollo was little that is the white cockie at night we would put in a stuffed bird toy and he snuggle up to it or the other option is to get a snuggle bed....or you could also put a low wattage light near his cage,,red works well that is light bulb...sometimes they are lonely...

[htopiwala]

i was actually thinking about getting him a friend. i was looking into getting a White Cockatiel (pretty sure its called albino), i do not want another Lutino, or i will get confused which one is which!
would it be safe to mix a different breed of cockatiel with another cockatiel?


oh as a side note, about a good 50-60FT away, my wife keeps a glade scented Oil candle that she doesnt keep on too often, but she uses it around 1 hour most days. i heard scented candles are toxic to birds. i called glade and they said it wasnt. should i be worried?

[Gina]

Sure you can mix, they're colour mutations rather than breeds. I take it your not planning on breeding? If so I'm not too sure, but if you get a girl you might want to get them a cage each or before you know it you'll have 8 cockatiels :)

As for the Glade candle I personally wouldn't burn one in my house with my tiels. This is the site that I usually get my information from (believe me I'm no expert) and they advise against Glade in Particular:

http://www.cockatielcottage.net/hazards.html

I think that probably with any of the milder toxic odours, like scented candles, you might get away with it for short periods of time in a far away, well ventilated room, but why take the risk? They have such sensitive respiratory systems. Plus there are other non-toxic ways you can keep the home smelling nice. Look half way down this page and you'll see lots of healthy substitutes:

http://es.epa.gov/techinfo/facts/safe-fs.html

Welcome to the forum by the way. Got any photos of your cockatial, what's his name? :)

[SDBelle]

Sounds like you're doing fine with him and he may just be really attached to you. :) I have 3 cockatiels together (all different colors) and they're fine with each other. They're still tame enough that I can take them out individually and cuddle with them, but attached to each other enough that they don't screech when I'm not around.

[htopiwala]

yea i cant cuddle with mine to much :/
he flys off onto the shelf

everytime i go in for a pet, BOOM hes gone to the shelf

[WAbirdlady]

Tiny, my male cockatiel, did the same thing. He would make such a fuss when he wasn’t with me or my husband. Couldn’t keep him in his cage. After we bought Sophie, our female, he settled down a lot. They are in separate cages but they’re right next each other.

He is just crying because you are the only flock member his has and he doesn’t want to be parted from you.

Tiny has never been much of a cuddler. I think most male cockatiels are that way.

It sounds to me like you have a normal and healthy baby and your doing right by him.

[catmom]

Your bird may be just talking to himself.I have a 26 year old cockatiel,that likes to talk himself to sleep.It's real soft little chirps.I think it could be boredom too,I rotate Billy's toys in and out of the cage,he always seems to think he is getting new toys.

Good luck.

[htopiwala]

wow 26 years! thats great!

yea, what do they call the White Cockatiels? i was thinking about getting one.

[2mad4animalz]

wow! That's a grand age for a tiel!

About yours I think he may just be crying for attention. A mate may do him good. Although a family friend has a Indian Ringnecked parakeet who is afraid of the dark. He often has to keep his dimmer switch on low throughout the night.