Cockatiel Advice & First Aid 101

Your parrot may live in your home, but many of the instincts that help wild parrots survive are still influencing their behaviour. Being a prey animal can affect how they respond to staring or sudden movements, unfamiliar colours, patterns and shapes can signal possible danger, and their instinct to stay connected with their flock can explain why they call when you disappear from sight. Understanding where these behaviours come from can completely change the way you respond to them. If you’d like to learn more about parrot care, health and first aid, my book, *How the Flock Do I Care for a Parrot?*, answers over 300 real owner questions covering a broad range of topics, including parrot health, first aid, nutrition and general care. It is available on Amazon. This is for educational purposes only. Always seek advice from an avian veterinarian when needed. 🦜

Your parrot behaving better for somebody else doesn’t necessarily mean they like that person more than you. They may be more cautious around someone they don’t know, respond differently to somebody who handles them more confidently, or behave differently around a person who notices their body language and gives them space before they feel the need to bite. Watching how your parrot interacts with that person can help you spot small differences in the way they approach, handle and respond to your bird. If you’d like to learn more about parrot care, health and first aid, my book, How the Flock Do I Care for a Parrot?, answers over 300 real owner questions covering a broad range of topics, including parrot health, first aid, nutrition and general care. It is available on Amazon. This is for educational purposes only. Always seek advice from an avian veterinarian when needed. 🦜

Parrots are incredibly intelligent and can learn much more from us than we sometimes realise. They can learn that waiting brings a better reward, work out which behaviours get the reaction they want from you, and solve problems through exploration and experience. They can also learn by watching what happens around them, so be mindful of what your parrot sees you doing because they may work out far more than you expect. If you’d like to learn more about parrot care, health and first aid, my book, How the Flock Do I Care for a Parrot?, answers over 300 real owner questions covering a broad range of topics, including parrot health, first aid, nutrition and general care. It is available on Amazon. This is for educational purposes only. Always seek advice from an avian veterinarian when needed. 🦜

Arthritis can make everyday movements increasingly uncomfortable for your parrot, and the first changes can be easy to miss. You may notice them struggling to grip their perch, becoming less active, flying or climbing less, or taking weight off one leg because a painful joint is uncomfortable to use. These signs can also have other causes, so changes in your parrot’s movement, balance or ability to perch should be assessed by an avian veterinarian rather than assumed to be arthritis. If you’d like to learn more about recognising health problems and caring for your parrot, my book, How the Flock Do I Care for a Parrot?, answers over 300 real owner questions covering parrot health, first aid, nutrition and general care. It is available on Amazon. This is for educational purposes only. Always seek advice from an avian veterinarian when needed. 🦜

Your parrot can become obsessed with certain foods for several reasons. High-fat foods like seeds and nuts can taste particularly good to them, while foods they’ve eaten many times can feel safer than something unfamiliar. With foods such as sunflower seeds, even holding and cracking open the shell can become part of the enjoyment. If you’re introducing something new, using a small amount of a favourite food can sometimes help make the unfamiliar taste easier to accept. I cover a wide range of parrot feeding and nutrition subjects in my book, What the Flock Do I Feed My Parrot?, including introducing new foods and pellets, helping picky eaters, safe and toxic foods, feeding during different life stages, sprouting, recipes and common feeding myths. It is available on Amazon. This is for educational purposes only. Always seek advice from an avian veterinarian when needed. 🦜

Disease can reach your parrot without another bird ever entering your home. Infectious material can be carried on your hands, skin, hair, clothes and shoes after you’ve been around other birds, while second-hand bird equipment can also introduce bacteria and viruses into your home. Good biosecurity means thinking about what you may unknowingly carry between birds, particularly when visiting breeders, pet shops or bird shows, caring for quarantined birds, or bringing used equipment into your home. If you’d like to learn more about protecting your parrot’s health, my book, How the Flock Do I Care for a Parrot?, answers over 300 real owner questions covering parrot health, first aid, nutrition and general care. It is available on Amazon. This is for educational purposes only. Always seek advice from an avian veterinarian when needed. 🦜

Breeding and egg laying increase nutritional demands, which means some parrots may need additional nutritional support depending on their existing diet and individual needs. Calcivet, Avimix and Zoo Med Avian Plus are alternative supplementation options and are not three products to give together. Never combine these supplements unless your avian vet has specifically advised you to do so, and always check what vitamins and minerals are already provided by your parrot’s pellets or other fortified foods before adding anything else. A parrot eating a nutritionally complete pelleted diet may already be receiving adequate vitamins and minerals, and unnecessary supplementation can lead to excessive nutrient intake, so always discuss supplementation with your avian vet first. If you’d like to learn more about parrot nutrition and feeding, my book, *What the Flock Do I Feed My Parrot?*, provides comprehensive guidance on safe and toxic foods, introducing new foods and pellets, helping picky eaters, nutrition for breeding birds, weaning chicks, moulting, illness, older parrots, over 40 recipes and smoothies, sprouting, and feeding myths. It is available on Amazon. This is for educational purposes only. Always seek advice from an avian veterinarian when needed. 🦜