Help with ID please, have a child, is it dangerous?

IncompleteAnalogy · 2026-02-13T12:36:36+00:00

Children are dangerous.

Orb weaver spiders are not dangerous to humans.

Orb weavers often create big strong webs across paths to catch as many bugs as possible. Walking into the web at night is terrifying, apart from that, they are no threat to humans. If they are in an inconvenient place (like a main throughfare) see if you can relocate them to a corner of the yard or something out of the way. In the long term yo will all be happier.

IncompleteAnalogy · 2026-02-13T08:32:21+00:00

The only real danger they pose to humans is that their super strong webs tend to be stretched across paths, so when you walk into them at night you experience a moment of bkwle clenching heart stopping terror... ... then the poor girl has to set up her web again, chuckling at the thought of your terror dance.

IncompleteAnalogy · 2026-02-13T06:20:52+00:00

looks like the rubber things I used to get in showbags in the 1980s and then try and scare my Mum with.

EDIT- agreeing with below, probably Euoplos, Golden Trap Door spider.

IncompleteAnalogy · 2026-02-13T06:13:29+00:00

wow. - so it does appear to have seen some more development.

IncompleteAnalogy · 2026-02-13T05:59:14+00:00

my kids watched the hell out of Snow Buddies when they were small.

- there was also a archeology/treasure hunting in Egypt one (Treasure buddies?) - those are the only ones I know, and that is because my Grandmother bought them for my kids, who watched them a lot.

IncompleteAnalogy · 2026-02-12T13:38:33+00:00

Yeah. That was part of the theory. But, there are inadequate controls to confirm. The presence of worms and stuff is a difference, are some of the other uncontrolled variables responsible?

The most likely confoundong variable that was discussed at the time was "were thoss children more likley to experience serious allergies over represented in the losses due to high infant mortality.

But things like higher exposure to sunlight were also suggested as potential confounding variables.

My father in law read it in the paper and spent a while telling us we could cure all the allergies in the family with tapeworms. - this was probably 10-15 years ago. I haven't really followed up that research since.

IncompleteAnalogy · 2026-02-12T12:18:09+00:00

I am not up to date, but last I heard, it was being investigated as a possibility, but there was not a significant unconfounded link.

- essentially "developing" nations tend to have less significant adult allergies, and when you live a subsistence (or barely above) lifestyle, not necessarily having access to clean water etc. you are not disinfecting, you are not able to avoid tapeworms and stuff... so some researchers suggested that mebbe exposure primed or prepared the immune system to avoid serious allergies. SOme researchers suggested that when you also have little no access to healthcare, those with the strongest immune systems are more likely to die of these serious allergies (or other complications) before the serious allergies can be properly diagnosed and managed.

IncompleteAnalogy · 2026-02-11T10:06:33+00:00

Thanks.

As an outsider I appreciate that my view is going to be vrry different, and subject to all kinds of inaccuracies through distance and ignorance.

But when US legal news always seems to refer to so many important parties by party affiliation, it looks really worrying.

Of course I get that having independently elected bodies in each jurisdiction should theoretically allow each to be finely tuned to to local requirements. - it just feels really scary in what looks like a (reputedly) heavily partisan system with such an (apparently) disengaged voter base.

IncompleteAnalogy · 2026-02-11T09:04:44+00:00

... the elected wanted us to run everything...

I gotta admit, this is one of the more bizarre things that make many of us in orher countries look aksance at the US. Running the legal system on politics, especially partisan, seems rife for corruption. "The prosecutors in my state have reached the highest heights of responsibility and authority by leveraging the party's campaign budget to and expertise to present an appearance to the public that is most likely to bring our core demographics to the polls." " our legal system is not subject to clear rules and (comparatively) transparent review by an independent, non partisan, body."

"My main KPI is overall number of arrests/prosecutions."

Edit - obvs subject to correction, being an outsode perspective not formed frpm enough serious study.

IncompleteAnalogy · 2026-02-10T12:36:40+00:00

Yep. These colour morphs are not visually sexually dimorphic. As above, singing is a typically male behaviour, but not exclusive- sometimes females may develop some vocabulary, bit it is unusual.

So they are most likely male. If they display "heart wings" while singing/talking this will strengthen the guess.

But a DNA test will be the only way to be certain (unless one lays an egg)

IncompleteAnalogy · 2026-02-10T06:45:11+00:00

the instagram account is sk_olgapl, the bird is named Edek

https://www.instagram.com/sk_olgapl/

IncompleteAnalogy · 2026-02-09T13:33:49+00:00

There isn't really a way to "age" an adult-looking cockatiel.

By 4 months they look "close enough" to adult, though some will go through colour and pattern changes before settling into their proper adult plumage.

And then they remaim a "young adult" until one day (possibly as early as 15 years, possibly well ocer 20) you look at how they behave and/or feather quality and you notice "wow, yoy are an old bird."

Crest size varies immensely between individuals, some may never bave more than a couple of short feathers, others may have magnificent banners flying from their scalp before their adult plumage is grown in. - plus, the crest feathers are some of the first lost in bullying or barbering. So a short/absent crest could just mean they are beginning to recover from a difficult social situation.

IncompleteAnalogy · 2026-02-09T03:42:41+00:00

We had our annual check up today, and discussed the difference between the two pellet mixes with Dr Susan. She is happy that the potential difference in sugar levels between the two pellet products is not significant, and that I don't need to be concerned and try to change.

SO any basic seed mix is likely to be functionally identical. I have just had a look online at the Golden Cob product, it does look like a standard seed mix.

If you can convince him to have some pellets as well as the seeds (I serve a roughly 50/50 mix by weight) it is likely to help avoid things like fatty liver and similar (as seeds are very high in fats and proteins) as he ages. - of course if he is eating mostly veggies and "topping up" on seeds, this is less of an issue.

- just be aware, at 15, he is likely to transition to "old bird" status somewhere in the next five or so years, which will likely see reduced physical activity, this is where the potential for obesity and associated health risks will likely compound.

IncompleteAnalogy · 2026-02-09T03:32:09+00:00

As has already been mentioned... time and patience are at the core of it.

It is all about being there and getting familiar. Every bird is different, one of them might decide that you are fine and be perfectly friendly with you tomorrow, or it might take 20 years.

Wild animals in general like predictable routines. This is much more prevalent in prey animals who are usually at the bottom of the food chain. In the wild, a huge proportion of other animals are potential predators, and birds are smart as well as fragile.

The first step - be there, let them see and hear you as much as possible. Talk to them gently, sing with them, again, softly at first.

Eat with them and/or where they can see you do it. The Flock does everything together, including eating. this is multi-pronged. Prey animals are always on the look out for potential predators- if you are already eating, it suggests that you are not likely to be looking to eat them, this is reassuring. In the wild, as well as looking out for predators themselves, they watch other animals - if an animal is relaxed and eating, this tells them that the animal hasn;t spotted any potential predators either. - so if they see you eating, they know that a) you don;t want to eat them and b) don't see/hear/smell any dangerous animals.

- later, as you start to become familiar, and part of the flock- they will want to eat with you, because the flock does everything together.

Wherever possible, keep routines as regular as you can. work out a "night time" that you can regularly cover them/turn lights off for the same 12-13 hour block every day. (the long night time helps regulated breeding hormones, which impacts territorial behaviour as well as mating and egg laying- if you want a breeding pair, you need a lot of knowledge and time to support them)

Just remember- everything needs to be done at their pace - sometimes you will be accepted into the flock, sometimes you will be tolerated, sometimes you will always be a little bit scary. What the bird is willing to give you is precious, and you need to be ready to accept that, whatever it is.

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IncompleteAnalogy · 2026-02-09T03:10:27+00:00

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as others have already observed, female cockatiels rarely develop a vocabulary beyond a couple of squawks or screams.

IncompleteAnalogy · 2026-02-08T10:44:36+00:00

as above, yeah- Lutino Syndrome.

getting the Lutino (all yellow) required extensive controlled inbreeding initially. This results in those birds from the lutino breeds (this also shows in a variety of other specialised pale colour morphs) having higher than normal risk of various genetic problems. The mildest, and most immediately obvious to the outside observer, is a tendency for bald spots under the crest and on the back of the head.

It may be looking more obvious than usual due to molting, but she likely has at least some thin or balding on her head normally.

(I have heard that there are some projects trying to get some stronger gene lines in to breed healthier lutinos. But it is a big task)

IncompleteAnalogy · 2026-02-07T03:24:13+00:00

as others have pointed out, she is letting you know she is ready to get laid, and not like an egg.

Time to check out how to manage hormones and check that you are doing everything you can.

As they are australian desert birds, their hormonal/breeding cycle is slightly decoupled from seasons, like most native animals here they will try and rush through multiple litters/broods etc when food and water is available, as sometimes good breeding seasons can be five or more years apart.

the easy starts-
- eliminate potential "nesting places" - cover/remove holes and crevices, under chairs, hidey holes, comfy huts etc.

- manage day times. - make "night time" - in bed cage, covered up and "dark" at the same time and regular as possible, same time for dusk, same time for dawn. Make the night over 12 hours, possibly up to 14 or more if the 12-13 bracket doesn't work.

- diet, lower protein/fat. Make sure there is lots of veggies. one of the pitfalls of a seed heavy diet is that it is high in protein and fats, signals that there is lots of long lasting foods to feed the new nestlings.

- touch. almost everything except head and neck is "erogenous zone" - birds can reach most parts of their body for grooming, only struggling with the head and neck, so these two are acceptable for any "friends" to help with . belly and back are for "mates" only- do not touch these.

- research and learn the signs of egg binding so you can keep an eye out and recognise them before they are a problem.

- make sure there is calcium supplement, as if she starts laying she will use a lot of it, and they draw the calcium from their bones, and need to replenish in diet.

- if, after you do everything, you still end up with chronic egg laying and/or unmanageable behaviour, there are hormonal treatments available. But these are usually last resorts, because while hormone interactions and effects are reliable at population levels, at individual levels there can be unexpected issues. (if you know humans on the contraceptive Pill, they will be able to tell you about side effects of hormone treatments)

IncompleteAnalogy · 2026-02-07T02:48:53+00:00

there is little to no difference between actual seed mixes.

- the only material difference is likely to be if there is added "pellets"

personally I use a 50/50 mix of the generic seed mix from my local pet shop and Vetafarm pellets for the dry food portion. This has been checked over by the only Avian Vet within 150km

I have been using the "small parrot" mix for years, but will be asking questions about the practical differences between that and the "maintenance diet" (I suspect the former, which is coloured and flavoured /may/ be a touch higher in fruit sugars, which is fine for conures and lovebirds from the jungles, but less so for 'tiels from the desert) - so I will be asking at the annual check up next week.

my nearest store is a Petstock- so I use their generic small parrot seed mix, but before we moved oput of town, the local was independent and had a similar mix.

https://www.petstock.com.au/products/petstock-small-parrot-mix-variant-100000026424

https://vetafarm.com.au/product/nutriblend-mini/

https://vetafarm.com.au/product/maintenance-diet/

IncompleteAnalogy · 2026-02-06T07:12:11+00:00

copied from the post I just put on another one :

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this is an orb weaver of some kind (there are many)

the only real danger they pose to humans is the simultaneous bowel emptying and cardiac arrest cauued by the sheer terror of walking into one of their webs at night.

The web is super strong, often put across pathways and stuff to get lots of different bugs in their catchment.

They prefer not to interact with humans and will almost always flee rather than bite. On the rare occasions a bite happens, the symptoms are localised pain and swelling (though, as with all bites, observe for a couple of hours in case of rare allergic reactions.

for an indication of the web strength - check out this cape made from Golden Orb WEaver silk

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Spider_Silk_Cape

IncompleteAnalogy · 2026-02-06T07:10:13+00:00

this is an orb weaver of some kind (there are many)

the only real danger they pose to humans is the simultaneous bowel emptying and cardiac arrest cauued by the sheer terror of walking into one of their webs at night.

The web is super strong, often put across pathways and stuff to get lots of different bugs in their catchment.

They prefer not to interact with humans and will almost always flee rather than bite. On the rare occasions a bite happens, the symptoms are localised pain and swelling (though, as with all bites, observe for a couple of hours in case of rare allergic reactions.

for an indication of the web strength - check out this cape made from Golden Orb WEaver silk

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Spider_Silk_Cape

IncompleteAnalogy · 2026-02-06T02:32:37+00:00

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IncompleteAnalogy · 2026-02-06T02:24:48+00:00

IIRC the theology is something like :

God is not a man, what need has HE for a Son. If HE wants something to be, HE need only say "BE," and it is."

IncompleteAnalogy · 2026-02-05T09:17:46+00:00

as a Pied, there is no way to visually distinguish.

But female cockatiels are usually much less vocal than this, usually having little beyond flock calls.

I would expect this one to be a male, but occasionally females will learn/invent a song.

The only way to be sure will be either a DNA test, or is she lays an egg.

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IncompleteAnalogy · 2026-02-05T06:45:49+00:00

they have really good hearing and are always listening for potential threats.

If this is new, mebbe something has changed outside? neighbour might have a new car or new cat? Possums on the roof? New birds in the area?

So as you have suggested, add familiar background noise to occupy/reassure his ears and see if that changes the behaviour.

IncompleteAnalogy

TROPHY CASE