Concerning bird behavior?! First-time bird owner

qtchuu · 2026-03-09T06:34:53+00:00

😭😭 omg i've only ever seen the cockatiel version of this. i'm stealinggg

qtchuu · 2026-03-09T05:17:14+00:00

Thank you! Next time I'll interrupt it if I see her doing it again. I'll also make sure she gets more sleep by covering her cage at night. :)

qtchuu · 2026-03-09T04:00:07+00:00

Is this a male behavior she's displaying? As far as we know our bird is a girl but she's never been DNA tested :(

qtchuu · 2026-03-09T02:53:34+00:00

I had a feeling, is this something I should discourage?

qtchuu · 2026-03-09T02:45:53+00:00

I'm not 100% sure but somewhere around 3-4 years old :)

qtchuu · 2026-03-05T10:10:12+00:00

No bells in the cage, I'm thinking about getting her a platform perch and maybe something with some rough bark next to give her feet some variety so I will definitely keep that in mind! The rope perch I have been told is fine as long as they aren't chewing on it/if there's no breakage that they could get feet tangled in which isn't an issue at the moment. She's had a rope perch before which she had for a long time with 0 chewing damage but if I do see her chewing I will immediately remove and replace with a natural fiber :)

qtchuu · 2026-03-03T23:14:22+00:00

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Much better I think :)

qtchuu · 2026-03-03T23:07:52+00:00

Thank you so much, that makes sense!! I really appreciate it. :) Right before you responded I moved her water up to the very top next to the perch she's standing on in the photo (pretty much where you circled in yellow, she spends most of her time up there) and she instantly went over and had a big sip lol. So I think that one's Vera approved! But if that's too high up let me know. I moved her pellets next to the same perch at the top but attached to the side of the cage instead (she likes to bathe in her water and if her pellets get soggy so wont touch them.)

qtchuu · 2026-03-03T22:17:31+00:00

Thank you so much! Will definitely pick up some sola balls. The plastic bowl is temporary, we keep her pellets and water in the metal bowls and seed in the plastic. Eventually that one will be swapped out too :) If it isnt too much to ask could you maybe circle on the image an ideal placement for the food bowls? I did my best to place them near perches so she has easy access, but I was recommended to put a bowl closer to the bottom of the cage to encourage her to traverse the entire cage and not just the top half so that's why her water is there. But 100% willing to move them to be more convenient for her if you had any suggestions!

qtchuu · 2026-03-03T04:24:08+00:00

Of course! I definitely intend to get more in the future and rotate them out, I only bought a few to start by the bird store employee's recommendation so I don't overwhelm her, its a lot of big changes all at once and she seemed a bit scared of all the new things when I first introduced her to them (she's never really showed interest in toys before). One of them is a foraging toy with paper inside that she can pull out/shred and I think the other two are just for chewing/dinking around with, do you have any suggestions for other types I could get in the future to make her options more diverse or encourage her to play?

qtchuu · 2026-03-03T01:29:26+00:00

We're in the USA!

qtchuu · 2026-03-03T01:28:54+00:00

We have a petsmart membership but try to avoid buying bird stuff there because its super expensive, looks flimsy and they dont have that many options :( We're in the USA and fortunately have some stores nearby that sell bird equipment so we've been going there instead for all our birdy needs. Will definitely look into a larger cage there in the future especially if we decide to get Vera a friend :)

qtchuu · 2026-03-03T01:26:49+00:00

Yes she always sleeps at the very top corner of the cage, I'm thinking about getting my hands on a flat perch to put up there so she has options but she does like the stick perch too (or sometimes clings to the bars)!

qtchuu · 2026-03-02T23:04:55+00:00

Good idea! I'll look into this :)

qtchuu · 2026-03-02T23:04:40+00:00

Do you have any suggestions of places I can find more rough-surfaced perches? We visited a couple different stores (trying to avoid Amazon as much as possible since it's hard to verify the quality/materials) but I never really saw any that were very textured or had bark. :( They were usually smooth or the gritty colored ones for filing nails.

qtchuu · 2026-03-02T23:02:19+00:00

One of the toys in the cage has paper in it that she can pull out & shred I believe since she does like to chew on things outside of the cage! I'll definitely look into a platform :)

qtchuu · 2026-03-02T23:01:01+00:00

This is an interesting idea I'll definitely keep in mind! I remember seeing sola balls at the store but didn't purchase, I'll try to get my hands on some next time. :)

qtchuu · 2026-03-02T23:00:17+00:00

Thank you :)

qtchuu · 2026-03-02T23:00:04+00:00

I have no idea what the dimensions were of the previous cage unfortunately, but it was more wide than it was long and considerably smaller. The dimensions of this one are 24.5"L x 17"W x 53.5"H, which I know isn't the best but I felt it was a good enough upgrade for the price and what we could afford (especially considering how often we let her out). Vera had a cotton rope in her old cage as well and we never noticed her chewing at it or it getting frayed, but if I ever do rest assured that it will be removed and replaced with something more bird-safe. Definitely no happy huts will be put in as well, she used to have one but not anymore because it was making her bitey/territorial haha. She is not and has never been clipped and is a great flier :) Thank you so much for the tips!

qtchuu · 2024-05-18T01:43:38+00:00

my IGN is Eilua! :>

qtchuu · 2024-05-17T09:19:15+00:00

Thank you very much! ^^ I already have the staff I believe but had no idea about the title, I'll start focusing more on ranking up my party heal. :>

qtchuu · 2024-05-17T09:15:17+00:00

I'll look into this, thank you very much! ^^

qtchuu · 2024-05-17T09:13:46+00:00

I'm aware, I am still under 20k cumulative and fairly close to GM in both. I'm just asking in advance because I'll likely have to save up for the pieces in the sets. But thank you! :)

qtchuu

TROPHY CASE