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Post by anakareninaa on Apr 18, 2010 18:23:24 GMT -5
???My cockatiel, Jojo, is almost three years old and has been "in love" with wool hats ever since he was 1 or so (I guess when he went through puberty?)If somebody puts on a wool hat (skull cap) he gets on top of the person's head and rubs his privates on it 'til he's satisfied... I left the hat in his cage and he's very possessive, will bite anyone who tries to touch it. And Jojo's a very loving bird, he sings a lot, loves being petted,loves people.He just loves wool hats...sings when he sees one, starts talking gibberish.
Our neighbor has a female cockatiel and sometimes Jojo spends a few days in her cage, or vice-versa:she follows him around, he IGNORES her. But put a hat next to him...
Has anybody ever seen this kind of behavior?Is it normal?? HELP!!
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Post by cherylrowland on Apr 18, 2010 18:35:46 GMT -5
No, Jojo's behavior isn't normal. Although at this point since you have let him have the hat this long, you may not be able to break him of wanting it. Anytime, a cockatiel exhibits behavior that is not acceptable, we suggest that you change up his cage. Move his toys, his water dish, food dish, perches and anything else in the cage. Do not put the hat anywhere that Jojo can see it. Hopefully, since it is spring leading into summer and people won't be wearing hats, he will forgot about it. You might buy him some new toys to give him something to focus on. My cockatiels love the balls that has a plastic frame around the bell inside. They can pick it up and drop it, repeating the process over and over. Let me know how this works out for you.
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Post by sarak on Apr 24, 2010 9:34:00 GMT -5
Depends on what you call "normal". If you think it is cute, there is no reason to change it unless you want to breed him. I have birds who are obsessed with me, who are very attached to certain toys, etc. If it is not destructive and does not interfere with their daily life, health, or your relationship, then I do not see a reason to rip their favorite thing away and never let them see it again. Birds are flock animals. They need company. If you keep them alone, they are very likely to develop a "bird" attachment to a person, or an inanimate object. I call that normal behavior when in an "abnormal" circumstance...meaning, if they cannot be with another bird and have the company and attachment with another bird, they are likely to develop it with something else. So, my opinion is you do what you feel is appropriate. If you do not like the hat attachment...then you can take it away, but I would expect him to then focus on something or someone else. If, as you say, you think it is cute...then I see no harm in allowing him to have his "love hat".  Sara K |
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