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Anonymous
So /an/.

I recently acquired a whitefaced cockatiel.

I named him Phoenix, as I've recently been addicted to the Phoenix Wright video games. He'll be a year old in a few months.

If I find a sound file of Phoenix (from the game) yelling OBJECTION and play it nonstop over and over and over again, will the bird eventually start yelling it, too?
>> Anonymous
Also, not my bird, but very similar.
>> Anonymous
>>309152
DEAR GOD WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO DO THIS?!!!
no, i might or might not work. if you condition with treats or attention he might do it. at the petstore that i work at the cockatiels don't get nearly enough attention so they don't speak, but i have seen ones that do.
>> Anonymous
>>309156
He's already imitating the sounds that I make when I tap my ring on my mouse.

I've only had him for about a week or so.
>> Anonymous
>>309158
yeah he should do it then if you're lucky
Suggestion: does he ask for treats or call for you by tapping his cage etc? If so, say "Objection!" like Phoenix EVERY TIME. Do this until he starts trying to say it back to you. Be sure to go NUTS with the TLC whenever he does good.
Then when he calls, walk up and say "Objection!" and only give him what he wants when he tries to repeat it.
Eventually you work around to him calling "Objection!" on his own. Then you can say "Overruled!" when you have to do something else...
My manager got the one conure to sing songs with some garbled words. It was so cool
>> Anonymous
>>309161
Great, thanks, I'll try that.

He's still a bit shy around me, like he'll run when I try to take him out of his cage, but once I get him out he sits on the back of my neck and hides in my hair.
>> Anonymous
>>309168
make sure that you do not thrust your arm into his cage when you are taking him out - let him come out on his own. You do this because his cage is his house and you want him to feel safe, like no one can get him. You will eventually have to put your hand in there for some reason, but hopefully he will trust you enough by then to not be bothered too much. Just respect his space.
to get him out just put your hand or wrist near the door and wait for him, saying "Up!" so that he learns that that is the word for getting on your hand (might want to hold off on this if you're teaching him "Objection!" - don't want to overload his sweet feathery brain.) He should come out on his own, becuase they are curious birds and like to explore.
>> Anonymous
I might teach him up (I've been saying "Come here" when I want him to come out) before I try "OBJECTION!".

I sometimes have trouble getting him out of my hair, even though I pull it back when I have him out.

Might there be some reason he's trying to nest in my hair? How do I keep him from getting tangled in it?
>> Anonymous
>>309168
about the cuddling in your hair - make sure he is comfortable with your hands being near him and petting him. He probably thinks of your body as his perch and you want him to be comfortable with the unusual leathery birds that is always around you.
don't let him on your head - it is a sign of dominance (highest perch.) The one really awesome but bitchy bird at work used to be mean to me until I stopped letting her sit on my head.
>> Anonymous
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>>309176
he thinks your hair is a nest. ever seen those fuzzy plush nests (pic related)? That's what he thinks your hair is. this may or may not be ok
>> Anonymous
>>309177
He has no problems sitting on my finger or my hands, but he climbs up on my shoulder the first chance he gets.

He doesn't really 'nest' per say in my hair, but he does get stuck sometimes when he's been there for a while.
>> Anonymous
>>309180
tie your hair back? he lurvs you
the one bitchy bird did that to me a lot too and eventually she "went into heat" and kept trying to get my hand to "mount" her... it was creepy and touching at the same time as she did her little mating dance
>> Anonymous
>>309183
D'awwww.

I read somewhere that male birds will 'fap' if their hormones are stimulated.

Don't think that will happen with this bird though.

He was watching me play Animal Crossing last night on my DS. He kept trying to attack the stylus every time I put it to the screen.
>> Anonymous
>>309186
if you present no females but
increases the protein in his food supply (i.e. egg laced food)
increases the amount of daylight he gets
give him frequent baths
etc.
he may well fapfapfapfap a fucking storm because those are signs of the mating season in his sweet widdle noggin
>> Anonymous
>>309191
That also reminds me, how do I give him a bath?
>> Anonymous
>>309196
it varies. some really like bathes and some are meh...
get a large but shallow container (1' long by 8'' wide by 2-3'' deep?) and fill it with warm (but not hot) water so that he doesn't get cold. put it on the floor surrounded by towels to catch spillage. Then set him down near it and let him go to town. he might not like it at first so splash your fingers in the water a little as example.
when he seems done let him shake himself off (NO hairdryers!) and keep the room warm so that he will not get cold. if he needs it see if he will let you dry him off a bit
>> Anonymous
>>309208
Alright, we'll try that tomorrow when my parents aren't in the house.

My dad probably wouldn't mind, but my stepmom would blow her top cause I would be 'making a mess'.

Would a spray bottle work if I can't get ahold of a dish or something?
>> Anonymous
>>309215
maybe. no experience with that strategy. truth is they are not so much looking to wash or get totally sopping wet, but to get a little damp (but some really do want to swim, so...) a smaller dish should be fine. honestly he just needs to get himself wet and be able to dry off in a safe way
i guess your stepmom doesn't like the bird too much? i totally understand. particularly when i first started working with them i had a hard time getting to like them, mainly because of the biting. I tend to think of them as little people who think the same way i do. they are not of course, and getting mad never helps it just makes them scared...
>> Anonymous
>>309221
Right.

I had a parakeet once a long time ago, she hated him too.

In fact, she hates (I should say she's afraid of) anything smaller than her dog. I found a frog in the house once and caught it. I showed it to her and she ran out of the house screaming.
>> Anonymous
>>309222
some people are like that, some about birds, some about everything.
a good compromise might to be to have an established room for the bird that your stepmom doesn't care about and simply never have Pheonix leave its cage with her around.
if he talks it might help (anthropomorphizing the bird for her.) Also, never try to make her hold him - that can only end in tears.
>> Anonymous
>>309232
Right.

Sorry if I'm keeping you from something, I'm trying to find out as much as I can.

Oh!

The people that I got the bird from cut his wings super-short. I mean, they cut up into the blood feathers, they're so short.

Are there going to be problems when they grow back in, or are they going to grow back in at all?
>> Anonymous
>>309239
nope I'm just studying my Nip' and chatting with you. I'm all good. Kinda surprised that I've picked up this much after only a few years though...
What do you mean by blood feathers? Do you mean pin feathers, flight feathers, etc? If he isn't bleeding he's probably fine but I'm not sure about the future.
Flight feathers will inevitably grow back unless something really bad happened. When the tips of his wings cross you will know that he needs to be clipped again, which is no prob.
Who/where did you get him from and for how much? I really hope he hasn't been abused before you got him
>> Anonymous
>>309246
I actually got him from my brother's mother cause she was moving. I didn't pay anything for him. All that my brother told me was that he was in a cage with a female for a while but they ended up separating them because he was getting aggressive.

And yeah, I mean pinfeathers. He can't fly, if he gets spooked when I'm taking him out he doesn't get very far.

There's no blood, his wings were this short when I got him, but I just don't want him to hurt or anything when his new feathers grow in.
>> Anonymous
>>309252
i'm no vet but i think his feathers should be ok. only time will tell. if he preens normally you're cool.
watch to make sure that his flight feathers don't get full size. those are the ones that let him gain altitude so without them he is just falling with style.
it's good to hear that he wasn't from some shit breeder. it's also a good idea to have your brother or his mom come over and hang out with the bird if they're willing, to give him some more variety.
oh yeah, make sure his cage is big enough (the bigger the better)
>> Anonymous
>>309255
It's a pretty big cage, it could probably fit another bird in it if I had the money to get another one.
My brother lives in my house, but he didn't like the bird when it was at his mom's. My dad sometimes comes in to watch him and stuff but that's about it.

I've got the little bugger on my hand right now, he's grooming himself and shaking a lot of bird dust all over the place. I'm trying to keep him off my shoulder for tonight so he gets more used to my hands.
>> Anonymous
>>309258
that's awesome. You seem to like your bird and I hope you guys get along. maybe the other members of your familial unit will come around to your way of thinking
>> Anonymous
>>309263
I want to turn my house into an aviary when I move out.
I've always loved birds.
>> Anonymous
>>309265
That would be awesome in theory. Just have tons of birds flying around your house and perching on things...

If it weren't for the shit issue.

It reminds me of my childhood dream of having my entire house be made of aquariums.
>> Anonymous
I've had cockatiels for 20 years, and not one of them has said a darn thing, so I wouldn't hold my breath.
>> Anonymous
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>> Anonymous
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