I need a little bit of help with my cockatiels. If anyone could answer, I would greatly appreciate it!
First some background. I have two birds, one named boxy and the other named Rosemary. I have had Boxy longer, almost a year, and I have had Rosemary for about a month. Rosemary was hand raised, and Boxy was not. I keep them in separate cages in my room.
My issues are as follows:
Boxy is still essentially a feathered ball of fear and rage, and I cannot even get close to him without him hissing at me and trying to bite me. My parents want me to just give him back to the pet store, but I don't think that that's right to do. What can I do?
Rosemary was alright with me for the first couple of weeks, but now she is afraid of me. She moves away whenever I get near to her, and won’t let me feed or touch her. She knows how to step up, and will if she cannot get back to her cage, but will launch as soon as her cage is in sight. She will come out of her cage only if I open the door and move away. Any time I talk to her or get near, her crown is always high. How can I remedy this?
Also, just generally, what are some toys and treats that ‘tiels like? I want to spruce up their cages a bit and find treats they’ll get excited about. Rosemary seems to like millet, but not as much as she seems to fear my hand.