Cockatiels thrive most in environments where there are fun things for them to do. However, without games, human interaction, and toys, cockatiels can become bored, leading to stress, bad moods, and behavioral problems.
How Can I Know If My Cockatiel Is Bored? Cockatiels show signs of boredom when they start plucking feathers, biting, self-mutilation, vocalizations, decreased appetite, and stress bars. Cockatiels are intelligent pets that need mental stimulation and interaction to prevent boredom. To avoid boredom, provide them with fun toys, a spacious cage, handling, and time spent outside the cage.
Because cockatiels are very intelligent pets, you need to keep them mentally stimulated, especially if you have only one cockatiel. That’s why you need to entertain cockatiels constantly.
How Can I Know If My Cockatiel Is Bored?
In the wild, cockatiels spend up to 6 hours a day looking for food. They also search for hollow nests, run away from predators, have company in their flock, and fly freely for miles. This way, they spend most of the day being active.
In contrast, captive cockatiels do not have the same capabilities as those in the wild. Therefore, if the owners do not provide enough fun and excitement, your cockatiel will soon get bored. Usually, there are seven common signs of boredom that you can notice in your cockatiel. Here is how to know if your cockatiel is bored:
1. Plucking Feathers
Although plucking feathers can be a sign of several other things, cockatiels usually remove their feathers in response to a feeling of boredom. Cockatiels that live in captivity can damage their feathers when they live an uninteresting and unattainable life.
An interesting factor is that plucking feathers is observed only in captive cockatiels. They do not show this behavior
in the wild because they are not subject to the same stresses. Reasons for such behavior include:
- Lack of exercise.
- Insulation.
- Insufficient playing time.
- Sexual Frustration.
- They do not leave the cages.
Feather plucking is not the same thing as grooming and preening. When your cockatiel comes to life, it removes all the dirt and debris from the feathers while spreading natural oils through the feather to keep them healthy.
For comparison, plucking a feather is an act of removing a feather from the skin. Therefore, providing additional mental stimulation to your cockatiel should reduce the desire to pluck feathers and other destructive behaviors.
2. Self-Mutilation
In severe cases of boredom, self-mutilation occurs when cockatiels have nothing else to entertain them. Cockatiel not only removes its feathers but also chews its skin and muscles, penetrating deep into the bone. This can cause long-term damage to some nerves and tissues. It can also damage the feather follicles, preventing them from growing back.
Self-mutilation is a stereotypical behavior. This means that your cockatiel is driven to a stereotype with no apparent objective or purpose. In this case, self-destruction is caused by boredom in the captured cockatiels.
3. Vocalizations
Boring cockatiels vocalize in different ways, and most of the sounds sound very unpleasant. These sounds include screams that are not very good for the ears and loud screaming. Cockatiels usually scream because they crave attention and will not stop until they get it.
Also, your cockatiel can constantly click on the tongue to have fun. This is a sign that your cockatiel wants you to lift and caress it to alleviate boredom. So you will always hear some new sounds.
4. Bite
Sometimes boredom cockatiels become aggressive because they are full and frustrated. At the same time, when they start screaming and screeching, they may bite your finger.
For the most part, however, biting is not just a sign of aggression. This can also happen when your cockatiel has been in its cage for too long or has never had the opportunity to communicate with its owner.
5. Decreased Appetite
When cockatiels feel bored or stressed, they can become depressed. Cockatiels will begin to react to these negative feelings by refusing to eat. They won’t even touch their favorite treats, or they’ll pick at them for basic sustenance.
Cockatiels enjoy their food, so this is a worrying sign. If your cockatiel continues not to eat for certain periods, then it may lose weight. You have to deal with this seriously before your cockatiel becomes severely malnourished.
Cocкatiels also get mental stimulation through their food, so slowing down meals can prevent boredom.
6. Stereotypical Behaviors
Cockatiels sometimes show obsessive tendencies to cope with their boredom, such as constant toe knocking, pacing, head bobbing, and body swinging. They do this as a way to stimulate themselves.
Boredom is a common cause of obsessive behavior. As a result, you need to make more efforts to provide a mentally enriching environment and prevent these stereotypical stories.
7. Stress Bars
Prolonged boredom can lead to stress in your cockatiel. They are a thin horizontal line that crosses along with the feathers, running perpendicular to the shaft. Some stress bars may appear in color, while others are usually gray.
One of the reasons that cockatiels develop stress strips is that they lose their appetite and cannot get the nutrients they need. However, these stress bands can not indicate a disease but are just signs of something wrong with your bird.
Can Cockatiels Die of Boredom?
While your cockatiel may not die of boredom, they may die of stress caused by a lack of stimulation.
When cockatiel is stressed, adrenaline is released into the bloodstream. This is dangerous because it raises blood pressure and dilates blood vessels in the muscles. In addition, the adrenal glands may become depleted if the cockatiel is under stress for a long time due to boredom, leading to sudden death.
Boredom can worsen primary health conditions and diseases so that they will not live long. These conditions include:
- Breathing difficulties
- Difficulty processing nutrients
- Adrenal gland issues
- Heart complications
- Inability to sleep
- High blood pressure
- Low immune system
- Taking longer to recover from illnesses
In most cases, boredom will not kill your cockatiel, especially if you take steps to enrich the life of your cockatiel.
What To Do When Your Cockatiel Is Bored
Cockatiels know how to notify owners that they need stimulation. So here are some ways you can entertain your cockatiel:
1. Interact with your Cockatiel
Cockatiels that have deep ties to their owners have no interaction other than with their owners. Therefore, handling your cockatiel several times a day is a great way to improve your relationship and provide positive mental stimulation.
Hold your cockatiel, talk to it, and continuously engage directly. Cockatiels like to be petted around the beak, around the neck, and the back of the head. Focus on these parts to show your affection for your cockatiel.
If the room where you store your cockatiel is safe enough, allow your cockatiel to come out of the cage and explore the surroundings. In parallel, this will enable your cockatiel to exercise and burn a few calories.
2. Provide a Variety of Toys
Providing a variety of toys to play with is one of the best ways to entertain your cockatiel. However, do not give your cockatiel the same toys all the time. To prevent your cockatiel from becoming fed up with the same toys, you need to have a large selection and rotate them weekly. You can also use some old baby toys if you have any.
Try to play with your cockatiel and his toys outside the cage sometimes; that would be even better. That way, your cockatiel communicates directly with you and gets enriched at the same time.
3. Learn your Cockatiel Tricks
If you have a little more time, teach your cockatiel how to do some fun tricks. Training is an excellent way to socialize your cockatiel and can lead to adopting good behaviors. When you want to teach your cockatiel a few new tricks, let it give you some pleasure to reward its success. As we have said, cockatiels receive mental stimulation through interaction with their food.
Depending on your cockatiel’s intelligence and readiness to learn, it is advisable to teach your cockatiel “step-up” command at a young age. This is where you make your cockatiel jump or step on your fingers.
4. Leave the Radio on
Cockatiels are by nature curious pets and enjoy hearing new sounds. Whenever you are not at home and your cockatiel is left alone, leave the radio on. This can improve your cockatiel’s speaking skills if you’re training him to speak. Your cockatiel can even sing and chirp in parallel with the music.
You can do the same with the TV. Just make sure it is not too loud beforehand so that your cockatiel is not frightened by loud noises. This way, you will provide mental stimulation when your cockatiel is lonely.
5. Encourage Foraging
Foraging bird toys are a good option because they encourage the natural behavior of your cockatiel. Your cockatiel needs to think about getting its food, which means it will be forced to solve problems. Another fun game is to hide tasty treats in the corners of the room where you store your cockatiel and encourage him to start looking for them.
Cockatiels in captivity don’t need to forage; these activities keep their minds active and instinct sharp. Many cockatiels enjoy looking for food, so this activity will keep them entertained for hours. You can also do this inside the cage of your cockatiel. Place the food on different levels and let your cockatiel search for it.
6. Larger Cage
Your cockatiel can quickly get bored if the size of the cage is too small, as they will not have much space to walk or play with their toys. Therefore, if your cockatiel cage is too small for its size, reward it with a larger one.
When creating the optimal environment for your cockatiel, make sure there are perches of different sizes and widths. It is best to have three perches in the cage, one at the top, one in the middle, and one at the bottom. Cockatiels like being up high, where they have the best view of the environment and need a perch close to their food and water.
Get a cage large enough to have a space for a nesting box. Sometimes your cockatiel may seek refuge there if they feel tired or vulnerable at some point. However, be careful not to overfill the cage as you will have the same problem as the small cage.
What Do Cockatiels Like To Do For Fun?
Cockatiels do different things for fun. Some enjoy being outside their cage, while the more shy enjoy playing with their toys safely in their cage. That’s why you have to give your cockatiel tailored mental stimulation. Cockatiels like to play with swings, ladders, cuttlebones, foraging toys, rope perches, and climbing frames.
The cockatiel can often get bored, so the environment needs to be constantly changed to prevent behavioral problems and depression. By watching your cockatiel, you will be able to determine which toys and what activities it wants. Then, keep testing new toys to give them unique experiences to enjoy.
