Hi, guys welcome back to Animal Wonders
I'm Jessi, and I love being able to offer a home to animals that need a safe and stable place to spend their days
This is Steve. He's a cockatiel. We've had him for about seven months now, and during that time,
it's been a pleasure getting to know him; what he likes and dislikes and just who he is-
overall. When we first take in an animal, I like to give them a good amount of time to settle in and
really get used to their new surroundings.
After they're completely comfortable,
I begin to introduce myself as more than someone who just brings food.
As I interact with an animal more and more it's important to
Make sure that I'm listening to what they're telling me. All animals communicate,
but not all animals do it in the same way.
In order to gain an animal's trust,
I have to watch and listen to what they're telling me, so I can respond appropriately.
reading a bird's behavior can be a challenge for many people because
Birds don't communicate in the same ways that humans do and it's more than just not being human. They're not mammals.
So, they're further removed from us than say, a dog. Birds don't have any muscles in their face,
so they can't frown or smile which are incredibly important for human communication.
Instead of using their eyebrows and lips to communicate, they use their
pupils, feathers, wings, beak, body posture and
vocalizations to tell you how they're feeling and what their intentions are
If you know what to look for, you can quickly tell what they're
trying to tell you. not all animals communicate the same way and unsurprisingly not all birds communicate the same way
I am so fascinated by cockatiels because they have some really unique ways that they let you know what they're feeling for example
Cockatiels do this one thing that I absolutely love if I'm taking Steve on an adventure
And I show him something that he's not a big fan of he'll hiss at it. Full on open beak with an auditory {hhh}
I don't love that Steve doesn't like something
but I love how clear that communication is
Speaking of, Steve is telling me that he's done with this whole thing so I'm going to go ahead and put him back and there
And there are many other more subtle communications like when Steve is peeved he'll flatness his crest,
That's the long feathers on top of his head. When he does this
I know that if I push him that he's most likely going to try and bite. When he's curious his crest feathers will perk up
a little more than halfway
And if he's having a really good time he'll bob his head and whistle. If his crest stands straight up
He's startled, and he's very much on guard. He's in alert mode, so if he had muscles in his face
He looks something like this. Another way that cockatiels communicate is by
claiming objects and territories by pacing on them. If their claim is disputed
Then they'll open their beak and give a threat display saying I will bite if you push the issue there are many more ways that
Cockatiels communicate but my favorite has to be the hissing now that Steve is completely settled in we don't stop there
We're constantly looking for ways to enrich his life everyday and Steve came to us when he was about 10 years old
And he had never met another bird
We wanted to make sure that Steve received as much attention
And interaction as possible and since we have many birds and other animals that require a lot of our time
The best thing would be for Steve to have his own bird
companion to live with full-time
Shortly after he arrived we introduced him to a lone budgerigar named Agent Perry the introduction was slow and planned out carefully and we crossed
our fingers that they would become friends. Over the last few months the two have settled into a routine that works for them both
I wouldn't say it was love at first sight but they do enjoy each other's company
Most of the time and the consistent interaction is priceless. Introducing animals, especially birds is a challenging prospect
And it shouldn't be taken lightly because it can sometimes be life-threatening
We watched Steve and Agent Perry closely for the first few weeks to make sure
Neither would hurt the other. Now the only disputes are over who gets which food dish first
And they always switch multiple times just to make sure everyone's getting a good deal
Thanks for joining us if you want to learn more about cockatiel behaviour
there's a link below to a great article and remember every animal has something to say I'm
encouraging you to study their language and then
listen you might just make a new friend in the process if you'd like to go on an adventure with us every week subscribe to
Our YouTube channel animal wonders Montana. Thanks. See you next time
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