This Cockatiel Gets a Bird Cage Makeover

Last Updated on October 6, 2023 by Mitch Rezman

Today we put a new Parrot Cup Cover in Popcorn’s cage as it popped into my head a bit ago that perhaps her repeated bacterial infections might be resulting from her pooping into her water.

We do not see her do it inside the cage, but we now see she tends to sit on top of the cage which is right above her water dish.

So a cover for the water was on my “birdie wish list”. I had thought about a water bottle but maybe later. This looked like a good start.

But, to fit it in necessitated some re-arranging of perches and toys. The Thermo Perch had to move to the opposite side of the cage. Her Booda Perch was raised to fill in for that gap. I moved her Twisted Sticks toy low against the back wall as she was not interested in it where it was and it looks cute there. I noticed her Knots of Fun toy was getting pretty worn, she likes to chew off the sea grass on it when she is broody, so I think I will look for something new. She has a Hanging Paddles which she used to mow through in a few days, but now she has slowed down, but still visits it every day.

Anyway, her cage got a pretty good overhaul but nothing was added other than the Parrot Cup Cover over her water dish. I did a check out of all of her toys to make sure they were in decent shape or broken. I reattached a small Chomping Chain that was just laying over a bar which I knew would scare her if she happened to pull at it and it falls out. I also removed a long single strip of leather that had just a few Birdie Bagels left on the end. That could be dangerous if she gets it wrapped around her neck or body part. I will have to add some new Vine Balls, a few Beads, a Plastic Key or two and hang it back up.

So, the cage is all done for now and she comes over to the cage and goes inside, She had been on top of the cage or on my head all while I did the re-arranging so she was observing it all, but once she got inside and realized there were some changes, she quickly worked her way out of the cage and flew over to my side and stuck her head under my arm as I type this, I gave her a few soothing words while I scritched her head, she then walked around the sofa sticking her head between all the pillows (yes, she is broody, I found her trying to check out a hollow behind my bath towels, while I was doing a little cleaning) and now she in between my legs on the sofa while I type on my laptop in a little “cave” created for now. Sadly for her, the cave will go away when I am done typing and set aside my lap top.

She is making little chirps that let me know she is a bit upset or needy, yep, I just felt her peck me a bit. She wants some loving. It is very interesting to hear her chirps. She does not talk but she conveys her feelings and needs quite well through the tone in her single chirps. The ones where we come in after work and she hears us and starts a shrill, loud, demanding call to come and let her out and especially, be with Mitch. If I am the the only one, I will get the same treatment, LOL.

So, in a while I will put her in her cage with a dish of some treats or a bit of millet (her weakness) and shut the door and leave her to get used to the changes in her cage. Ideally, change should not create stress in a bird as we should be moving things around on a regular basis. Even just moving one toy from one side of the cage to the other side. Change is important for a caged bird as they need to be able to deal with change, be it a new toy or having to out and go fast possibly in a new cage or to a new location, or any number of things life brings upon us. Popcorn has a cage at home, it is not huge, just 22 x 17 by 30 high interior on a stand, but it is packed with toys and her food, and is in the family area, well lit and she spends only part of the day in there as she is out of her cage when we are home and can fly. She does figure eights around the living room and if the door is open and there is light at the other end, she will fly the full length of the apartment and back again to her cage or us. Of course, if she stops on the other end, usually on her stand that stays in that part of the house, one of us will go and check on her and if we have no need to stay there with her, she will be shooed back into the other side of the apartment. She has incredible control and may whip back into the living room and circle around and land on her cage, one of two play stands, or one of us. She also does a lot of walking on the floor, so we do a lot of shuffling without lifting our feet off the ground.

(All that cage rearranging can make a bird hungry and btw always cut, not chew

protein off animal bones so you don’t exchange your mouth bacteria with your bird)

Usually, she does not like to be left alone without one of us in the room. Mitch is her number one choice, but I come in a close second, ahem. So in general she is always in sight or sound of us unless we are out of the house and she is in her cage.

We normally take her to work with us daily and she has a bigger cage there as she has to say inside it all day so she does not get hurt or peck at product or the worst case, fly out the door when a customer comes in. But she has lots of things to do, eat, watch us work and the customers as they walk over and say hello to her.

We don’t worry about her flying away at home as we have 3 doors or barriers on each end of our apartment that will never allow her to get out. In front we have heavy drapes between the living room and the front door which helps keep the cold down that slips through the heavy but not tight-sealing doors in the front of the building. Between the drapes and that, is our front door to the foyer. Then in back, we have a door from the kitchen that leads to an enclosed back porch, then that opens up to the enclosed back staircase that leads to the door to the back yard.

She will not be getting lost. mitch’s response except of course when she sits silently behind a stack of towels in the bathroom – as company arrives – making us crazy for 10 minutes. (LOL, yes, that happened, 4 of us walking around calling to her, then she popped out. I know to remove the towels next time I have to hunt her down, Catherine) The company was dog people who looked at us like a dog hearing a silent whistle – because they weren’t used to seeing people look “up” towards the ceiling crown molding for their pet. You terrestrial dog, horse & cat people crack me up.

written by catherine tobsing

approved by mitch rezman