Mr McLovin got too excited for his kiss while I still had lipstick on and now has some faint marks around the back of his head, neck and near the wing. They're very faint and he doesn't seem to notice, even after his bath they're still there. Is there any way to remove them? Is there any chance they may be harmful? Ty
A few months ago we found an abandoned cockatiel with clipped wings and took him in. Still don't know his age or gender, though he seems fully grown now. We named him Tweety.
At first, Tweety stayed with my boyfriend's family, who have a 4 year old male cockatiel named Ruby. Tweety became extremely attached to Ruby and would constantly follow him, fly to his cage, and refuse to leave him alone. Ruby was clearly annoyed and stressed, so after trying to make it work with so results, we brought Tweety to live with us instead.
Since then, it's been a nightmare. When he's out with me (23F), he's usually calm and happy. He'll sit on me quietly and occasionally allow some pets. But the second I put him in his cage and leave the room, he starts screaming. Not normal flock calls, but a very loud scream, so high pitched that it feels like it's piercing your eardrums that goes on nonstop. He flaps against the cage, throws toys, breaks them and ignores me even if I'm talking to him from another room. He won't ever get tired and stop either, he's done it for almost 2 hours once. The only thing that stops it is me being physically present and letting him sit on my head, shoulder, lap, etc.
He also often refuses to step up when it's time to go back into the cage and it can take 30+ minutes to get him in.
The weird part is when my boyfriend (28M) gets home. Tweety immediately loses interest in me, won't step up, won't accept pets, and flies straight to my boyfriend's shoulder. He's also much quieter around him and doesn't scream nearly as much, even when left alone. My boyfriend says Tweety seems to like men and dislike women in general.
We've tried step up training just as a start. He does okay in a room away from his cage if my boyfriend hands him to me, but after a few seconds he'll fly straight back to his shoulder. He won't stay on his fingers for long either, he's just obsessed with his shoulder, head, anything near his face. Training near the cage is impossible because he just flies onto the cage roof no matter what.
I can't get anything done around the house without constant screaming. I've tried having him on my shoulder while doing chores but it isn't always safe. I honestly want to leave the house once and for all just to escape the noise at this point. My boyfriend works long hours, so being home more isn't an option.
How should we handle this? What more can we do? I'm desperate for any sort of help. Thank you in advance for your advice...