# Babysitting Cockatiel - Quarantine Precautions?



## ChickWas (May 6, 2021)

Hey all, someone is travelling for a few months and I am taking their Cockatiel on and will look after him for two to three months. My question is, I want to quarantine him from my birds for 30 days. I plan on doing this by putting him in my spare bedroom, whilst my two budgies are in the living room.

Do I have to keep the bedroom door closed at all times? As I was hoping to keep the door open so they can communicate, but I don't know if the diseases can spread from room to room lol. I'd prefer having the door open as it means he can see me and the birdies whilst still being far enough away and safe. Also the central HVAC system in this apartment is a joke, so I have fans in the living room that blow air around and I'd want some to get blown into the spare bedroom to ensure temperatures are equal throughout the apartment.


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*Actual true quarantine would dictate having the door shut to prevent airflow as many respiratory diseases are airborne. 

I can certainly understand why having the door open will work out better for your particular circumstances. *


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## ChickWas (May 6, 2021)

The owner has assured me there's nothing wrong with him in terms of illness. I still plan on quarantining for a full 30 days. I just figured I'd probably be safe leaving the door open as there's a high likelihood he doesn't have any issues, and no need for the poor guy to be isolated and disconnected from us for a whole month.

When I handle him (it has yet to be determined if he will be comfortable being handled), is it enough for me to wash my hands or do I need to change my clothes too before interacting with my two budgies? Washing hands is enough, surely?


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*Washing your hands should be sufficient. 
Thank you for being willing to babysit your friend's cockatiel. 
We'd love to see a picture of him when he's with you.

I know how hard it is to find someone to care for birds when one goes out of town!*


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## ChickWas (May 6, 2021)

The person was someone random on the internet, but knowing how awful this country is, I wanted to help out as I stress so much about leaving my birds with someone. Figured I'd help someone out and also see how cockatiels are at the same time, as I've always wanted one but was scared of the commitment. I'll take pics once he's here dependent upon him being relaxed and settled in.


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## ChickWas (May 6, 2021)

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Poor baby is stressed, he wasn't a happy bird when he came in. Moving is always so stressful. His cage is bigger than I expected (thankfully), but it had dowel perches. I'm going to give him a few days to settle in, he has the room all to himself and the door is closed and the temperature is a comfortable 23c. He mainly sits on top of his cage looking out the window, or sits on the chair I have in there. I'll replace his dowel perches with proper perches, and get him some toys. The owner thankfully lets him free roam all day, the cage is just for sleeping. 

I'm not trying to rush things, though he did sit on my head and sleep, and then I managed to get him onto my hand to sleep. He _isn't _comfortable with me, and I'm not fooling myself into thinking he is just because he slept on my hand. He was most likely exhausted from the stressful ordeal of moving here, and my hand seemed like the most familiar thing in the room.

Cockatiels are _loud_. He squawks constantly. I don't mind the noise honestly, but it's so strange because it's like trying to learn a new language. My two budgies, any noise they make, I immediately know what it means, I'm fluent in budgie. But his noises just mean nothing.


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## ChickWas (May 6, 2021)

Oh, and after a week or so I'll start introducing him to pellets. I already put vitamins in his water as he is on a seed-only diet. I'll hopefully give him back happier and healthier than I got him.


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## Cody (Sep 5, 2013)

Poor guy, he is no doubt stressed, what is his name? How sure are you that the owner will actually return to claim the bird?


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## ChickWas (May 6, 2021)

His name is Rodrigo, not something I'd personally have gone with but hey. I'm 90% sure the owner will return, he's a 17 year old. He'd posted online and was clearly worried about his bird being left somewhere less than ideal, as he's travelling with family for two months and had no one to look after it (except his grandma who isn't very interested in birds).

I reached out and offered to help. The kid and his dad stopped by today and the dad said once they're back, we'll go out for coffee or something. But the look on the kid's face was one I've had myself, it's a mix of torment and anxiety, cause he was obviously uncomfortable seeing his bird stressing out. Rodrigo was clearly very upset and no owner likes seeing their pet in that state. The kid had half covered the cage so it was obvious he was really trying to make sure the experience was as stress free as possible.

My biggest worry is getting attached to this bird, but with the quarantining, it makes bonding super hard. I love my two too much, so I'm sitting in the living room with them most of the time. I'll just go and check on Rodrigo every now and then and I'll sit with him for 10-15 minute bursts, or sometimes I'll pull my phone out and stay longer. It's just hard to stick around when he's not comfortable with me. I'm buying a speaker tomorrow so I can play music and podcasts in his room.

It would be so much easier if I were able to have him in the living room.


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## vrabec (Oct 8, 2021)

That's an awesome name 😁


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## ChickWas (May 6, 2021)

The poor guy squawks incessantly, super loudly. I don't mind it at all, I just hope the neighbours above and below me won't get irritated. I put him to sleep at 7:30pm and he wakes up at 9am. So there shouldn't be an issue with noise complaints, fingers crossed.

I don't know how to make him be quiet, it's either because his nutrition is bad, he's ill, he misses his owner or is scared / bored. It makes me realise just how perfect my budgies are lol The internet says some cockatiels just squawk loudly forever and there's not much you can do to stop them. I'm praying that once I've got calming music in there with a podcast playing, he might quieten down.


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## ChickWas (May 6, 2021)

His poop is also totally alien to me. It's crazy how familiar with one animal you can be, and how utterly lost you can be with another. Legitimately having to learn a whole new language. Though I think his poop might not be a good sign? 










This was first thing in the morning. Do cockatiels usually have sloppy poops?


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## ChickWas (May 6, 2021)

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Little guy decided to hop on my shoulder, I stayed very still. He then started brushing against me and I took that as an invitation to start cuddling. It was so cute and it melted my heart.

I love my two budgies, and despite having a much, much stronger bond with them, they would never willingly do something as brazen as _let me cuddle them_. I'm lucky if Chick lets me give her a cheek scratch once a day for one minute. The rest of the time, she is firmly in the camp of "Don't touch me unless I allow it". I do absolutely adore my two budgies though, but this makes me realise a cockatiel is way more in tune with my own emotional neediness.


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## Cody (Sep 5, 2013)

That's so sweet, so glad that he is comfortable enough to do that, since he is in a new space and with a new person he needs the reassurance that all is well. I think you will end up spending quite a bit of time with this guy and you may find him flock calling you when you are not in his room.


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## ChickWas (May 6, 2021)

He's flock calling constantly but between spending time in his room and spending time with my two princesses, I'm leaning more towards my two princesses. Plus, my PC and TV is where the girls are, so it's easier to sit and spend time here. Chick was crawling all over me for about an hour and a half today whilst I was watching videos.

Rodrigo is in the room with a chair so I can only do short bursts before having to leave. Is it possible to shortcut quarantine periods? The sooner he can be out here with us, the better.


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