Tiel WeeklyTiel WeeklyThe musings of J. L. LeMone, an intelligent and critical cockatiel, about daily life, tiel issues, news, education, the world, and life in general. Articles
I'm Cranky! Get Out of My Way!
2007-03-02 07:06:00 I am the king of the cage! The pictures show you what will happen if you come too close! More About: My Life , Photographs , Get Out , My way , Crank
Nymphensittich-Informationen für meine deutschsprachigen Freundinnen und Fr
2007-03-01 17:00:00 Cockatiel Informa tion for my German -Speaking Friends, Part 1.InformationenCockatiels / Nymphensittiche. Remember the Happy Cockatiel music link I introduced in a previous post? This is the homepage of the composer and artist, Stephan of Hochheim, Germay. On this bilingual (English-German) page, Billy the Happy Cockatiel introduces us to his world, and you can download some more tiel tunes. Die zweisprachige (englisch-deutsche) Seite von Stephan aus Hochheim, der die Happy Cockatiel Musik aufgenommen hat. Hier stellt Billy der fröhliche Nymphensittich seine Welt vor, und man kann sich Nymphensittich-Musik herunterladen.Vogelgalerie: Nymphensittich. Eine sehr kurze Einführung mit Bildern.Haltung von Heimtieren: Nymphensittich Eine Seite der Stadt Wien mit einer kurzen Übersicht über Herkunft und Lebensweise, physiologische Daten, Geschlechtsdifferenzierung, Haltung als Heimtier, Unterbringung und Käfigeinrichtung, Klima, Fütterung, Umgang und Pflege. Das Nymphensittich-Bilderbuch. Ein... More About: International , Links , Deutsch
Leisure Time
2007-03-01 11:36:00 The Tall One went to work later than usual yesterday, so Miss Prissy and I took the opportunity to move about the apartment while the cage was open. Afterwards, we settled in on the porch for a little snooze. More About: Time , My Life , Leisure , Sure
Frequently Asked Questions
2007-02-27 14:10:00 If you have not had your tiel for very long, or if you are just getting ready to bring one into your home, you probably have many questions about feeding, housing, and other issues. I hope the links in my previous posts were helpful, but I'm sure there are still some things you'd like to know about.If you've had your tiel or tiels for a while, you have probably learned by now that the questions never end. They shift from basic care concerns to more complex issues, with "Why does my cockatiel do that?" becoming the overarching question. Behavior and health issues become more important.From my own experience, I know humans wonder why we tiels like to grind our beaks. Well, I grind my beak when I'm happy. The other day, I sat on the Tall One's shoulder and started to doze off, grinding my beak. Another thing we do when we're happy and healthy is to sleep standing on one foot. A sick cockatiel would not be able to keep his balance like that, so if your tiel always uses both feet, ... More About: Questions , Links , Quest
My Human, the Bird Fan
2007-02-26 07:51:00 When my human left this evening, I took the opportunity to snoop through the pictures that she had just downloaded from her digital camera to see where she had been. I was surprised to see that most of the pictures were of birds! I think she went to a zoo or rescue facility, or possibly both, because there were pictures of all kinds of wild birds. There were a few pictures of other animals, too, but the birds were clearly in the lead. I think my constant presence has inspired her to look at all of my winged cousins as being very special. Since she has no idea that this blog even exists, she won't know that I uploaded them, so I am going to share the ones I like best with you: This is my favorite picture: one of my big parrot cousins.The barn owl is taking a nap. She looks a lot like Miss Prissy when she's asleep, except that she does not have her feet in the water dish!This, Miss Prissy, is a duck! A duck can put her feet in the water! You are not a duck, you are a cockatiel! You ... More About: Human , Bird , Uman
She's Not a Duck - Or Is She?
2007-02-25 14:17:00 Bonjour, mes amis!There comes a time when even an extremely intelligent and resourceful cockatiel like moi needs some advice, and that time is now. You know about my beautiful companion Miss Prissy . As gorgeous as she is, she also has some strange habits. Most of them are harmless, like looking dreamily into space as if she were seeing angels, or being startled easily. However, lately she has taken to a very strange behavior that I can't quite understand. She likes to sleep while sitting on the water dish, with her feet in the water! She's not a duck! I'm worried about her possibly getting sick. Not to mention that our drinking water doesn't exactly taste better that way! The Tall One was not very happy when she saw Miss Prissy acting that way, and I have a feeling that she is thinking about taking our water dish away overnight. What if I get thirsty? My faithful human, cockatiel, and canine readers, has anyone experienced this with a tiel before? If yes, what should I do? Pleas... More About: My Life , Duck
Go Away, Tall One!
2007-02-24 03:00:00 The Tall One is getting on my nerves. She just does not know what she wants! Sometimes she sleeps in the other room, sometimes in our room on her couch. Sometimes she sleeps during the day and covers us up (she calls it a nap), and other times, she is gone all day long. Sometimes, she gets up before the sun rises, and other days, she sleeps when it's still light outside. And sometimes, she gets up in the middle of the night, and then she goes back to sleep! I just don't understand these humans! We cockatiels like having a routine! To make matters worse, the humans have control over some of the light, so sometimes it's dark for a while, and then the light comes back on when the Tall One wants it to, and at the craziest times. Usually, it's not that bad, because she goes to bed at almost the same time every night and then gets up early five times, and then she goes to bed late and sleeps late two times, before her routine starts all over again. Ever since she got sick, though, she... More About: My Life , Photographs , Posts , Away
Entertaining the Tall One
2007-02-19 23:45:00 The Tall One has been home all day. She says she has a stomachache. If you ask me, that's because she eats all kinds of strange things. Maybe I should convert her to a pellet diet, hehe! She says someone called the Flu is going around, and she did not sound happy about it, so I hope he does not come here; she's already unhappy enough as it is.Miss Prissy flew on the Tall One's head right away this morning, and I followed. We sat on her shoulders for hours. I preened her hair and her neck, and I think that made her feel better. Finally, both Miss Prissy and I fell asleep for a while. The Tall One has her shortcomings, but she does make for a great perch! Later on, I chirped at her for a while so it would not be so quiet and boring around here, and then I got behind the cage and tore up some of the newspaper while screeching at it. I pecked at the wooden cabinet for a while, because the Tall One likes it when I act like a woodpecker. She was getting too quiet, though, so I got read... More About: My Life , Photographs , Posts
Cockatiel Safety
2007-02-19 06:20:00 It is extremely important to keep your bird safe and healthy. We are very sensitive to many plants, foods, and chemicals. Remember, what might be dangerous to us could also be dangerous to you, so it's in your own interest to keep us safe. Make sure to read all the links below and to check your feathered friend's environment for hazards. I have a lot to say about the Tall One, and not all of it is good, but she will go to extremes to keep us safe. As soon as she got me, she researched cockatiels on the internet, and when she found out that non-stick pans can kill birds, she threw all of hers out and bought a new set that had no Teflon or any other non-stick stuff on it. She'd rather scrub the sticky mess than put me in danger. When the apartment people come to spray for bugs, she either puts Miss Prissy and me in the other room and completely seals off the door, or takes us over to the house of her friend with the long dark hair, who also has a tiel, so that we can stay in a safe... More About: Safety , My Life , Links , Posts , Cock
What Should You Feed Your Cockatiel?
2007-02-14 00:01:00 Now that we're on the topic of food...We cockatiels like to eat all kinds of things. Personally, during my first years with the Tall One, I would only eat bird seed, millet spray, honey treats, and my cuttlebone, no matter how hard she tried to get me to eat fruits, vegetables, and other things that she considered healthy. She even tried to convert me to pellets a couple of times, because they are supposedly well-balanced, but when she realized she was facing a hunger strike, she gave me my bird seed. You show me the human that's eating a well-balanced pellet diet, and I'll eat it, too, but in the meantime, I want some real food! Once Miss Prissy moved in, though, I realized that I had been a little narrow-minded about food. She actually tried all the stuff that the Tall One gave us, not only the bread and pizza crust, but also the fruits and veggies. Of course, I didn't want her to have anything I couldn't get, so I tried it, too, and I have to admit that some of the stuff is ... More About: My Life , Links , Feed , Posts
Food Fun!
2007-02-12 15:12:00 I really like the Tall One! She came home with a couple of bags last night, and it was full of cockatiel treats! There were different types of bird food, millet spray, fruit treats, and a toy that has seeds inside. She also put some yellow stuff in our drinking water so that it looks like some of that lemonade she likes to drink. I've always wondered what she does that for, but this time, I got a chance to look at the bottle, and it said it had vitamins in it that are healthy for birds. That's good, because Miss Prissy needs extra nutrition now that she is recovering from the pink things. Of course, vitamins are good for me, too. I played with the new toy right away, and it was so much fun! More About: Food , My Life , Posts
A Cool, Cool Visit
2007-02-10 13:00:00 The Cool One came over last night, and completely unexpected! The silly Tall One had been gone all day at her place called work, and it was getting dark, when suddenly, she came home, and the Cool One was there, too! He whistled at me right away and took me out of the cage. Now, usually I bite everyone who tries to hold me, but the Cool One is an exception. We understand each other, and besides, he saved my life. So of course I was thrilled that he came to play with me. He even held me upside down! I love looking at the world from a bat's perspective! Here are the pictures!I feel like I'm in a bird's nest! How comfy!I like it when he's wearing a shirt with one of those toys called zipper!Ready, set...... chew! More About: My Life , Photographs , Posts , Visi
The Return of the Tall One
2007-02-07 03:06:00 I think the Tall One realized I was mad at her, because she came home at lunch time. She made herself some of that liquid stuff that she calls soup, with little things floating in it just like when Miss Prissy drops our food into our water dish. (I can't stand it when my feathered friend does that, and I chirp for the Tall One to change the water.) Anyway, the soup did not look appetizing to me, but I still chirped at the Tall One to give me food. Not that I was really hungry; I just felt like a snack. She gave me a piece of banana. Now, I like the taste, because that's the flavor of my calciumm perch, but the fruit itself is way too soft. I tried it, but it was not crunchy, so I left it alone. If she figured out a way to make a banana crunchy, I would try it alright, but not if it is soft.Miss Prissy didn't even bother to try it, even though she is usually obsessed with anything edible. She was so happy our human was home that she flew on the Tall One's head right away and clim... More About: My Life , Return , The Return
Don't Go to Work, Human!
2007-02-06 15:00:00 I am really mad at the Tall One today. She actually went to that place she calls work, just as I was getting used to her being home all day long. I knew she was going to, because she got up early and ate something, and then she ran the water in the bathroom for a long time. She only let Miss Prissy and me out for a few minutes and put us right back into the cage. Those are the classic signs that she is planning to be gone all day. I thought about biting her, but then I saw that she had filled up our food dish, and that appeased me somewhat. The Tall One just doesn't know what's best for her and, more importantly, for me. She's not even feeling well yet. She's sneezing a lot, and she's still tired. Of course, she should be staying home with Miss Prissy and me. But this way, she'll come home when it's dark, and then she'll be too tired to let us out and play with us. I chirped at her to let her know she couldn't leave, but she did not obey me! Even Miss Prissy joined in the n... More About: Human , Work , My Life , Posts
Woodpecker Time
2007-02-06 01:17:00 The Tall One is still not feeling well, so she stayed home today, even though it's the first day of her routine and she should be leaving early. She says the place she goes to is called work, but I don't really believe her. Her job is to take care of me, that's the only work she should be concerned about. Anyway, that place will have to do without her today, because I can tell she is still miserable. She coughs and sneezes a lot, and she is really tired. For Miss Prissy and me, that's a good thing, because it means that the cage door is open whenever the Tall One is awake and on the soft thing she calls a couch. I took the opportunity to climb behind the cage. At first, I ripped up all the newspaper the Tall One had placed underneath the cage. Once it was all gone, I did not really know what to do, because all that was left was the wooden cabinet our cage sits on, but then I started tapping it with my beak. It was a lot of fun, because it sounded hollow and made a lot of noise. ... More About: Time , My Life , Posts , Pecker
Super Bowl Sunday
2007-02-04 23:30:00 I won't be able to stay on the computer very long; the Tall One will be coming out of the other room pretty soon to watch her talking box that she calls a TV. A big football game called the Super Bowl is on. To be honest, I don't know much about the rules, unlike the Tall One, and I don't really care who wins. I love football, though, because the humans on TV make a lot of noise. They scream and they whistle, and I really like hearing it. I usually whistle right along. Get the chips ready, human, I'm ready for the game! More About: My Life , Sunday , Posts
The Demise of Thing Number Three
2007-02-04 20:12:00 By now, you are probably wondering what happened with the pink things. Well, about a day after the Tall One took the first two away while she was cleaning the cage, another pink thing appeared. This time, though, neither Miss Prissy nor I felt like sitting on it. I didn't, because I'd tried it a couple of times and it was very boring. Miss Prissy kind of surprised me, though, because she usually acts like the pink things are the most important things in the world. Maybe it's because the cage looks different, or because the heat in the apartment has been fluctuating due to the cold, cold weather outside, but when it comes down to it, I don't really care. The thing is just at the bottom of the cage, Miss Prissy, the Tall One, and I all ignore it, and no new ones have appeared. I hope this is it for a while where pink things are concerned. More About: My Life , Posts , Three , Thing
Time with the Tall One
2007-02-03 18:11:00 The Tall One is staying home today. Now, that's not really surprising, since it's the sixth day. She usually leaves really early for five days in a row, but the following two days, she does not. On those days, it's hard to tell what she is going to do; sometimes she leaves later, sometimes she stays home, and sometimes the Cool One comes over. Then she starts all over with the five days of leaving early. I don't know why she follows such a strange pattern instead of just staying home with Miss Prissy and me, but she does many silly things, and I try not to wonder too much about them. At least I have some idea what she is going to do on most days.Today is different, though, because I can tell the Tall One is not feeling well. She sounds funny when she talks, and she sneezes quite a bit. She gets that way sometimes. To be honest, I don't mind it, because I know that she'll stay home with us for sure. I'm a very healthy bird, and I've never been sick in my life, but I know how ... More About: Time , My Life , Posts
Le petit déjeuner
2007-02-02 14:18:00 Bonjour, mes amis!I am very happy with the Tall One this morning. While she was having her breakfast and I was sitting on top of my cage, she gave me some of the bread that I really like, the kind that has little seeds baked in it. Of course, she gave me my favorite part, the end piece that consists mostly of the crust. I don't like bread that is too soft, but this kind is just right. Yum! I chirped happily while I was eating. The day is off to a good start! More About: My Life , Photographs , Posts , Petit
The Cage Cleaning Ordeal
2007-01-29 07:04:00 There is one thing I hate almost as much as bathing, and that's when the Tall One gets into her cage cleaning moods. As usual, she was very sneaky about it, opening the cage door and then waiting until both Miss Prissy and I took a break from sitting on the boring pink things. As soon as we strolled on top of the cage, she started dismantling it, even taking the bottom off. At least she has given up on trying to stick us in the small cage she used to put us in at cage cleaning times; I guess my sharp beak got the message across after all. Instead, she put us on her shoulder, and after a while we flew off onto the bookshelf. I don't think Miss Prissy knew what was going on, but I watched the Tall One as she took our beautiful cage apart and scrubbed it down. Now, I like a clean cage as much as the next tiel, but did she have to do this today? It's not like we haven't had an exciting enough week already! The pink things, the boiler, and now this? To let her know how I felt about i... More About: Cleaning , My Life , Photographs , Posts
Thing One and Thing Two
2007-01-29 02:55:00 Mes amis, The silly humans finally turned the heat back on, which made me happy, but not for long. As soon as it got warm in the apartment again, a second pink thing appeared. I guess there is no stopping them now. Since Miss Prissy likes to sit on them, I took the opportunity to try it out myself while she was eating. I sat on them for a long time, but there was nothing spectacular about it. It wasn't very comfortable, and the things did not move. No baby birds appeared, either, which is good, of course, because I don't know what we would do with them. I don't think Miss Prissy knows, either.Luckily, the Cool One finally came over again today. He held me upside down and smoothened my ruffled feathers, and I played with the zipper on his shirt. He put me in such a good mood that I even let the Tall One pet me on my head, which is very unusual. I think she felt honored. More About: My Life , Posts , Thing
I'm Not a Penguin!
2007-01-27 00:24:00 I don't know what these humans are up to, but it has been cold in the apartment all day long! I don't like the cold! My ancestors are from Australia, where it is nice and warm, and even though my family has been in this country for generations, more than a century, we never got used to the cold temperatures, let alone snow. One of the reasons we put up with our humans, beside the food, of course, is that they keep us warm. That is their job! The Tall One usually likes to be warm, too, which is definitely one of her few positive characteristics, but today, it does not seem to bother her. I gave her a dirty look when she finally came home. Didn't she hear the wind howling around the building? At least she understood what I was trying to say, but since it is freezing in here, it certainly did not take a rocket scientist to figure it out! She looked at me apologetically and mumbled something about the humans putting in a new boiler. I don't want to be boiled! I just want to be nice ... More About: My Life , Posts , Penguin , Guin
The Rescue
2007-01-22 02:09:00 You can say all kinds of bad things about the Tall One, and most of it is probably true, but when things go wrong, you can count on her to come to the rescue. Today, Miss Prissy and I climbed down to the ledge behind the cage. We do that all the time. It's fun to peck at the cage from the outside and to eat some of the birdseed that has fallen back there. Miss Prissy was trying to reach one of those black rubbery things that are hanging down a short distance away. I could have told her that the Tall One has them too far away for us to reach, but I think she is near-sighted, because she actually thought it might be possible! So she stretched out her neck, trying to reach it, when she fell behind the cabinet! Luckily, the Tall One left a lot of space between the cabinet and the wall, so Miss Prissy fell safely to the floor, trying to flutter her pretty wings, but then she was stuck there. I screamed as loud as I could to alert the Tall One, and then I realized that she was already st... More About: My Life , Rescue , Posts
The Honey Treat
2007-01-20 01:00:00 Bonsoir, mes amis!Well, the Tall One must have realized she offended me, because she is trying to make amends. She came home with one of those yummy honey treats that have lots of different seeds and other good stuff in them. Of course, I can't be easily bribed into forgiveness, especially since she did not formally apologize, so I just ignored her and the treat for a few minutes. But I understood what she was trying to say, and besides, the treat looked really good and I was craving a snack, so I went over there and started eating. Miss Prissy joined me, too, but she would have eaten either way. She probably does not even remember how rudely the Tall One treated us. Anyway, I am not angry at the Tall One anymore, but that does not mean that I have forgotten what she did. Knowing her, she will probably do it again very soon, and she'll have to apologize all over again. I just wish she would learn from her mistakes and treat me with the respect I deserve. More About: My Life , Honey , Treat , Posts
A Hike Cut Short
2007-01-17 21:13:00 I'm not happy with the Tall One. She tries to boss me around, even though I am the boss! Miss Prissy and I were hiking along the shelf to the wall. After being in the cage most of the day, it was nice to go for a little walk. I felt like chewing at something, so I went to the gray rubbery thing that comes out of the wall. But before I could even open my beak, the Tall One came and told me not to. Well, I didn't want to upset her, so I took a few steps back. I figured she would not pay attention for too long, since she had been playing with my computer. (I hope she does not come across my blog, but I really don't think she's smart enough). As soon as I was back at the wall, though, she came all the way over again. She knows to leave me alone, but she picked up Miss Prissy. Now, being the gentleman that I am, I could not allow my companion to be carried away, so I stepped on the Tall One's hand to go along for the ride. I bit her hand to let her know I did not appreciate our hike... More About: My Life , Posts , Short , Hike
The Battle Against the Pink Things
More articles from this author:2007-01-14 17:39:00 Have you ever been in a situation where strange things were happening, even though you did not want them to? Now, I don't know about you, but I like to be in control. It's hard enough to train the Tall One to do my bidding, but when Miss Prissy starts acting strangely, I have to draw the line. I have seen it happen several times before. She changes from a cheerful, friendly, dignified lady to a lethargic, fluffed up, grouchy ball of feathers. All she does is eat; elle a une faim de loup! She won't have anything to do with me, or even the Tall One, whom she usually adores (for reasons I have yet to discover). As if the situation was not bad enough, a few days later, several oval pink things begin to appear. There is nothing special about them; all you can really do is roll them around the bottom of the cage, but even then you have to be careful so they don't break. Miss Prissy, however, seems to think they are important. Usually, we share everything, but she sits on those things ... More About: Pink , My Life , Photographs , Things 1, 2, 3 |
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