Cockatiel holds wire from a peg in beak and sleeps?

Question

The bird is a grey female approx 18 months old and shares a cage with two males. She has stripped the wood from a peg and 'plays' with the spring that is still attached to the cage. She tends to hold it in her beak while stretched out horizontally and then drifts off to sleep for 5 - 10 minutes at a time. She has now started doing the same while holding the end of a specific wire (it is powdercoated and has no bare spots unlike the peg wire which is uncoated galv wire I think). She also loves stripping the crest feathers from both males if she can. Neither male is interested in mating as the older one is OLD (at least 19 years and has only just started sharing a cage), the younger male was mating with an earlier bird which passed away after raising one chick in the loungeroom :). Any suggestions as to the behaviour would be welcome...Thanks

Answer 1

I think it is just a wierd quirk that your little birdy has...i think it sounds cute!

Answer 2

Your bird needs stimulation!!!! and she is not getting this from the old bird ,she is bored and that is why she is pecking the feathers off the other birds ,Is she eating them?if she is then she is lacking Minerals and Calcium in her diet.

Give her Cuttle-bone and a Mineral block.

Try giving her a little Broccoli ,Spinach ,Kale or Carrot including tops and if you can get any Dandelion leaves or Seeding heads before they burst ,this will give her something to do,another thing you could try her with is Apple ,Pear or Willow tree twigs.

I Would remove the spring as this could be a potential danger

to her she could get her neck ,wings or claws caught in the coils.WITH FATAL RESULTS.