Hi, guys welcome back to Animal Wonders.

I'm Jessi, and I love being able to offer a home to animals that need a safe and stable place to spend their days. This is Steve.

He's a cockatiel. We've had him for about seven months now, and during that time, it's been a pleasure getting to know him; what he likes and dislikes and just who he is- overall. When we first take in an animal, I like to give them a good amount of time to settle in and really get used to their new surroundings.

After they're completely comfortable,. I begin to introduce myself as more than someone who just brings food. As I interact with an animal more and more it's important to.

Make sure that I'm listening to what they're telling me. All animals communicate, but not all animals do it in the same way. In order to gain an animal's trust,.

I have to watch and listen to what they're telling me, so I can respond appropriately. reading a bird's behavior can be a challenge for many people because. Birds don't communicate in the same ways that humans do and it's more than just not being human. They're not mammals.

So, they're further removed from us than say, a dog. Birds don't have any muscles in their face, so they can't frown or smile which are incredibly important for human communication. Instead of using their eyebrows and lips to communicate, they use their pupils, feathers, wings, beak, body posture and vocalizations to tell you how they're feeling and what their intentions are.

If you know what to look for, you can quickly tell what they're trying to tell you. not all animals communicate the same way and unsurprisingly not all birds communicate the same way I am so fascinated by cockatiels because they have some really unique ways that they let you know what they're feeling for example. Cockatiels do this one thing that I absolutely love if I'm taking Steve on an adventure. And I show him something that he's not a big fan of he'll hiss at it.

Full on open beak with an auditory {hhh} I don't love that Steve doesn't like something but I love how clear that communication is. Speaking of, Steve is telling me that he's done with this whole thing so I'm going to go ahead and put him back and there. And there are many other more subtle communications like when Steve is peeved he'll flatness his crest,.

That's the long feathers on top of his head. When he does this I know that if I push him that he's most likely going to try and bite. When he's curious his crest feathers will perk up a little more than halfway.

And if he's having a really good time he'll bob his head and whistle. If his crest stands straight up He's startled, and he's very much on guard. He's in alert mode, so if he had muscles in his face He looks something like this.

Another way that cockatiels communicate is by claiming objects and territories by pacing on them. If their claim is disputed Then they'll open their beak and give a threat display saying I will bite if you push the issue there are many more ways that. Cockatiels communicate but my favorite has to be the hissing now that Steve is completely settled in we don't stop there.

We're constantly looking for ways to enrich his life everyday and Steve came to us when he was about 10 years old. And he had never met another bird. We wanted to make sure that Steve received as much attention.

And interaction as possible and since we have many birds and other animals that require a lot of our time. The best thing would be for Steve to have his own bird companion to live with full-time. Shortly after he arrived we introduced him to a lone budgerigar named Agent Perry the introduction was slow and planned out carefully and we crossed our fingers that they would become friends.

Over the last few months the two have settled into a routine that works for them both I wouldn't say it was love at first sight but they do enjoy each other's company. Most of the time and the consistent interaction is priceless. Introducing animals, especially birds is a challenging prospect And it shouldn't be taken lightly because it can sometimes be life-threatening.

We watched Steve and Agent Perry closely for the first few weeks to make sure. Neither would hurt the other. Now the only disputes are over who gets which food dish first And they always switch multiple times just to make sure everyone's getting a good deal.

Thanks for joining us if you want to learn more about cockatiel behaviour there's a link below to a great article and remember every animal has something to say I'm encouraging you to study their language and then listen you might just make a new friend in the process if you'd like to go on an adventure with us every week subscribe to. Our YouTube channel animal wonders Montana. Thanks.

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