Does a cockatiel get lonely if left alone for a few hours ..

I have a question on the care of our cockatiel, whom we've had for
about three months now. It's been said that one should not get a
cockatiel unless you are able to give it the companionship that it
needs.

Through the three months we've had our bird, I'd say that my wife has
done an exemplary job at being around for the cockatiel, researching
on how to care for it, and being with it for almost the entire day
while I'm at work. In the evenings when I'm home we eat our dinners
with the bird at the table, play with it in the living room, pet it
almost all the time (it loves it), and generally keep it company
wherever we are, and cleaning up the poop.

But it's come to the point now where my wife says she can't leave the
pet alone in the room without hearing our bird call for her, or sing
and screech. (The bird is less likely to be so noisy if one of us is
in the same room with it. ) And now, she's starting to feel trapped in
our home, fearing to leave the bird alone during the day as it may get
lonely.

I'm of the opinion that it's okay to leave the bird alone for as long
as 4 hours a day during the day, maybe more, but she thinks that that
would be cruel to leave the bird alone. When we go out to run errands
or try to enjoy the weather outside, we often come home to an
initially quiet bird that squeaks excitedly when she hears the door
opening, and my wife feels bad that we left it feeling so lonely.

So, I'm wondering if leaving the bird alone during the afternoons is
at all bad for the bird. I mean, how do other cockatiel owners handle
a life outside caring for the bird? We'd like to get a companion bird
to keep our cockatiel company, but not being ready for that expense
just yet for another month or so, I'd like to know if leaving the bird
alone for 4-8 hours during the day is bad for the bird.

Thanks,

-A.

<broohaha.RemoveThis@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1181928226.352706.299480@k79g2000hse.googlegroups.com...
>I have a question on the care of our cockatiel, whom we've had for
> about three months now. It's been said that one should not get a
> cockatiel unless you are able to give it the companionship that it
> needs.
>
> Through the three months we've had our bird, I'd say that my wife has
> done an exemplary job at being around for the cockatiel, researching
> on how to care for it, and being with it for almost the entire day
> while I'm at work. In the evenings when I'm home we eat our dinners
> with the bird at the table, play with it in the living room, pet it
> almost all the time (it loves it), and generally keep it company
> wherever we are, and cleaning up the poop.
>
> But it's come to the point now where my wife says she can't leave the
> pet alone in the room without hearing our bird call for her, or sing
> and screech. (The bird is less likely to be so noisy if one of us is
> in the same room with it. ) And now, she's starting to feel trapped in
> our home, fearing to leave the bird alone during the day as it may get
> lonely.
>
> I'm of the opinion that it's okay to leave the bird alone for as long
> as 4 hours a day during the day, maybe more, but she thinks that that
> would be cruel to leave the bird alone. When we go out to run errands
> or try to enjoy the weather outside, we often come home to an
> initially quiet bird that squeaks excitedly when she hears the door
> opening, and my wife feels bad that we left it feeling so lonely.
>
> So, I'm wondering if leaving the bird alone during the afternoons is
> at all bad for the bird. I mean, how do other cockatiel owners handle
> a life outside caring for the bird? We'd like to get a companion bird
> to keep our cockatiel company, but not being ready for that expense
> just yet for another month or so, I'd like to know if leaving the bird
> alone for 4-8 hours during the day is bad for the bird.
>
> Thanks,
>
> -A.
>

Hello Broohaha

IMHO, the answer to your question is an unreserved yes, cockatiels do suffer
when left alone. They're flock animals and get safety and security from
being part of the flock. Without the company of their own kind, you become
the flock, so when you're not there, they are, effectively, abandonned.
Think of what that means to a prey animal. Alone equals easy prey equals
dead. No wonder s/he shouts for you to come back when you leave the room,
it's hard-wired with the knowledge that on its own it's in danger.

We had the same dilemma with our first bird so we got a second (see my
previous posts). She's happier, but she's not dependent on us in that same
way any more so she isn't a pet in the same way. So we make the decision as
to whether we should meet their basic need for company at the expense of our
desire for a dependent pet. Lose/lose.

Hey ho.

--
WolfWilf
Cardiff, UK