Other Cockatiels...

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Welcome to Cockatiel.com - Your Complete Cockatiel Source

Aw congrats. I have owned a cockatiel who recently died in the summer. Since then we bought a Quaker Parrot and adopted a cockaTOO.

Let me see. They are very dusty birds, but to keep the dust/dander under control you can bathe them with a spray bottle. Like all birds, first seven to five wing feathers need to be clipped befor full flighted, I don't suggest clipping nails on your own as they bleed and need special powder put on them. The males /tend/ to be brighter and more vocal, females quiter and duller. This is not always true in all cases. Males have a pearly color on the underside of there wings. I suggest trying to teach your tiel to talk *befor* sing/whistling because then it will ussually be harder to teach him/her to talk. They hide there illnesses, (which is what took my Pippins life away) so signs to tell they are ill, weight loss, unbalance, and fece's. The fece's of a healthy bird will be green with white. First night home should be spent inside the cage. Any specific questions?
This is all I will say for now as chewy is eating my computer chair (Dont worry Tiels don't consume chairs like Too's do!)
Here is a picture of my beloved tiel who passed:

And here is a picture of my birds now:
xmi.jpg - Image - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting
Good luck, I also forgot, one more thing is you might think they just eat seed but they need pellets as part as there diet and would appreciate a table spoon of non buttered corn!

xo Kayla

If you or someone in your home have alot allergies, a cockatiel may not be for you. They give off alot of dander. I like to warn people because cockatiels look very clean (which they are generally) but they do give off alot of dander which really messes with alot of people's allergies in a big way. I have had people adopt a cockatiel only to bring it back in tears because they really love the bird but can't be ill all the time. They are great little birds! I adore them, I currently have one foster that is missing all of her toes on one foot that was rescued during a seizure at a breeders. In spite of all that she has been through she is so loving in her own way and is learning how to trust me now. Cockatiels, even untamed ones, love to play and interact with people. The main advice I can give is to feed lots of veggies (just like a piggie) and rotate toys around to keep the bird entertained. Like every other pet, quality food, clean water, and a large enough cage, really make a difference in the happiness of your pet. They are just awesome little guys, I know you will be very happy!

We have one, named Peaches. and honestly, I wouldnt recommend them as a pet, just because of how ours acts. They only bond with one person, and if that person gives them away, dies, etc.. it will not bond with anyone else. The reason for it is because they mate for life (in the wild)

Our cockatiel doesnt like anyone but my grandma, and he isnt even that social with her. He doesnt talk, but he does whistle sometimes. Also, he does NOT like coming out of his cage at all, and will not come to you.. no matter how much we have tried to tame him. Hes tame, he just doesnt like people.

I really dont know why, I mean, he gets lots of attention, and treats and such.. I have interacted with other peoples cockatiels, and they have all been rather nice, ours is just... well... weird..

I would recommend a conjure (spelling?) or an Amazon, I know people who have had them, and they are usually quite friendly.

I disagree. I feel cockatiels are great pets. There is a reason they are the number one birds in the USA. I don't mean to insult you by this though. That is your opinion. I guess just meet a few cockatiels and then decide.

Even the most frightened, abused cockatiels will ineract with people, in their own way. If yours is that unsociable, I thin I would take a look at his environment and offer more stimulation, they are very active and playful birds and if their minds are not active, they will get a form of depression which often shortens their lives. Try providing more toys, corn on the cob, and other things for them to play with.

I had one and it was even more loving than my dog, and that's not anything to sneeze at. It came flying to my brother and he caught it and kept it inside his room for a few weeks - until it started pooping everywhere. He gave her to me and wow, what an experience. She'd lick me, cuddle with my hair, rub against my neck, eat from my mouth, drink from my fingers and sleep on my bed. It was crazy, I had never seen or heard of a BIRD acting like that. She hated being separated from me except when someone else would allow her to be in their heads. The first time I tried putting her in a cage she drooped and wouldn't eat, so that was the end of that idea. Until she escaped she was treated with the most loving care, and she filled out a LOT since she came into our lives (she was extremely thin and pooping yellowish liquid).

However, I don't know anyone else with cockatiels, so I can't tell you about theirs. Just wanted to let you know that unlike the one mentioned here who didn't want to bond with anyone except the grammy, maybe the one that you get will turn out like mine.

Actually, he isnt unsociable, he just doesnt like when people try to take him out of his cage..

He is perfectly fine if you are talking to him.. whistling to him when he is in the cage, but if you try to take him out, or put your hand near his cage, he will run away and/or hiss at you. Although my grandparents do get him out of the cage for at least an hour per day.

He has so many toys its rediculous.. Its weird though, he doesnt seem to like any of them.. He doesnt like mirrors at all, doesnt ring any of the bells, or play with any of the other toys..

His cage is a pretty good size. Maybe about 2ft wide x 2ft long x 3ft tall. What size cage is recommended for a cockatiel?

Anyone have suggestions on different toys to give him, or other ways to get him to be more "people friendly"? Any suggestions would be much appreciated!

Hrm, I have my cage already....the forum I joined to ask questions told me it was too big, and that they don't need that much space... breeders...


Sorry just to warn you I was really tired when I put it together.... had a christmas party.

The bird I'm adopting will be hand raised so I'm hoping that it will be affectionate. If it only bonds to me... so what, it will be my bird, no one else takes any responsibility for me other 4 animals, so why should this be any different.

That looks kinda like the cage I have.. except mine isnt quite as tall, and it has a larger stand..

That looks great! Plenty of room. How can a cage be too big? It's not like it's hurting him with all of that space.

fourbwabbys said:

That looks great! Plenty of room. How can a cage be too big? It's not like it's hurting him with all of that space.

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Haha. I agree. Breeders just like small cages because it gives them more space for more cages to breed more birds. Its a wonderful cage!

Well if the spaces get any farther apart between the bar, he can put his head through, turn it and suffocate himself.

The bars can be too large and the bird can escape.
But I think it /should/ be okay.
Unless you get a runt, ofcourse.

wickedrodent said:

Actually, he isnt unsociable, he just doesnt like when people try to take him out of his cage..

He is perfectly fine if you are talking to him.. whistling to him when he is in the cage, but if you try to take him out, or put your hand near his cage, he will run away and/or hiss at you. Although my grandparents do get him out of the cage for at least an hour per day.

He has so many toys its rediculous.. Its weird though, he doesnt seem to like any of them.. He doesnt like mirrors at all, doesnt ring any of the bells, or play with any of the other toys..

His cage is a pretty good size. Maybe about 2ft wide x 2ft long x 3ft tall. What size cage is recommended for a cockatiel?

Anyone have suggestions on different toys to give him, or other ways to get him to be more "people friendly"? Any suggestions would be much appreciated!

Click to expand...

Some birds are just cage aggressive. This is why it is very important to teach a young bird to "step up" out of the cage and reward them when they are young. It is also equally important to provide a cage with a large enough door opening for him to ride your hand out of the cage. Many birds become frightened when they know that they are going to be grabbed no matter how many times it happens. People often grab them to remove from the cage by pinning their wings to their sides which takes away their only natural defense except biting which they will sometimes do when frightened. People often don't realize either that even though their cages are large enough, the cage is poorly planned with a small door where the bird has to practically be bent to remove them, all of this brings stress. To be very honest, it may be hard to retrain this particular bird depending on how old it is. I have had some that I have been able to work with that have learned to step up in the cage and do fine but will still puff up and act tough when first approached, others just won't do it no matter how much you try. I have a lovebird here now that I raised day three that will put on a grand show of "attack" when I put my hand into her cage every time but would never bite, I think it is a game to her and due to the fact that she is my "special" baby that never should have made it, I spoiled her and made her this way to a degree. I rotate toys once a week. Once a week, when I clean the cages all the toys go into a bucket filled with water and a mild bleach solution and are cleaned and then given to a different bird, I find it keeps their minds active. Each of my cages also has a suspended chain which I have run a BIG nail through the lowest link which I use to stick into a half ear of corn every day. They get quite a workout on it, I think it stimulates the way that they would feed naturally and they really like to work for their food. Good luck.

Yup, I made sure the cage had a large door on it, as I'm not sure how big the bird would grow.

Depending on their start in the world, some cockatiels can stay rather petite while some get bigger although they tend to get bulky not "bigger all over". I really like your cage and I know your bird will love it too!

Alrighty, it took me long enough, but I finally have uploaded pictures of Peaches' (the cockatiels) cage, and one of him too!

I actually added on to it the day after Christmas.. The first picture is of it BEFORE.



This next one is AFTER.. I added a 1x1 of the grids, he loves climbing up and around in it..



I also took a picture of the cage with the door open, the door is very large, almost the whole front of the cage.



Last but not least.. this is Peaches..

Peaches is beautiful. That is the best kind of door from my experience, it is much less stressful on the bird. Is Peaches a singer or a chatterbox? I just love cockatiels, yours is very pretty.