New Bird?

[David DeVries]

A friend of mine has a mated pair of Cockatiels (Nymphicus hollandicus) and they are currently raising a single chick. I have been offered the baby when it is old enough. I had a pair of budgies a long time ago and enjoyed them. I have considered getting a Cocatiel in the past. I have a Barron's pet owners manual on Cockatiels that I have read.

There are four people here in the house and it will get daily attention. I understand that they are very intelligent and will be loud and shrill when alone to "call to flock members". Do any of you have any experience with these birds? Any pros or cons would be appreciated. They can live as long as 10-15 years and I want to know what I am facing before a definite decision is made to adopt.

 

[Midnightrdr456]

With birds of any kind you should always get at least 2 in my experience. Even with alot of people to interact with, they still wont be paid attention to 100% of the time. Which can lead to problems for the bird. Cockatiels aren't too expensive so i would recommend getting a 2nd one to keep it company.

 

[OldHag]

Cockatiels are awesome! They are very sociable like midnightrdr says. They need a lot of attention or they can develop odd habits like plucking thier feathers and such. I found that a lot of toys helps when your not around. Also leaving the radio on.
I got a cockatiel when I was 18. He was only 4 months old when I got him. He was a sweetie. He lived for 18 yrs!!! He had a habit of calling the cat at 2 am "Lou, kitty kitty kitty kitty kitty kitty kitty kitty kitty kitty kitty... on and on for 15 min!! I dont know how he breathed!!!
He did like the attention! I would let him out when we were home. He loved to ride around on my shoulder. He did hate everyone but me.... Would attack my mom, she was terrified of birds and he seemed to know it. Everyone else he would just make his mad noise at.
I miss him.....

 

[Socrates]

Cockatiels are absolutely wonderful! I've raised a Lutino (yellow) chick when we lived in Oklahoma. "Sparky" traveled to Germany with us and then back to the US. She was an absolute love.

There is no need to have 2, especially if you spend a fair amount of time with her/him. Providing your bird with the biggest cage you can afford, plenty of toys which you should rotate regularly, and loads of "out" time will make her/him very happy.

Please don't give her/him a seed only diet. Seeds should only contribute to about 1/3rd of his daily food intake. Fortified pellets, fresh fruits, veggies, cooked noodles, rice, beans, etc. should make up for the other 2/3rd.

Cockatiels are extremely smart and would like nothing more than to hang out on you all day long. They make great companions, and aren't overly loud. Another thing to remember is that they are very, VERY strong fliers, so be careful when you clip her/his wings. Sparky was clipped sufficiently (or so I thought) until she got a whiff of the great outdoors and took off on us. After circling above our house for a good 5 minutes she came back down, and we were extremely lucky to recover her so quickly.

If you're serious about getting her/him, I recommend you start getting to know each other as soon as the chick opens her/his eyes.

Best of luck.

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Wendy
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PS. Some cockatiels can live as long as 25-30 years.

 

[YouLosePayUp]

Cockatiels are absolutely wonderful!

Please don't give her/him a seed only diet. Seeds should only contribute to about 1/3rd of his daily food intake. Fortified pellets, fresh fruits, veggies, cooked noodles, rice, beans, etc. should make up for the other 2/3rd.


Best of luck.

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Wendy
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I agree they are awesome pets. I've had a few that will not adapt to any food other than seed mind you these came from a guy that was busy breeding a colony of brothers and sisters band #'s 009-023 of the same year.

Cockatiels are most affectionate to the one that held them as they were being handfed (I've seen this numerous times) My fiance did all the handfeeding as I was away at work usually. The babies would absolutely adore her, but I had to work at getting them accustomed to me. That said even if you had no interaction with it for the first year of its life it will still "come around" once it realizes you aren't a threat.

 

[Socrates]

I agree they are awesome pets. I've had a few that will not adapt to any food other than seed mind you these came from a guy that was busy breeding a colony of brothers and sisters band #'s 009-023 of the same year.

Yowser!

If they're not introduced to foods other than seed, they are VERY hard to convert.

Mine definitely showed a preference to apples and pears over carrots and broccoli. But I remember that when we had dinner, and let her join us, she'd try everything she could get her beak on.

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Wendy
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[Aunt Ant]

I had a cockatiel, and when it was young it did have a friend- a parakeet. They were kept in separate cages, but when they came out, they would hang out together and scratch each others heads and stuff. When they were in their cages they would call to each other (Wasn't loud really, they made cute chirps! Have you ever heard a screaming Amazon? Now that's loud!)
I do agree with Socrates, you don't really need 2 if you give it the attention it needs. After the parakeet passed on, my bird seemed to do fine. I have heard of birds getting sad after their buddy dies.
Here's an idea, get it a little mini posse of parakeets or budgies

For food, the variety Soc recommended is great. Unfortunately, mine was mostly seed-only. VERY stubborn about pellets, fruits and greens. I would get it to try some new things, but I'd have to play a trick. I would pretend to eat the food and really enjoy it, and the bird would get all interested and HAVE to try it too! Or in some cases I'd be having dinner, and it would just invite itself right onto my plate. Imagine a cockatiel in your plate with spaghetti all over its face! I sure miss that

Yes, they are smart! Mine figured out how to unlatch its cage. I'd recommend a cage with a door that locks (a lock it can't figure out )

Mine was nippy. It wasn't tame when I got it, but it warmed up to me and my sister. Since you would have a baby, you may have good luck and not end up with a nipper. I didn't really mind it, I accepted it as my bird's way of dealing with the world. And I knew the difference between the normal nips and the real bites that meant business
It only liked me and my sister. Did not like older people, people with big or knarly hands, etc. It liked to sit on tall people's shoulders, but did not allow them to touch! LoL, they'd get a mad noise at them! and a nip!

Despite whatever faults my cockatiel may have had, I LOVED IT! I think you're in for a real treat. Raise it right, it should become an awesome friend! And remember, they love head scratches

 

[Tleilaxu]

I LOVE cockatiels the most easy bird to do well with, and you do NOT need two in order to be successful. Feed a varied diet, but avoid citrus fruits as cockateils cannot digest them well. Also besure to give them two to four hours of outside the cage time with intermittant scrititching and cuddling during this time. Too much cuddling will cause reporductive issues that will have severe consequences on the bird.

 

[David DeVries]

Thank you all for the information. This bird is currently being raised by the parent birds with brief holding sessions. I will let you know if I adopt or not. I want to go by and see the birds and take a look at their health and general appearance.

 

[Tleilaxu]

IMO that is the best way to bring up babies, joint parenting tends to make more stable birds.