I have a 13 year old son and he really wants a cockatiel his Step mom and his dad have had some baby cockateil

Question

and they have said he can take them when they reach 9 weeks of age he has done a whole lot of reading on these birds like hours worth of it is he responsible enogh to take care of one on his own?

Answer 1

Only you know if your son is responsible enough for this commitment.

Doing a lot of reaing is a good sign, but the big question is do you think he will continue to do all the daily chores (feeding, cleaning and the bonding that needs to be done on a daily basis to have a friendly bird) for the next 20 or so years?

(The average lifespan of a cockatiel is 12 to 15 years. It is not unusual for a cockatiel to live to 20 years of age and the occasional cockatiel makes it to 30!)

That said, my son asked for his own bird for his 4th birthday (the same age I got my first bird) and we got him a handraised budgie. Now we have budgies, cockaiels, lovebirds, bourkes and quakers....all of which he feeds and plays with daily. He is almost 7 now and he just handraised his own lovebird with minimal help from me. What started as a "I want" has turned into a passion for him and he really seems to have a gift when dealing with birds.

Even my 2 year old daughter helps with the feeding of all the birds now, and she has claimed one of the quakers as her own, even though she won't hold them. lol

I think as long as you read up as well to fully understand the diet / housing / health requirements of a cockatiel to keep him on the right path it's probably going to be great for him....especially at an age where having something to occupy him and care for is certainly a good thing.

With his dad and step mum breeding tiels he will also have help from that end as well.

There is always the chance (as with any kid) that he will grow bored with the bird after a few months, but on the other hand he might enjoy the responsibility and really shine.