I have decided to get a cockatiel, what do you think? Please tell me about them and your experience with them

Question

I have decided to get a cockatiel, what do you think? Please tell me about them and your experience with them

Answer 1

they are great and fun i hand reared 2 cockatiels its hard work but well worth it and kept 1. they love to do everything with you my boy watches my actions carefully when im doing something e.g making a cup of tea he observes every step and when its done he obviously copys and trys to drink it but thats a big no no as its no where near good for them.

hand reared love to copy what you eat so say your eating a fruit offer it some or they may even try to nick some lol. but they make great pets love there singing.

Answer 2

Best thing you will do, they are gorgeous birds. . try and get a hand reared one though. If not be very very patient with it and it will become your best friend. They are so cute. I love mine.  

Answer 3

My family got a cockatiel when I was 13 and I lived with it until I moved out four years ago when I was 23.  She's still alive now so she's about 14 years old.

We got her when she was barely weaned and we had to hand feed her mushed food for the first few days that we had her.

She bonded very strongly with my mom and would follow her around the house.  She was ok with the rest of my family but isn't as cuddly with anybody besides my mom.

She started laying eggs when she turned three.  She laid eggs about three or four times a year and got really, really nasty when she was sitting on them.  She would lay them under our couch and run out to attack your feet if you walked by.  She would seriously chase you out of the room if you got too close.  

The biggest annoyance with her is her incessant SCREAMING.  IDK if you've ever heard a cockatiel scream but its very loud and piercing.  She doesn't do it so much anymore but it was a several-times-a-day thing and she would do it for an hour at a time for no reason.  In my neighborhood where I live now there is a family that has a cockatiel (I think they live about five or six houses down) and I hear theirs screaming until 11-12 at NIGHT.  

Our bird loved to chew on wood- she destroyed a lot of woodwork in my parents house that will be very expensive to fix once they get around to it.  And bird c**p stains lighter carpets- be aware of that if you plan on letting yours out.  

She never talked but I know that male cockatiels can become very talented talkers.  Its my impression that females tend to not talk very often.  

Basically, cockatiels are good small birds that can be a little more work to own than a budgie.  I don't think I'd ever get one for myself just because I can't deal with the screaming.  

Good luck.  

Answer 4

my cockatiel was awesome ! in no time at all he learned to whistle ,jack and jill, happy birthday (complete with hip hip hooray )the first few bars of beethoven s 5th ,great mimic ,spoke like crazy, had to watch language as he 'd repeat anything !! he had the run of the house when i was at home ,but take care ,they have no homing instincts ,and if they get out will not return .nuff said.

Answer 5

I really like cockatiel's. I have one and he is over 20 years old. they live very long.  

Answer 6

i got a baby and hand raised it, it was great fun we taught it to do lots of tricks they are very fast learners, jus be careful in winter if you get a baby. mine got a bit to cold ( even thou it lived inside, it gets very cold were i live) and it got sick and passed away, other than that they are great birds, i am think of getting a new one. but from my personal experience GO FOR IT ,  

Answer 7

mine is bonded to me and loves me, they do need daily attention though, check out http://www.parrotcentral.net/cockatiels.... for good info on cockatiels

Answer 8

i love them i have 1 named CHARLEY he is sooooooooooooo cute  he loves me but hates the others he is great friends with the budgie and he is a great talker.if girls get only get a boy and opposite for a boy getting one

great pets

Answer 9

It's great that you're getting a cockatiel! They can be very loving and friendly pets, and many learn to whistle tunes (if not talk). Here is some advice to help you get started with your bird:

It's best to get a cockatiel from a private breeder, not a pet store. Cockatiels at major pet stores (like Petsmart) are generally left to their own devices; they are not handled much once they reach the store, so even though they may have been hand-raised in the beginning, by the time they are brought home they have forgotten the tameness that hand-raising brings, and are essentially wild birds again.

However, it is not a good idea to accept a bird from a breeder who thinks it is best if you hand-feed the bird yourself; that is not a good idea. It is not necessary to hand-feed a bird to get it to bond to you, and it can be very, very dangerous for someone who is inexperienced with hand-feeding baby birds to attempt to do so; if the formula is too hot the baby 'tiel's throat might get burned, if it's too cold they could get sick, if the person doesn't know which side of the throat is the esophagus and which is the windpipe they could accidentally put formula into the bird's windpipe, etc. A responsible breeder waits until they are certain the baby bird is weaned (eating solid foods). A responsible breeder never tries to sell a person an unweaned bird.

Beak grinding (scritch-scritch-scritch) is perfectly normal. No one knows for sure why some cockatiels grind their beaks, but it is not unhealthy and doesn't mean anything important; some birds just like to do it, usually when they're bedding down for the night.

Individual cockatiels are friendly and sociable. Avoid getting another bird just because you want to keep the first friendly; most sources will argue against such an idea, and my own experience has proven to me that after getting a second bird, the first will often bond to the newcomer and no longer want anything to do with you, or one bird will bond to the other who bonds to you, forming a "love triangle" that leaves everybody frustrated. Ignore this warning at your own risk; I did and paid the price for it.

Give a new bird 4-7 days of alone time to get used to its new cage and new surroundings; don't try to handle it until it has had time to adjust, just discreetly change the food and water when necessary.

A cockatiel always steadies itself by putting its beak on you when it goes to step onto your hand; this is not biting, very little pressure is applied, and you have nothing to fear.

Don't answer your bird or come to the cage every time it screams, or it may start to scream just in order to get a reply; one of my friends ended up keeping their bird in the garage because they couldn't stand the constant screaming anymore. I eventually adopted the bird and put up with the screaming--she was a very charming little thing otherwise--but for all my research and patience I was never able to curb that habit, it had been so firmly ingrained.

If the bird sleeps fluffed up on the bottom of the cage instead of on its perch, take heed, and take it to the vet ASAP. This is one of the most common signs of sickness in pet birds, even though it's subtle and easily overlooked if you don't know to look for it. Birds go to great lengths to hide their illnesses--in the wild a flock would kick out any sick individuals to prevent them from spreading disease--so by the time a bird begins to show symptoms they have been sick for some time, and are simply feeling too weak to hide it any longer.

Bird cannot thrive on seed alone! Millet (the small round yellow seeds) is often used as a filler for bird seed mixtures, but it is basically bird candy, so you should look for a mixture that has as little millet in it as possible. Also see if you can find mixtures that include pellets (looks like dry pet kibble or cereal, usually in bright colors)--seeds on their own contain mostly fat, but pellets include nutrients and vitamins that help keep a bird healthy.

It's also good to offer a bird vegetables for added nutrients. Birds rarely try new foods the first time they see it, just keep offering veggies and eventually the bird will try some. Broccoli, carrot and plain cooked rice are all safe for birds. Fruits like apple, pineapple and banana can also be given to birds, but they contain mostly sugar and should only be used as an occasional treat, and sparingly. The more veggies you give to a bird, the healthier the bird, but as a rule of thumb you should always ask your veterinarian about a food item before you give it to your bird, to make sure it isn't toxic to them. Birds should never be allowed to eat chocolate, avocado, alcohol, dairy products, or salty or greasy foods.

Never use nonstick cookware, scented candles, or spray-on air freshener or spray-on disinfectant in a house with a pet bird; birds have very delicate respiratory systems and the airborne particles can easily kill them.

When you let your bird out of the cage, make sure it cannot get into bathrooms, that there are no pots or pans in the sink that are full of water, that the window blinds are down (the bird can see outside, but can't see the mirror; a bird that flies into a mirror can break its neck on impact), that mirrors are covered, and that ceiling fans are turned off. Also make sure there are no other pets like cats or dogs in the room; the danger from a cat is obvious, but even dogs are liable to snap at a bird as it flies overhead. Try not to leave any cats unsupervised in the same room as the bird's cage; it is too tempting for a cat to stick its paw in the cage to try to get to the bird.

Answer 10

Hi! You'll love them, I've had mine for 6 years now and she is the sweetest little thing, all full of personality. Try and get a hand reared one, or one that has atleast been finger tamed and handled for awhile (that is what mine was, and it took a bit longer then if she has been hand reared to become fully tame, but as I was the one to do it, she became very attached to me). You'll have a great bond with yours, can teach them funny things to say and have something that will love you and give you lots of birdie affection!!