How much money am I prepared to spend? While Cockatiels are not very expensive to purchase($80 to $100 or more), they need sizable cages and plenty of toys and other enrichment items. In addition, you will need to take your Cockatiel to the vet for an annual examination. How much time can I spend with my Cockatiel? Unless someone is at home most of the day, a single Cockatiel is likely to be lonely. Paired Cockatiels will need less attention, but you’ll still have to give them daily attention and care. Am I sensitive to noise and mess? Though Cockatiels are not extremely noisy, they will be vocal in the morning and evening and can create big messes. If you’re a neat freak or hate being woken up early in the morning, a Cockatiel might not be right for you. How long am I prepared to care for a pet? Because Cockatiels can live for upwards of twenty years, consider your dedication carefully before purchasing. If you are underage, consider who will care for your Cockatiel if you cannot keep it while at college.
Two food bowls and a water bowl. You will need separate bowls for the dry and wet bird food (wet food will be items like fruit, cooked beans, etc. ) A skirt for the cage to catch thrown seed. Lots of perches for the cage. Cockatiels like to climb and play so lots of perches will make your cockatiel very happy. Make sure that you have a variety and at least a few natural wood perches, though, because a cockatiel’s feet can develop issues when standing on dowel perches. You will notice that your cockatiel will choose one perch as his home base (the perch where he will sleep. )[2] X Expert Source Hayley HeartfieldBird Specialist Expert Interview. 23 June 2021. A bunch of toys for your Cockatiel to play with. Buy several toys and rotate them every week so that your bird isn’t bored. Cockatiels love to chew, so toys like twig balls and palm strips are best. [3] X Expert Source Hayley HeartfieldBird Specialist Expert Interview. 23 June 2021.
Purchase a cockatiel from a rescue center. Before trying to buy a pet bird it is generally better to try to adopt a bird. While many Cockatiels from rescue groups make good pets, adopting from a shelter is not recommended for beginners, as these Cockatiels can be unhealthy or have behaviour problems. Purchase a cockatiel from a previous owner. Sometimes, things come up and people have to give away their pets. As long as you’re sure the owner isn’t rehoming the bird because of behaviour problems, and you are given the bird’s health history, this can be a great way to purchase a Cockatiel, particularly for beginners.
When the bird comes over to the side of the cage where you are sitting and seems fine with you being there, start to offer him small treats (see step one of the next section for what those treats should be. ) After about a week of doing this, open the cage door and hold out a treat, thus prompting your bird to come to sit on the cage door. The next step is to place food in your hand and have the bird eat out of your palm.
If you have a bird that bites: Move your finger quickly and fluidly towards the top of his legs as if you were running your finger through a candle flame. Your bird will automatically step up. Give him a treat and praise immediately after he does this. If your bird starts to bite aggressively, stop the training session and try again later. If you have a bird that rarely bites: Place your finger against your bird’s abdomen above his legs. Apply slight pressure and he will most likely step up immediately. When he does this, give him a treat and praise him. Next time you do it, say “step up” as you apply the pressure. Eventually, he will associate those words with the action of ‘stepping up. ’
Do not feed your Cockatiel avocados,[7] X Research source chocolate, alcohol, onions, mushrooms, tomato leaves, caffeine, or uncooked beans, as these are toxic. Very sugary or fatty foods such as candy bars are also not healthy for Cockatiels. Remove any uneaten fresh food from the cage within four hours or else it could attract harmful bacteria (and will just make a mess. )
When washing the water bowl, make sure to use hot water with a bit of soap and rinse thoroughly to remove all traces of soap. Doing this will ensure that harmful algae or fungus doesn’t begin to grow.
If your Cockatiel bites you outside of the cage, put it back into the cage and wait for it to calm down before taking it out of the cage again. If your Cockatiel is cage aggressive, instead of putting your hand into the cage train it to step up onto a stick or perch. That way, you can have it step up onto the porch when you want to remove it from its cage.
Teaching your Cockatiel how to whistle is much the same - frequently whistle in front of your Cockatiel, and reward it if it begins whistling. Remember, you need time and patience to teach your cockatiel to talk.
Crankiness or biting; napping more often than usual; a decrease in your bird’s weight or the amount of food he eats; refusal to eat or drink water; coughing, sneezing, or irregular breathing; lameness; lumps or swelling; inflamed or crusty eyes and nostrils; cloudy eyes; a soiled vent; or a drooping head, wings, or tail.
Once you know which perch your cockatiel prefers to sleep on, you should make sure that there are no toys hanging around that perch. If your bird was to have a night fright and get tangled up in a toy, he could be badly injured.
