Cockatiels...info. needed please

Ellen

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I posted a new topic earlier today regarding Budgies because I am thinking about buying 2 young males. One of the responses I got mentioned getting a Cockatiel. I don't know anything about Cockatiels and was hoping someone can fill me in on them. Thoughts?

I'm not home all the time so would a single Cockatiel get lonely? He/she wouldn't be able to get out of his/her cage all that often. Would you recommend a male or a female? I'm a first time bird owner. I found an ad online of someone selling baby and adult Cockatiels and they are also selling baby Budgies. But first, I wanted to ask on this forum in hopes to being lead in the right direction and find out more about the Cockatiel.
 

KayJeanne518

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To be completely honest, as a bird owner for many years of all types, mostly cockatiels, I honestly wouldn't recommended getting birds at all if you won't be home a lot or it won't get any outside of the cage time or have any interaction with you. Birds need a lot of mental stimulation and require attention or it can become very depressed and ill. Even if you decided to get two to keep eachother company thats still unfair to the both of them if they dont get to get out of their cage and you would have to make sure to get either two males or two females so they don't try mating. Birds of all types and sizes shouldn't be purchased just to spend their life in a cage alone with no interaction. Now I'm home 24/7 due to my illness and all my birds, 7 cockatiels and one indian ringneck are always out of their cages and only go in to sleep or eat/drink. They thrive when they get attention from their owners. Yes you can get two to keep eachother company but that doesn't always work out. They go through hormones and could become aggressive towards eachother or fight for dominance over the other. Do not purchase a bird just because they are cute or pretty. If you don't intend to spend time with them or let them have time out of their cages then you don't need one. Just ask yourself would you be happy being stuck in a cage all your life and no one pays attention to you?
 

aether-drifter

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I agree with the above, however: most of us who have birds do have to work. It's just an unfortunate reality.

I have four cockatiels and a cockatoo, and work full-time. Aside from one tiel who isn't tame, all of my birds are people-oriented and crave my attention (to a degree). The tiels do derive comfort from each other's company, though, and they do fine when I am gone. All they really require is about half an hour of my time in the morning, and half an hour in the evening. They have their own room so they are still "free" when I'm not around, and since they have each other they don't get lonely. No, they aren't best friends, but they are a flock.

My cockatoo probably gets lonelier, since she doesn't really seem to view the tiels as her equals/flockmates (and she is caged to protect them), but she gets a couple of hours out of her cage with us in the morning, and a couple at night. During my weekends, she is out most of the day. This arrangement works well enough, though she does need a bigger cage which I am working on.

I think any parrot will get lonely if left alone during the day....they are flock animals, after all. That being said, I highly recommend cockatiels. A tame cockatiel tends to remain tame and human friendly, even if housed with/around members of its own species. They are adorable, sweet, wonderful companions.
 

aether-drifter

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Also, if your bird will not be out of the cage that much, I cannot stress enough the importance of a HUGE cage. Parrots need exercise, physical and mental stimulation, so lots of room to move around and lots of areas to play in.
 
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Ellen

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Thank you for your replies. Like aether-drifter said, not all of us are home 24/7 because most of us do work and that is reality.

KayJeanne...Did you have birds before your illness? Did you have a job? I didn't say that a bird wouldn't get "any" outside cage time. I just said that he/she wouldn't get out all that often because I do leave the house due to responsibilities, errands, shopping, etc.
 

KayJeanne518

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Yes I have had birds my whole life. I should have said they don't need constant attention lol but yes they need some throughtout the day. I suffer from severe anxiety and panic disorder with vehicles so its very difficult to go anywhere anymore so I spend a lot of time with my animals lol but yes if you tend to get one cockatiel then get a very large cage if he or she will not get out much. Make sure bar spacing is less than an inch, I believe 5/8 of an inch is good.
 

Allee

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U2-Poppy(Poppy lives with her new mommy, Misty now) CAG-Jack, YNA, Bingo, Budgie-Piper, Cockatiel-Sweet Pea Quakers-Harry, Sammy, Wilson ***Zeke (quaker) Twinkle (budgie) forever in our hearts
Hi Ellen,
Most of us do have errands, jobs, commitments and things we have to do without our birds but it's possible to find a balance that keeps everyone happy and healthy. It's great you are doing your research before you bring home your bird. :)

My mom rescued a bedraggled little cockatiel from an awful pet store several months ago. Three weeks after she brought her home, she asked me to take her because of an issue with one of her dogs. Sweet Pea moved in and made herself right at home. She is the sweetest, happiest little bird with a darling personality. :) In spite of her bumpy start at the pet store, she's friendly and likes everyone. When I have to be away for a few hours, I make sure she has foraging toys and Sweet Pea makes good use of hers. I think a cockatiel would be a good fit for you. I do agree with the big cage idea, I think all birds deserve the largest cage possible. Have fun in your continuing search. I know the right bird is waiting for you.
 
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Ellen

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Thank you. Sweet Pea sounds like a really neat tiel.

I have a 30x18x18 cage, new, and I bought it because at the time I was thinking about getting a different bird. Would that size be alright for a baby or an adult cockatiel? What is considered a good sized cage for a tiel?
 

aether-drifter

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That is bare minimum size, and IMHO not big enough for any bird unless (s)he is out almost all the time. Since your bird will be in the cage most of the day, I highly suggest a flight cage or double flight cage.

For example:

Bird Cage | Wayfair

Prevue Hendryx Flight Bird Cage with Storage Shelf & Reviews | Wayfair

Double Flight Bird Cage with Divider for Sale | Wayfair

Trust me, they are energetic little things who like to move around, explore, and stretch their wings. They need the space.

Edit: is the cage 30" wide, or tall? If it's the width, that is a lot better. Still, though, I don't think I would feel comfortable leaving a tiel alone for 8+ hours a day in something other than a flight cage.
 

Anansi

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Maya (Female Solomon Island eclectus parrot), Jolly (Male Solomon Island eclectus parrot), Bixby (Male, red-sided eclectus. RIP), Suzie (Male cockatiel. RIP)
A well socialized cockatiel can be one of the most companionable and loving birds you could ever get! My first parrot was a cockatiel, and I had him for just about 18 years. Hardy bird, and sick only twice in his life. (1st was a cold that he got over within a day, and the 2nd time was the kidney disease that killed him.)

He bonded strongly to me, yet was not hostile to others. (Well, with the exception of my nephew who played a rowdy game of catch... ONCE... near his cage! Lol!)

But jaw-dropping capacity for holding a years-long grudge aside, he was also cuddly, loving, highly intelligent and very interactive.

Like others have said, you should get him the largest possible cage you can afford. Especially if he/she won't be out of the cage a lot.

And while many of us do work and maintain good relationships with our birds, you do want to aim for spending as much time as possible with your fid. They do crave and need your attention. If spending that kind of time with your bird after work and on weekends could be your norm rather than the exception, I'd say a cockatiel would be a great bird for you.
 
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Ellen

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I am in and out but for the most part, I would say I have more time home than work time. My cage is 30" Wide, 18" Deep, and 18" High. I clicked on the cage links and noticed that the widths on the cages were only an inch or two inches wider than what I bought with the exception of the double flight cage. So is Height of the cage very important?

I appreciate all these views on the Cockatiel. It's been very interesting!
 

aether-drifter

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Width is more important than height, but my birds do use the height of the flight cage, too. I used to have a cage with the same dimensions as yours for my first tiel -- and he did okay in it, but I also left the door open all day and allowed him to come out and sit on top. I also had a tree/play area next to the cage that he could hang out on. They like to have multiple areas to go back and forth between. The smaller the cage, the harder it is to do that and allow them the space to stretch/flap their wings. I would say your cage is probably acceptable as a minimum size...but IME, they really do appreciate if you can give them more.
 
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Abigal7

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Cockatiels are a good bird for first time bird owners. They have the sweetest personalities. That said as with all parrot species they need out of cage time everyday. A cockatiel should be fine when you are at work etc. Putting toys in the cage will give the bird things to do. However, it you are wanting a bird as a companion then you will have to spend time with the bird everyday. To be honest with you I would invest in a flight cage. The cage dimensions you listed would be a small cage for a bird to spend a lot of time in. Sadly in the past that was considered a normal cage for a cockatiel. I would suggest investing in a flight cage. You can keep that cage and use it to transport the bird to the vet office, ect. I even recommend a flight cage if you are going to keep a couple of budgies.
 
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KayJeanne518

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I personally believe whether you have one bird or many, the cage should be like a mansion for them lol the flight cage in the first pic (this is when I first purchased it) currently houses 5 of my cockatiels but they come in and out whenever they please. The dome top cage which use to house my breeding pair of tiels as you can see in the pic, currently houses my 1 indian ringneck which he also goes in and out whenever he wants.
uploadfromtaptalk1404767221622.jpg
uploadfromtaptalk1404767449493.jpg
 
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Ellen

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The cage I bought is brand new, never been used and I still have the box so I guess I'll take it back (the stand also) to the store and see if I can get my money back. I like the flight cages that are higher off the ground.
 

Colorguarder08

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Riley-white faced grey cockatiel (hatch date 6-28-2014) RIP Halloween-pied cockatiel
I'm not sure if I'm allowed to reccomend websites on here or not but I HIGHLY reccommend cockatielcottage.net (if I'm not allowed to them I'm sorry) also read cockatiels/parrots for dummies. I'm not saying your dumb but these are basically ment to be crash courses in the bird area. I have had some Cockatiels that were super easy to train (like Halloween) and some that were never trained because just like anyother animal they pick their owners. When I got Halloween I had my mom with me and I instantly fell in love with her I just had to have her then my mom wanted me to have the lutino one as well. I named him Hallows Eve ( I got them on Halloween 2010 which is why they got halloween related names) now Halloween I had her hand tamed within a couple weeks but I never bonded with or could tame Hallows Eve and since he never really bonded with Halloween (they stayed on opposite ends of the cage never preened each other and seemed to not notice the other one existed) I decided it was best to rehome him. However, I got my first cockatiel for my 11th birthday and had him up til my senior year in highschool when my grades slipped and I came home and my dad had given him away because of it, though I think he failed to take into account I did have 4 surgeries that year, Anyways up until that point I had school, work and colorguard which is a year round (even during summer vacation) extra curricular activity. I was still able to have Angel out of his cage for a few hours a night every night while I did my homework. he was allowed free flight in my room for those few hours. My point is if you put in the effort your bird can be happy. However, it will benefit ANY bird to have a large cage (look around local pet stores I found an amazingly big cage for fairly cheap at one here). They will need a variety of toys especially foraging toys in increasing difficulties.
 

kalypso123

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I have a cockatiel Kalypso. She is awesome. She loves people and playing especially on the keyboard. A big cage is what you need. My cage is okay but I am going to ask my pareents for a bigger one for christmas lol. Kalypso just likes to be with me she really doesnt care what I am doing. Overall Cockatiels are great birds.
 

Colorguarder08

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Riley-white faced grey cockatiel (hatch date 6-28-2014) RIP Halloween-pied cockatiel
Go on drsfostersmith.com their economic flight cage is $124.99 no tax and free shipping you can also order cage liners specifically for it for $27.99 for 150 liners again no tax. Your really not gonna find a better deal. Petco cage liners come out to a dollar per liner plus tax these liners cost 0.035 cents so basically 3 and a half cents per liner and you don't have to pay tax.
 

Colorguarder08

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Mar 8, 2010
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Washington State
Parrots
Riley-white faced grey cockatiel (hatch date 6-28-2014) RIP Halloween-pied cockatiel
I am in and out but for the most part, I would say I have more time home than work time. My cage is 30" Wide, 18" Deep, and 18" High. I clicked on the cage links and noticed that the widths on the cages were only an inch or two inches wider than what I bought with the exception of the double flight cage. So is Height of the cage very important?

I appreciate all these views on the Cockatiel. It's been very interesting!

While width is important stop and think (especially if you have other pets) there might be something at desk level they feel the need to get away from a taller cage can make them feel more secure like how a cat is always looking for the highest place to ensure there are no predators around
 

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