Never owned a bird

Hello all,

I am looking to add a bird to the family here, specifically a cockatiel. My girlfriend loves birds and she's owned them before, and also my parents and grandparents have owned birds of various breeds as well.

I've never personally owned one, and I'm just here on the forums to find out if a bird would really be right for us.

We are both in the US Navy, but I have a lot of time at home as we are not looking at a deployment until over a year from now. If/when I get deployed, my mother agreed to watch after any pets I have (she lives in the middle of nowhere with plenty of land and a decent sized home.

I normally leave for work around 5:30AM and get home around 4PM. My girlfriend and I both have tons of spare time but we aren't necessarily ready for a child yet, more so because of her health issues than anything.

She's always talking about various birds and showing me videos and I actually went to a few pet shops around my area and I fell in love with a gray/blue budgie and when I showed him his reflection on my phone he started dancing and being very playful and I definitely want an energetic bird too

But will nobody being home for 11 hours a day be a huge no-no? Also if I end up having to work overnight for an emergency would this starve him/her or is there a way I can prevent overfeeding but still have out a decent enough supply of food and water to last almost 24 hours? I'm asking before I get one because I don't want any harm to come to my bird caused by nobody being home for 24 hours.

I've also looked into cages and proper feeding and also how to clean up after them and other things, I really want to do a good job but I don't want to hurt the bird with my schedule.

Any help would be greatly appreciated and also if you want you can look me up on facebook "Skylar Fay" I'm 20

Welcome to you, a cockatiel is a really nice bird. They take a bit of work for bonding, and tend to be a bit skittish. I was blown away yesterday because for the first time I saw two little cockatiels at a pet shop that were already hand tame!

You could try looking for a breeder in your area that has some young birds available. I will often recommend a hand raised bird to new bird owners, mainly because they tend to be easier to train as they're already used to people (if they're socialized properly).

I don't think being away for most of the day would be an issue, as long as you provide it with LOTS of toys and stuff to do (foraging toys are amazing), and can guarantee quality time with your bird for a few hours each day. Mine are often on their own for 10 hours at a time when I have to work, and they're all happy. Not being home for 24 hours isn't a problem either, just make sure to top up food and water.

Many people will be all "omg don't get a bird if you can't give it loads and loads of attention", but the reality is, MOST people who have birds also have jobs, because lets face it, you can't get anywhere in life without a job. As long as you can keep it stimulated while you're not around, it's fine. Sometimes i'll even play a wild bird video on youtube on a continuous loop during the day while i'm out. Placing the cage near a window with open curtains is good, too. They love looking out and calling to all the wild birds they see. Rotating the cage set up and toys every so often will help keep the bird stimulated as well. Birds are more resilient than some people give them credit for.

As for feeding, my birds have food available 24/7. They have seeds and pellets available at all times, and they get fresh fruits and veggies served to them twice a day, with uneaten fruit/veg removed after a couple hours to prevent them eating spoiled food. Fresh water is available 24/7 as well with a water feeder to keep it clean.

Cleaning up is easy. I change papers once a day for those who need it (usually the cages with multiple birds), and I do a complete clean and scrub out once a week. I vacuum around the cages every couple of days, but it's not entirely necessary because they have hooded food bowls so seed doesn't go *everywhere* lol.

Budgies are easy to care for, but can be quite loud because of their chatter. They are very energetic and loving. A female cockatiel would probably be best if you live in a small area with a lot of residence. They are usually more calm and do not chirp as much. If you do have a lot of space and don't care about noise, a male cockatiel would be a good choice. They are usually very friendly and can mimic sounds.

I don't think time is an issue. Buy a large cage and put in a lot of toys so that your bird does not get bored. When you are home, spend a lot of time with the bird, teaching it tricks, feeding it healthy table food, etc. I myself spend a lot of time out of the house because I am still in school. However, when I am home, I take my cockatiels out and let them roam around the house freely. Sometimes I will place them next to my desk when I am doing work so they play amongst themselves while I keep an eye on them.