Just got a pair of cockatiels. Really confused!

shamans · Nov 29, 2012

Hey guys!

I have been doing some research on parrots because I wanted to get one and I found out Cockatiels are the best for me since I am a beginner and they are relatively easier to deal with than Indian Ring Necks.

So what happened was I went to the local "pet bazaar" and found some beautiful looking cockatiels but every seller was telling me they are adults and you can't tame adults. They also said they don't sell babies of cockatiels and IRN's will get their babies in march.

What I did was get a pair of yellow lutino cockatiels. The salesperson told me they are ready for breeding. I got them in the hope that they will breed and I can maybe tame the child then.

Now I have two cockatiels with me in a decent sized cage and I am bursting with questions.

First of all, Which one is the male? At first I thought the one with more red cheeks was the male but that one just sits all day while the other one moves around and even "chirps" (whistles?) and it also bobs its tail ect so I thought okay this one is the male but then the other one whistled as well according to my cousin! If that is so which one is the male? and is it impossible for a female to whistle?

One of them is also a bit aloof to my presence and I heard somewhere that is not good. Like, the other one moves away when my hand appraoches it but the lazy one only moves if I come really close.

How can I tell which one is male?

Also, I read online that it is possible to tame adults and also that it is not possible to tame them. Which point of view should I believe? And if I tame them will breeding be a problem?

And another question, Do I clip their wings? I find that really mean and sometimes I'm finding the concept of caging a bird for my pleasure mean but then again, this wasn't my idea. I wanted to have a companion of a bird who likes me and could sit with me ect.

If I clip their wings, will it effect their chances of breeding if they indeed are a pair?

What simple home made toys can I make for them? Today one of them had a feather in their mouth but I don't think it pulled it off itself, rather the other cockatiel!

I have an urge of letting them free in my room but I'm afraid they will hurt themselves.

I sometimes wonder. If I lock the room. Let them in their with me. and just stay there, eventually they wont be afraid? After days? Weeks? Eventually?

Please help me everyone. I just want a tame Cockatiel I can play with and let out of its cage.

MollyGreenCheeks · Nov 29, 2012

First let me get this out of the way! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! Thats me screaming! The sales person at the Bazar just threw you to the wolves. Breeding birds is a big responsibility and take a lot of time and effort. I don't know a lot about Cockatiels but here is a informational link Cockatiels, How to tell if your Cockatiel is a Male or Female, The difference between male and female cockatiels.

A lot of times at these bazars and such, people come from all over the area to get rid of inventory that they have not been able to move and there are easy targets such as yourself that are eager to get a bird. That is not a slam on you!

I recommend first and foremost that you take your birds to the local Avian Vet to make sure they are in good health. In addition, a good Avian Vet should give you solid advise as to the care, feeding, grooming, breeding, etc of your birds. If you have never clipped wings before, do NOT try it now. You can cause a bird to bleed out and die if done incorrectly. On the same note, a clipped bird is easier to train in most cases. Also, with many parrot species, if they are an adult pair that is bonded together and then you arrive in the picture, they may never want anything to do with you. Breeders are know known to be good companion birds. It's really hard to tell if you don't know these bird full history.

shamans · Nov 29, 2012

Hmm well this is the biggest bird bazaar in my city or the neighbouring one which is why I went their.

Most probably, they will never be tamed then

That is not good ...

Do you think I should clip their wings then? Even if I have on chance of them being tamed?

and clipping wont effect breeding?

Kiran · Nov 29, 2012

"but every seller was telling me they are adults and you can't tame adults."

I've had different experiences with my birds. I started off with 2 yellow lutino cockatiel babies. I guess they were 3-4 weeks old when I got them. Between the 14 I have, the best relationship I have EVER had is with those 2. So it makes a HUGE difference if you get them as babies and handfeed them.
Now how did I end up with 14 when I started with 2? I bought 2 more cockatiel females thinking these 2 are males, but these ended up being females and I ended up with 4 females, and then bought 4 males, then finally my order for white cockatiels came through and i ended up with 10 - totally 5 pairs, and now we have 4 babies who're just about 2 months old right now.
The males bite like mad. I wear oven mitts when I handle them. The white male doesn't, but the others do. I handle all the birds with my bare hands, except those 3 males. it's not like they can't be tamed, but the way the 2 kids i raised sit on my shoulders and kiss me and cuddle me is something special i don't share with the others. Even the 4 babies that are 2 months old now don't have that relationsip with me as I haven't hand fed them.

"First of all, Which one is the male?"
Males whistle / sing. Also, there's a wonderful post in these forums which explained how to identify males.

"And another question, Do I clip their wings? I find that really mean and sometimes I'm finding the concept of caging a bird for my pleasure mean but then again, this wasn't my idea. I wanted to have a companion of a bird who likes me and could sit with me ect.
I have an urge of letting them free in my room but I'm afraid they will hurt themselves"

Depends on you. I've never clipped the wings off any of my birds as I want them to fly around and exercise and have longer lives. I let them free 3-4 times a week for a couple hours each day in a fully closed room with the fan off (so they dont get hurt) and a perch hanging from the ceiling for them to all sit on.

"If I clip their wings, will it effect their chances of breeding if they indeed are a pair? "
It should not matter. Although the male will probably fall down quite a few times if he fails to balance himself when they're making out.

What simple home made toys can I make for them? Today one of them had a feather in their mouth but I don't think it pulled it off itself, rather the other cockatiel!
I've bought quite a few toys from the pet store, but what I noticed they like most are shiny things, like my gold ring and my gold glasses. They just LOVE nibbling at them.

"I sometimes wonder. If I lock the room. Let them in their with me. and just stay there, eventually they wont be afraid? After days? Weeks? Eventually?"
Just give it time. In my case the 2 birds i raised sit on my shoulders and the others come over out of curiosity. Over time, they'l get over their fear of you. But nothing like the relationship with babies you raise, over buying outright adults.

shamans · Nov 29, 2012

Kiran said:
"but every seller was telling me they are adults and you can't tame adults."

I've had different experiences with my birds. I started off with 2 yellow lutino cockatiel babies. I guess they were 3-4 weeks old when I got them. Between the 14 I have, the best relationship I have EVER had is with those 2. So it makes a HUGE difference if you get them as babies and handfeed them.
Now how did I end up with 14 when I started with 2? I bought 2 more cockatiel females thinking these 2 are males, but these ended up being females and I ended up with 4 females, and then bought 4 males, then finally my order for white cockatiels came through and i ended up with 10 - totally 5 pairs, and now we have 4 babies who're just about 2 months old right now.
The males bite like mad. I wear oven mitts when I handle them. The white male doesn't, but the others do. I handle all the birds with my bare hands, except those 3 males. it's not like they can't be tamed, but the way the 2 kids i raised sit on my shoulders and kiss me and cuddle me is something special i don't share with the others. Even the 4 babies that are 2 months old now don't have that relationsip with me as I haven't hand fed them.

"First of all, Which one is the male?"
Males whistle / sing. Also, there's a wonderful post in these forums which explained how to identify males.

"And another question, Do I clip their wings? I find that really mean and sometimes I'm finding the concept of caging a bird for my pleasure mean but then again, this wasn't my idea. I wanted to have a companion of a bird who likes me and could sit with me ect.
I have an urge of letting them free in my room but I'm afraid they will hurt themselves"

Depends on you. I've never clipped the wings off any of my birds as I want them to fly around and exercise and have longer lives. I let them free 3-4 times a week for a couple hours each day in a fully closed room with the fan off (so they dont get hurt) and a perch hanging from the ceiling for them to all sit on.

"If I clip their wings, will it effect their chances of breeding if they indeed are a pair? "
It should not matter. Although the male will probably fall down quite a few times if he fails to balance himself when they're making out.

What simple home made toys can I make for them? Today one of them had a feather in their mouth but I don't think it pulled it off itself, rather the other cockatiel!
I've bought quite a few toys from the pet store, but what I noticed they like most are shiny things, like my gold ring and my gold glasses. They just LOVE nibbling at them.

"I sometimes wonder. If I lock the room. Let them in their with me. and just stay there, eventually they wont be afraid? After days? Weeks? Eventually?"
Just give it time. In my case the 2 birds i raised sit on my shoulders and the others come over out of curiosity. Over time, they'l get over their fear of you. But nothing like the relationship with babies you raise, over buying outright adults.

Thanks for the detailed reply! That helped a lot

I do think I should put my efforts on the baby cockatiel if it comes.

Though I still don't understand which one is the male lol.

Still, thanks for your help neighbor!

(since we live quite close lol)

Kiran · Nov 29, 2012

shamans said:
Still, thanks for your help neighbor! (since we live quite close lol)

How close ? Same city or country or region?

(if you're in the same city I can provide you store and vet info.) :green1:

MonicaMc · Nov 29, 2012

How old are these two lutinos? It's possible you have two males.

Generally speaking, it's not advised to breed two lutinos together. It's recommended to breed a lutino male with a normal hen or a lutino hen with a normal or normal split lutino male. Lutinos are known for having bald spots on the back of their head, so breeding a lutino to a non-lutino encoruages healthier offspring.

Also, typically speaking, pets don't make great breeders and breeders don't make great pets. There are exceptions to the "rule", but you shouldn't expect them to be loveable pets while also being parents that will want to protect their offspring.

Breeding birds can breed clipped or flighted... however, it's best to have a flighted hen. Flight and a good diet helps keep hens from having egg laying problems.

Here's some videos of me working with adult cockatiels. Perhaps they will help you?

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q88bN30qOjo]Sunshine in the Morning - YouTube[/ame]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9w9w8nMRmw]Hesitant Faye - YouTube[/ame]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rH9ZWxhCSAE]Not So Hesitant Faye - YouTube[/ame]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjKmHswgiHs]Cockatiel Feeding - April 24th - YouTube[/ame]

The only tame one (in all ways possible for a tiel) is Casey, the cinnamon pearl pied hen. The rest are adults with somewhat of a sketchy past, and one so skittish he'd freak and fly off if I got too close to him, and now he chastises me if I don't have the food in the cage and my hand away from that dish ASAP! I swear, if the dishes instantly refilled themselves, he'd be happy!

As far as sexing lutinos, if they are at least 1-2 years old they should be relatively easy, if they aren't pieds as well. Lutinos will have faint bars and stripes on them when young. The males will molt these out where-as the hens will keep them.

Below is an image of a young male prior to his adult molt under a black light. As you can see, he has bars around his tail and rump feathers. There are spots on his wings as well which aren't as easy to see since the feathers have been clipped and the wings are not spread.

Do you have photos of your tiels and can you provide us with more information about them? Are they related or unrelated? Age? Diet? Cage?

Just got a pair of cockatiels. Really confused!

shamans

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MollyGreenCheeks

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shamans

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Kiran

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shamans

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Kiran

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MonicaMc

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my cockatiel

my new baby cockatiel....Pearl

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