Can I “parront” a cockatiel?

With the help of this forum I have realized that a conure or larger parrot will not be kept with the birds best interest in mind. I have been reading more on birds suited more for people who cannot devote their days to birds exclusively and keep seeing cockatiels pop up. My situation is as follows.

Work from 9:30-6 every day with two days off and rarely big plans for weekends.

2 dogs that follow my fiancé around the house for the better part of the day.

An older cat that sleeps all day, and a younger cat that holds little to no interest in the hamsters or bearded dragon we have.

My question is, will a cockatiel be “content” with having passive entertainment throughout the day while my fiancé and animals go about. OR is it considered torture to the Tiel to just be watching from the confines of cage. I do not want to put it on my fiancé to need to hold and juggle 4 other animals. So with researching that passive entertainment be it radio or tv I was thinking the bird would not be alone all day and then in the evenings come out to exercise and be with daddy. I got flamed for this in regards to conures so please just say it’s the same deal or not lol. I totally get it with the larger more demanding parrots and do not want to get ANYTHING if I cannot give it a happy, healthy, loving life.


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Almost everybody has to work these days so if we went strictly by 'job v. pet', no animal would be adopted.

If you are willingly to give quality time to the little guy when you can then I don't see him as "suffering". Make sure he/she has plenty of toys to play with in the cage, and give plenty of love and attention when you can. Cockatiels are hardy and independent birds so I think you have made a great choice.

And of course others will chime in and tell you to keep the bird and the cats separated. As if being an adult you don't already know that.

Good luck.

eagle18 said:

Almost everybody has to work these days so if we went strictly by 'job v. pet', no animal would be adopted.

If you are willingly to give quality time to the little guy when you can then I don't see him as "suffering". Make sure he/she has plenty of toys to play with in the cage, and give plenty of love and attention when you can. Cockatiels are hardy and independent birds so I think you have made a great choice.

And of course others will chime in and tell you to keep the bird and the cats separated. As if being an adult you don't already know that.

Good luck.

Click to expand...

Yes absolutely I know that lol. So another question regarding their overall demeanor. If my Tiel is bonded quite well and comfortable with me. Is there a reason I should fear walking through the house where my other animals will be? Are they more Velcro birds or tend to become bored on you after a few minutes and randomly fly off or try to get away?


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frankie.rainieri said:

eagle18 said:

Almost everybody has to work these days so if we went strictly by 'job v. pet', no animal would be adopted.

If you are willingly to give quality time to the little guy when you can then I don't see him as "suffering". Make sure he/she has plenty of toys to play with in the cage, and give plenty of love and attention when you can. Cockatiels are hardy and independent birds so I think you have made a great choice.

And of course others will chime in and tell you to keep the bird and the cats separated. As if being an adult you don't already know that.

Good luck.

Click to expand...

Yes absolutely I know that lol. So another question regarding their overall demeanor. If my Tiel is bonded quite well and comfortable with me. Is there a reason I should fear walking through the house where my other animals will be? Are they more Velcro birds or tend to become bored on you after a few minutes and randomly fly off or try to get away?


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Click to expand...

I question the dogs more. When my parakeet would get out of his cage my collie would snap in the air, like he would do to a fly. Luckily, he wasn't successful, but I made sure he was out of the house anytime the bird was out of his cage.

They can easily become a Velcro bird. But yes, he could want to stretch his wings or become curious about something and take off.

eagle18 said:

frankie.rainieri said:

eagle18 said:

Almost everybody has to work these days so if we went strictly by 'job v. pet', no animal would be adopted.

If you are willingly to give quality time to the little guy when you can then I don't see him as "suffering". Make sure he/she has plenty of toys to play with in the cage, and give plenty of love and attention when you can. Cockatiels are hardy and independent birds so I think you have made a great choice.

And of course others will chime in and tell you to keep the bird and the cats separated. As if being an adult you don't already know that.

Good luck.

Click to expand...

Yes absolutely I know that lol. So another question regarding their overall demeanor. If my Tiel is bonded quite well and comfortable with me. Is there a reason I should fear walking through the house where my other animals will be? Are they more Velcro birds or tend to become bored on you after a few minutes and randomly fly off or try to get away?


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Click to expand...

I question the dogs more. When my parakeet would get out of his cage my collie would snap in the air, like he would do to a fly. Luckily, he wasn't successful, but I made sure he was out of the house anytime the bird was out of his cage.

They can easily become a Velcro bird. But yes, he could want to stretch his wings or become curious about something and take off.

Click to expand...

Absolutely, I wouldn’t risk it but my dogs know my voice when I get loud and freeze it’s been tested before lol. I have my “man cave” that can easily become a room for her to fly and explore about. Was thinking give her some time out in the evening right into my man cave and then resume the rest of the night on me going about the house. Will they perch and stand for a few minutes say while watching tv or feel the need to keep moving and be a “handful”.


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It honestly depends on his/her personality. Are you thinking of getting a baby or an older bird? My male would perch on my shoulder and watch TV with me. He loved to be petted and cuddled and traveled everywhere with me.

eagle18 said:

It honestly depends on his/her personality. Are you thinking of getting a baby or an older bird? My male would perch on my shoulder and watch TV with me. He loved to be petted and cuddled and traveled everywhere with me.

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I have met and talking to a breeder who hand rears them. I assume your gonna say babies take awhile to calm down?


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frankie.rainieri said:

eagle18 said:

It honestly depends on his/her personality. Are you thinking of getting a baby or an older bird? My male would perch on my shoulder and watch TV with me. He loved to be petted and cuddled and traveled everywhere with me.

Click to expand...

I have met and talking to a breeder who hand rears them. I assume your gonna say babies take awhile to calm down?


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No, actually I was going to say that you will be able to get a baby to do more of what you want it to. Just make sure that the breeder really socializes their birds.

eagle18 said:

frankie.rainieri said:

eagle18 said:

It honestly depends on his/her personality. Are you thinking of getting a baby or an older bird? My male would perch on my shoulder and watch TV with me. He loved to be petted and cuddled and traveled everywhere with me.

Click to expand...

I have met and talking to a breeder who hand rears them. I assume your gonna say babies take awhile to calm down?


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Click to expand...

No, actually I was going to say that you will be able to get a baby to do more of what you want it to. Just make sure that the breeder really socializes their birds.

Click to expand...

Wonderful, yes she said they will be used to dogs, vacuums, and humans obviously. Do you have any input on my concerns regarding me being away and it being caged all day while watching another person walking around the house? The conure people told me I was an ass for saying it would be kept caged while watching another flock member walking around and not letting it out. I like to think the Tiel would be content seeing some action going on and then being handled later on in the day.


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frankie.rainieri said:

eagle18 said:

frankie.rainieri said:

I have met and talking to a breeder who hand rears them. I assume your gonna say babies take awhile to calm down?


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Click to expand...

No, actually I was going to say that you will be able to get a baby to do more of what you want it to. Just make sure that the breeder really socializes their birds.

Click to expand...

Wonderful, yes she said they will be used to dogs, vacuums, and humans obviously. Do you have any input on my concerns regarding me being away and it being caged all day while watching another person walking around the house? The conure people told me I was an ass for saying it would be kept caged while watching another flock member walking around and not letting it out. I like to think the Tiel would be content seeing some action going on and then being handled later on in the day.


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Click to expand...

I can't speak about conures, since I never have owned one, but I do have experiences with Tiels.

Sally Blanchard, a very respected bird owner and author, said it was not the quantity of time spent with the bird that mattered so much, but rather the quality of time.

I would get him a lot of toys to play with, and hopefully the person who is walking around will stop and speak to the him at times, and I think everything should be fine.

eagle18 said:

frankie.rainieri said:

eagle18 said:

No, actually I was going to say that you will be able to get a baby to do more of what you want it to. Just make sure that the breeder really socializes their birds.

Click to expand...

Wonderful, yes she said they will be used to dogs, vacuums, and humans obviously. Do you have any input on my concerns regarding me being away and it being caged all day while watching another person walking around the house? The conure people told me I was an ass for saying it would be kept caged while watching another flock member walking around and not letting it out. I like to think the Tiel would be content seeing some action going on and then being handled later on in the day.


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Click to expand...

I can't speak about conures, since I never have owned one, but I do have experiences with Tiels.

Sally Blanchard, a very respected bird owner and author, said it was not the quantity of time spent with the bird that mattered so much, but rather the quality of time.

I would get him a lot of toys to play with, and hopefully the person who is walking around will stop and speak to the him at times, and I think everything should be fine.

Click to expand...

Wonderful, well the whole conure thing derailed when I mentioned I was worried about my fiancé talking to/feeding treats to while I’m gone all day in fear of it bonding to her. What concerns me is that the Tiel will become so needy that it screams to be let out. Is that so or they just content to sit around and observe?


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In my mind a cockatiel is much like a Conure in the sense that it doesn't deserve to be cages all day and taken out for one hour a day. It's still a parrot and deserves more than being caged the better part of it's life. And No I don't think it would be happy in the cage all day while people are walking by and not taking it out or allowing it to spend time outside the cage. And yes it can also develope a screaming disorder. Nor would it be happy in the basement alone. Also I'm not sure why you think a bird who is bonded to you will never fly off you?! My birds are clipped and still fly all the time and I assure you they're very very bonded to me. Your cockatiel could get spooked (perhaps by a cat in your home because it's a natural predator to birds) and fly off you and become a snack for your dog and or cats. Your cockatiel could fly off you because it's curious too. I'm not sure where you got this idea that if a bird is bonded with you it becomes a shoulder statue that doesn't ever fly off you or do anything you don't want it to do? Your bird isn't going to come out of the gate being glued to you, that takes time and effort on your part and even then they may not act how you want them to act. Even cockatiels take effort and time and lots and lots and lots of love and caring and if only interacted with 1 hour a day will be sad and lonely and develop much the same disorders we were describing on the other conure thread. Keep in mind the bird you get may not be tame or if it is it may just not like you that much...it may never like you, that's how parrots are...even a cockatiel is smart enough to notice that your fiance is at the house all the time and you're not and it could possibly be bonding to her anyways. I'm sorry to be harsh...I know I'm not the 1st one but I'm just not sure you are understanding this that we're trying to save you heartache and problems by warning you of all these issues. We're also trying to save a bird too but not because we think you'll harm it on purpose but because you might not understand fully what having a parrot is like...yes even a cockatiel. Also I'm not sure why people think cockatiels are likes starter bird for people who do t have much time for them...that's just not true.

Sunnyclover said:

In my mind a cockatiel is much like a Conure in the sense that it doesn't deserve to be cages all day and taken out for one hour a day. It's still a parrot and deserves more than being caged the better part of it's life. And No I don't think it would be happy in the cage all day while people are walking by and not taking it out or allowing it to spend time outside the cage. And yes it can also develope a screaming disorder. Nor would it be happy in the basement alone. Also I'm not sure why you think a bird who is bonded to you will never fly off you?! My birds are clipped and still fly all the time and I assure you they're very very bonded to me. Your cockatiel could get spooked (perhaps by a cat in your home because it's a natural predator to birds) and fly off you and become a snack for your dog and or cats. Your cockatiel could fly off you because it's curious too. I'm not sure where you got this idea that if a bird is bonded with you it becomes a shoulder statue that doesn't ever fly off you or do anything you don't want it to do? You're going to come out of the gate being glued to you, that takes time and effort on your part and even then they may not act how you want them to act. Even cockatiels take effort and time and lots and lots and lots of love and caring and if only interacted with 1 hour a day will be sad and lonely and develop much the same disorders we were describing on the other thread. Keep in mind the bird you get may not be tame or if it is it may just not like you that much...it may never like you, that's how parrots are...even a cockatiel is smart enough to notice that your fiance is at the house all the time and you're not and it could possibly be doing to her anyways. I'm sorry to be harsh...I know I'm not the 1st one but I'm just not sure you are understanding this that we're trying to save you heartache and problems by warning you of all these issues. We're also trying to save a bird too but not because we think you'll harm it on purpose but because you might not understand fully what having a parrot is like...yes even a cockatiel. Also I'm not sure why people think cockatiels are likes starter bird for people who do t have much time for them...that's just not true.

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I completely understand and that’s why I started this thread. To be clear I’m 30 years old and hardly goto sleep at 7pm. The bird would routinely have 3 hours or so outside cage for five days a week and then most of the day out for two days a week.


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I'm not sure why that would address the things I mentioned. Birds need 12 hours of sleep a night and most birds instincts tell them to go to bed somewhere around sun set and wake up around sunrise especially the smaller bird species in my experience. You may not be able to keep your bird up that long after sun set...I have 2 birds and I keep them up to about 7:30 at night but any later than that they just want to go to bed and will get cranky and nippy if I keep them up. Also if you keep them up too much past the natural light schedule you're just asking for them to get hormonal and aggressive.

Sunnyclover said:

I'm not sure why that would address the things I mentioned. Birds need 12 hours of sleep a night and most birds instincts tell them to go to bed somewhere around sun set and wake up around sunrise especially the smaller bird species in my experience. You may not be able to keep your bird up that long after sun set...I have 2 birds and I keep them up to about 7:30 at night but any later than that they just want to go to bed so bad it's not fair to keep them up.

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Fair enough, I have read that people “set” their birds day/night cycle. Essentially keeping their 12-14 hour sleep cycle by uncovering at the appropriate time. I’m sure you will not agree with this. However none of us, not even you can give the bird the same life it would have in the wild. It’s all about adjustments within the sane limits to keep a bird happy and well adjusted. Thank you for all your input.


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A cockatiel is still a parrot. It’s still a permanent toddler with way more intelligence than most people give them credit for. You may not be a bird guy, and that’s ok. Fish are cool. African cichlids are AMAZING. Several of the Lake Malawi species change color while you watch. They’re pretty smart, will recognize you, and sometimes they breed and then you have babies. So cool.


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Inger said:

A cockatiel is still a parrot. It’s still a permanent toddler with way more intelligence than most people give them credit for. You may not be a bird guy, and that’s ok. Fish are cool. African cichlids are AMAZING. Several of the Lake Malawi species change color while you watch. They’re pretty smart, will recognize you, and sometimes they breed and then you have babies. So cool.


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Click to expand...

Fair enough


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frankie.rainieri said:

Sunnyclover said:

I'm not sure why that would address the things I mentioned. Birds need 12 hours of sleep a night and most birds instincts tell them to go to bed somewhere around sun set and wake up around sunrise especially the smaller bird species in my experience. You may not be able to keep your bird up that long after sun set...I have 2 birds and I keep them up to about 7:30 at night but any later than that they just want to go to bed so bad it's not fair to keep them up.

Click to expand...

Fair enough, I have read that people “set” their birds day/night cycle. Essentially keeping their 12-14 hour sleep cycle by uncovering at the appropriate time. I’m sure you will not agree with this. However none of us, not even you can give the bird the same life it would have in the wild. It’s all about adjustments within the sane limits to keep a bird happy and well adjusted. Thank you for all your input.


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Click to expand...

My birds don't go to bed until at least 9PM, and sometimes 9:30, and wake up that same time in the morning. This works for us, and for them. We definitely couldn't follow a natural light schedule here, in the winter we get about 8 hours of daylight, in the summer we get between 18 & 19 hours of daylight.

Terry57 said:

frankie.rainieri said:

Sunnyclover said:

I'm not sure why that would address the things I mentioned. Birds need 12 hours of sleep a night and most birds instincts tell them to go to bed somewhere around sun set and wake up around sunrise especially the smaller bird species in my experience. You may not be able to keep your bird up that long after sun set...I have 2 birds and I keep them up to about 7:30 at night but any later than that they just want to go to bed so bad it's not fair to keep them up.

Click to expand...

Fair enough, I have read that people “set” their birds day/night cycle. Essentially keeping their 12-14 hour sleep cycle by uncovering at the appropriate time. I’m sure you will not agree with this. However none of us, not even you can give the bird the same life it would have in the wild. It’s all about adjustments within the sane limits to keep a bird happy and well adjusted. Thank you for all your input.





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Click to expand...

My birds don't go to bed until at least 9PM, and sometimes 9:30, and wake up that same time in the morning. This works for us, and for them. We definitely couldn't follow a natural light schedule here, in the winter we get about 8 hours of daylight, in the summer we get between 18 & 19 hours of daylight.

Click to expand...

Thank you!


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Inger said:

A cockatiel is still a parrot. It’s still a permanent toddler with way more intelligence than most people give them credit for. You may not be a bird guy, and that’s ok. Fish are cool. African cichlids are AMAZING. Several of the Lake Malawi species change color while you watch. They’re pretty smart, will recognize you, and sometimes they breed and then you have babies. So cool.


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Click to expand...

Oh yeah I love African Cichlids! Very very cool. I once saw this cool fish who keeps watch for a shrimp who digs a hole for them to both live in and they're like a cool inter-species partner ship kind of thing and the shrimp was like neon blue. That could be really fun too.