Cockatiels make excellent companions (Cockatiels)

Member Name: rhianjo

Product:	Cockatiels
Date:	02/06/09 (156 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Lots of personality, males are great copycats, friendly birds especially if hand reared

Disadvantages: Very dusty, very messy eaters

I have a 3 year old cockatiel and can highly recommend them as pets. We bought our male bird from a reputable breeder at 3 months old, and he cost £50, but if you intend to interact with your bird it is worth paying the extra money because they are hand tamed straight away. If you opt for an aviary bred cockatiel your chances of interacting with it is practically zero without a lot of patience in hand taming them yourself. He came to us understanding the command 'up' already so would willingly get on my finger. Male birds tend to bond with females better and vice versa, so this is something worth considering.

We picked a male because they are much chattier than female birds who can be quite quiet. Our bird Bertie is really loud! I love it when we get home because he chirps 'hia Bertie' (well me and my husband can tell what he's saying to everyone else it's a bit like a warbled mumble). We have also taught him several songs and he loves learning new whistles, listening intently with his head on one side.

They are very sociable birds and love to be involved in the family life. Everytime anyone walks past his cage he chirps 'hia Bertie' or wolfwhistles. If you aren't going to interact then it's worth getting 2 birds because like parrots they can get depressed and start to pull their feathers out.

However they are very very messy. His feathers are very dusted although regular bathing does reduce the amount of dust. Bertie hates baths though. They also throw a lot of seed out and males can be quite hormonal, erm, how shall I put this, satisfying their needs in a way you wouldn't expect a bird to do and this often happens in his seed bowl!!! Trust me I didn't believe it at first either!

Bertie gets fed a diet of cockatiel seeds (he likes the pets at home variety which is about £3.50 but lasts ages), fruit and vegetables (e.g. frozen peas, apple). Frozen veg cooked slightly is ideal but make sure it's not too hot. I often put a bit of the veg we're having into his bowls but be warned some foods are toxic. Chocolate, cabbage and avocado are some examples. He loves the occasional pizza crust too and if we are eating anything and he's out he flies over to try and nab a bit. He has a big bird cage so that he can stretch his wings but he comes out for a fly and a wander on the floor once the baby has gone to bed. I bought a cockatiel play stand off Ebay (think it was about £12) and this gives him something to perch on when he's out.

I have a young baby now and so spend a lot of my time cleaning up after Bertie and we don't keep him in the lounge anymore to try and protect our son from being exposed to dust all the time.

Cockatiels live about 25 years so it is definitely a lifetime commitment. They are friendly birds with a lot of personality. I can't imagine life without my Bertie but if you dislike a lot of noise a male cockatiel might not be for you.

Summary: Cockatiels are small parrots and make an excellent pet. They do need lots of company though.