Aug 9

If choosing a Cockatiel as a pet, you must understand that the inclusive cost of Cockatiel Care may be enormous. Even though Cockatiels do not require extensive maintenance in terms of money, or cost,the owner must be willing to invest a great deal of time and energy, as well as unlimited individual participation. Though the care of a Cockatiel demands the daily commitment of several hours of affection and undivided attention, you will harvest the rewards through the satisfaction returned to you tenfold.

One of the foremost paths to excellent Cockatiel care is to provide your pet with the most favorable conditions and surroundings possible. The pet’s coop is a good place to begin. Keeping a tidy cage and environment is an essential requirement. Newspaper is the perfect source of covering for the base of the cage since it can be easily cleaned of any wasted food, excess feather dust from your pet, and bird droppings.

Cleaning the cage frequently, as well as all accessories, using natural cleansing solutions that contain no chemicals or fumes, is an excellent procedure to follow. Performing this ritual will give your Cockatiel an environment that is clean and well maintained, and in addition, it will aid in the hindrance of sickness.

Finding a good location for the cage, preferably an extremely quiet and cozy portion of the house, is another factor that contributes to good cockatiel care.  This uncomplicated act will reduce stress in your pet that can be introduced by disturbing sounds,Th drafts, and abrupt movements.

To ensure appropriate care for your Cockatiel, it is valuable to provide good physical, as well as intellectual, exercise. The bird should not be allowed to remain inside the cage for lengthy periods of time. You should allow a short exercise program regularly, preferably on a daily basis, permitting your pet to research his surroundings and run free. Because Cockatiels have natural intelligence, it is urgent that you use provocation expressing fondness towards them, as this makes them candidates for a companion that exhibits good health and happiness.

Cockatiel is commonly misspelled (cockateel, cockatail, cockatell). Proper cockatiel care takes a little time, but you will get the hang of it.

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Oct 22

Cockatiels and the host of “mutations” are all pretty much domesticated. They are not really a fussy bird, often playful and expressive. The same holds true when it comes to their cages.

It is preferrable to house Cockatiels in a retangular cage, not in a round one. It is also recommended that cockatiels, although extremely good nature about living quarters, should be be in a cage that they fly in.

Flight allows cockatiels not to be bored. Cockatiel have to fight boredom or they will become depressed. They will experience a loss of appetite if they get to “down”. Some of the symptoms of depression look like symptom of a descease, but keep your bird cheery.

This is part one in the cockatiel management and cockatiel care series of articles, come back tomorrow for more information.

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Sep 7

You are excited…

You bring your new cockatiel home…

You want to get him/her settled right away. You rush in to your home and open the door to the their permanent cage and take the cockatiel out and put it into their cage. Wrong!

There are a few steps you need to take first here they are…

·         You need to close all windows, doors (in the room where the cockatiel permanent cage is located)

·         Be sure that there NO open fires or electric appliances on or in operation.

Once the few things above are done now, it is time to introduce the cockatiel to its new home. If you got a small stout cardboard box to transport your cockatiel home slowly open the cardboard box. Make sure that when you open the box, it is pointing toward the opening of the bird’s cage (hint make sure the cage is wide open).  You need to be patient, sometimes it takes a cockatiel awhile to adapt to it new area.

Remember, unless you bought your cockatiel from a private breeder, its old home was spacious and had many other birds in it. The switch for a cockatiel has to be handled with care.

Here are two tips that will help your bird adjust a little better…

1.       Put your cockatiel in the cage as early in the day, this will help the cockatiel get used to the new surroundings.

2.       Keep a close eye on your new cockatiel from a distance; do not smother your new bird with all kinds of attention at first. 

Cockatiel Care is not hard.

 

 

 

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Sep 5

If you are new bird owner I am going to share with you 3 tips for successfully starting off right with your cockatiel.

Get an examination by an Avian Vet

Within the first 2 weeks of having your cockatiel you should have an experienced vet. A little word of caution here, most veterinarians specialize and the ones who don’t almost specialize by default because most people will bring their dogs and cats to these types of veterinarians. Find a vet that has an area of expertise in birds, also called avian vets.

Quarantine Your New Cockatiel

If you have more than one bird, do not put all the birds together. You need to keep new bird away from the birds that are already in the house. You will also want to put you new cockatiel in a relatively quiet place, loud noises stress cockatiels out.  

Resist the urge to “show off” your new cockatiel. Do not invite a lot of people over to have people look at your new pet. That kind of attention is unwanted by your cockatiel. Wait until your cockatiel is “completely” comfortable in its new surroundings.

Housing Preferences

You may be tempted to get a cage that is ornate or round. This is a big mistake. Studies have shown that cockatiels get nervous when inside a round cage. This hold true for old ornate cages too, most of them are round, but the dangers with these cages are that cockatiels (and any other small birds) may get their head stuck in these cages.

Rectangle cages are the best, the bigger the better. Remember, these are bird and they need to fly. Proper Cockatiel Care starts right from them beginning.

 

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Sep 1


Cockatiel pet should never be transported in a large cage; there are way too many hazards if you do so. First, you will scare the cockatiel and in turn the cockatiel will start to flap it wings hard. This may cause injury.

Once you reach your final destination you cockatiel will tired, worn out and stressed. It will take a while for the cockatiel to relax and feel even remotely comfortable. Your cockatiel will sit very comfortable in this type situation.

It is important to note that your cockatiel will be somewhat restrained because of the small size of these boxes. That is good though, it will prevent your cockatiel for needless flapping of its wings.

When taking your cockatiel home the pet store will give you a small cardboard box perfect for the size of your cockatiel. So, make sure to ask for one before you purchase and bring home your cockatiel.

Side Note: When bring your new cockatiel home, make sure there is some seed in the box, especially if you are going more than 30 minutes from the pet store. This will also cut down on unwanted stress. Food is a source of comfort to a cockatiel.

There are special cages to transport your cockatiel. Unless you plan on moving your cockatiel around a lot you probably should just hold off buying the special “transport” bird cages.

If you have decided that you do need a special bird cage, the traveling cage should not be more than 12X10X10 inches.  Pay close attention to the cage, if has bar you don’t want that cage (I am talking about a travel cage here), you should be looking for a wire mesh cage.

Please take caution when tranporting your new cockatiel pets. They are fragile little birds.

Here is a resource for bird cages especially for our little cockatiel friends – Cockatiel Bird cages.

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Aug 24
Cockatiel care involves looking for signs that your cockateil may be sick, below you will see a few of the common signs of a sick cockatiel.

Most birds have a natural ability to hide that they are sick, this is a defense mechanism that they need in the wild, cockatiels are no different. A cockatiel can hide a disease from detection  until they have already reached an advanced stage. This means that you need to keep a close eye on your bird. Paying close attention is something you should be doing with your cockatiel anyway, because they thrive with loving attention and by giving your bird this kind of attention might save their life.  

Here are a few signs of a sick cockatiel…

Weight

It might not possible too, but you should try to weigh your bird on a weekly, if not on a daily basis. A sick or weak cockatiel will slowly lose weight and body mass daily when sick, so you’ll easily be able to detect the loss. The loss of weight will tell you that your cockatiel is not eating, a tell tale sign of illness.

Feather Picking

One of the next common signs of a sick cockatiel is feather picking. This can be caused by a parasitic infection or an underlying disease. Sometimes, it’s just the result of behavioral problems. In some cases, it can be a combination of both. The vet will have to rule out disease as the underlying cause.

Vomiting

One of the most clear sign of a sick cockatiel is vomiting. This is a one of the worst symptoms that your bird can develop. It may be a sign that he/she has an infection, blocked bowels, or is suffering from various types of poisoning. You should seek veterinary help as soon as you can if your cockatiel experiences recurring occurrences of vomiting.

Sneezing

Sneezing is a common illness. This is usually caused by a sinus infection. Sinus infections can be due to a lot of reasons, so your veterinarian will have to determine the cause. Possible causing bacterial infections, fungal infections, or causes such as Psittacosis are usually to blame.

Screeching

Watch out for the amount of screeching your cockatiel does, simply gauge it by the “normal” noise level your bird usually makes. Excessive screeching is a clear cut sign that something is wrong. It can be as simple as a behavioral problem, but can be parasites or a disease as well, causing your cockatiel pain.

Hopefully, if you keep an eye on your cockatiel you can have success warding off unwanted illness. For more tip about proper cockatiel care look around this site some more.

More resources can be found below…

Behavior problems

The Right Cockatiel Diet

Cockatiel Handbook

 

 

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Aug 12

Cockatiels are one of the most popular birds today in the United States. They are sociable, loving, happy and easy to take care of. This makes them awesome pets even for novices. Having a Cocatiel is very rewarding and not hard to give proper Cockatiel Care.

Cockatiels are actually a distant relatives to another popular breed, the parrot. They get their name from a Dutch word, “Kakatielje” that means little cockatoo. Cockatiels originated in Australia. There are many color “schemes” of cockatiels, including yellow, gray and white, with yellow being the most popular. With the proper care and the right diet, cockatiels will live uoto 20 years.

Cockatiels are outwardly expressive birds. They are very easy going, mild mannered and only not extremely active. These birds need TLC, they have to have contact. Cockatiels thrive by being touched and talk too. They will try to get their owners attention by making sounds such as singing and if trained by talking to you. They are usually are very happy, cheerful and content birds. They are also loving and will often will try to play with your hair. They will even lower their heads down for you to pet them! Although, their speech is a little rough, often barely understandable. The males are usually more vocal than the females.

Cockatiels are smaller, quieter, cleaner and bite less than their cousins, the parrot. They do make a great family pet, for several reasons. The longevety of cockatiels, the mildness and loving nature that is important for younger family members.  

When choosing a cockatiel as a pet here are a few tips to remember…

  • Hand feed your cockatiel so that it gets used to humans.
  • Be certain of the sex of the cockatiel. Remember that the male are more vocal and a little more aggressive. Females are a little more “uptight” than the males, but tend to be more friendly. 
  • Cockatiels are not an expensive bird. However they do require a cage of at least 18″x18″x18″ but are thrive in a larger cage of 36″x18″x24″
  • Cockatiels are birds, so they need to fly. Allowing them out of their cage is awesome for cockatiels. They do need exercise, this is another reason for a larger cage and time out of their cage. 
  • Cockatiels are extremely intelligence, so they need a lot of attention and physical and mental stimulation.  Try to fight boredoom for your cockatiel, Cockatiels do chew on things, so make sure the toys you get are safe.

A healthy cocketiel is a happy cockatiel so the “right diet” is an absolute must. Do not put your bird on an all seed diet. Try and get a pellet-based diet. If you are against a pellet based diet, you will need to chop up fresh fruits and vegetables on a daily basis. 

One more thing, cockatiels need between 10 and 12 hours of sleep every night or they will become ill, so cover their cage with a sheet to give them less distractions from sleeping as possible.

Cockatiels make great pet, actually awesome companions. If you only have one, it will form an extremely strong bond with you because it will think you are its mate. Cockatiels love attention and are very gentle and affectionate. They are excellent pets.

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