want a cockatiel?

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SO, YOU WANT A COCKATIEL

PLEASE READ AND CONSIDER ALL OF THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION BEFORE YOU DECIDE TO PURCHASE A COCKATIEL...

If you do not enjoy long-term commitments DO NOT GET A COCKATIEL!!! Cockatiels can live 15 to 30 years.
If you want a cute and cuddly "pet" that will snuggle with you all of the time DO NOT GET A COCKATIEL!!! Buy a warm fuzzy. Cockatiels are not afraid to show their moods and preferences. They will not always be in the mood to be fussed with.
On the flip side, if you want a "pet" that will go away or be quiet when you are not in the mood to deal with it, DO NOT GET A COCKATIEL!!! This, of course, is when they will be craving your attention and being VERY VOCAL about it.
If you are wanting to buy a gift for a friend or relative DO NOT GET A COCKATIEL!!! Buy them a gift certificate.
If you are wanting a "pet" for a child that you will not have to take care of or be involved with, by all means DO NOT GET A COCKATIEL!!! Cockatiels are long-term companions. No matter what, YOU are the adult and YOU are ultimately responsible for the care and well being of this creature. Yes, some children are more responsible than others, but do not get a cockatiel and expect a child to do all of the work just because *you* got it for *them*. I have seen too many cockatiels neglected for this reason.
COCKATIELS ARE NOISY!!! Do NOT get ANY bird and think that it will not be vocal. Some cockatiels are louder than others. If you want a quiet companion DO NOT GET A COCKATIEL!!!!
Normal gray cockatiels can cost anywhere from a pathetic $25.00 to $65.00 or much more for a specific color mutation. If you are not willing to spend money on VET CARE beyond what you spent to purchase the cockatiel, DO NOT GET A COCKATIEL! It is cruel and unfair to use the "purchase price" as a determining factor in what you will spend to give the tiel a quality life.
If you want a bird only because they CAN talk, DO NOT GET A COCKATIEL, get a ROOMMATE!!!
If you are not willing to invest time, attention, and patience, DO NOT GET A COCKATIEL!!!
If you don't like to vacuum, dust, and be responsible, DO NOT GET A COCKATIEL!!! YES, cockatiels ARE MESSY (to us humans). So are all birds. They are supposed to be, that is how the seeds are dispersed in the wild.
No offense, but if you smoke in your home DO NOT GET A COCKATIEL or ANY bird or parrot!!! Enough said.
Cockatiels are spectacular judges of character and are intelligent enough to see through you. If an empathetic creature is not your style DO NOT GET A COCKATIEL.
Last but not least: COCKATIELS ARE NOT "DOMESTICATED PETS", they are long-term companions that can be quite demanding and still very much instinctive in their behaviors. Cockatiels are unlike dogs and cats, the most popular of household pets. They are pair bonding by nature and will see you as their "flock". They will choose a person in the house as their "mate" (this is also subject to change if they so desire). They will not be subordinate to you, they will see you as an equal.
BEFORE YOU PURCHASE A COCKATIEL OR ANY PARROT, visit the Bird Adoption website to view all of the rescue companion birds in need of homes. You can also view birds in need of homes at Petfinders
NEVER BREED BIRDS WITHOUT VIEWING THE RESCUE PAGES FIRST. I mean really GO THERE and STUDY each species, how many are given up and WHY. If you still feel comfortable adding to the population RESPONSIBLY, then go ahead and consider breeding. I would advise anyone interested in breeding to contact and possibly apprentice with a reputable local breeder. There are many things that can and do go wrong. Remember, you are responsible for the life you will bring into this world and what happens to them thereafter.
BIRDS ARE QUICKLY BECOMING OVERPOPULATED AND ENDING UP IN SHELTERS. It is only a matter of time before the supply will outnumber the homes available and euthanisia will become normal as it sadly has for so many dogs and cats. PLEASE CONSIDER THIS BEFORE BREEDING! If you feel that you have friends who will give your birds a "forever" home, I still advise you to proceed with caution. Things do change in peoples lives and a person who has never had to share their home with a bird can decide that it is not for them. It happened to me with one of my babies and it can happen to you.
IF YOU ARE A FIRST TIME OWNER PURCHASE FROM A REPUTABLE BREEDER! If you trust a certain pet store, you can try that way, too, but I will be perfectly candid with you:
I do not believe in selling any live birds in "Pet Stores", be they large or small. Why? Because any bird needs more care than what stores will tell you. They are there to make a sale. Don't let them tell you otherwise. If they TRULY had the well-being of the birds in mind first, then they would REFER to breeders instead of having live birds in the shop. If they themselves breed, then they could still SCREEN potential purchasers before ever showing them the birds. Sound too strict? Go visit a rescue and see the abuse first-hand, then complain to me and tell me that I am off-base to think this.
First timers should have the chance to begin a relationship with a correctly socialized cockatiel before moving onto the more difficult non or poorly socialized ones. Yes, guys, there are bird mills out there like there are puppy mills. There are chain stores (refer to the Bird Adoption site for more information) and private stores that buy from these bird mills. There are breeders who force feed with tubes to raise multiple clutches at a time. These birds are not properly socialized. This is very unfair to the bird and an unsuspecting new purchaser. However, if you are at this time ready to save such a bird from the horrible home-to-home life it will most likely get, by all means, save this bird!!! But, take any bird you get from a shop or breeder to an avian vet. Always quarantine a new bird, no matter what. A 60 to 90 day quarantine is usually appropriate. It is best to do this in a separate air space than your main flock (a trusted friend or family member may be willing to help you). Do not put your flock at risk of disease or yourself at risk of heartbreak if the cockatiel is not healthy. Treat such birds as if they do have something before introducing them to your flock. Make sure that you wash your clothing and body upon returning home before handling your own flock after such a purchase. There are also rescue groups who take in sick, injured, abused and neglected birds. Here again, you must be careful that you are dealing with a real rescue and not a "bird collector" or someone who calls themself a rescue only to breed or turn around and sell the birds. You can also find “give away” tiels and unwanted tiels in the local newspapers. If I find such birds in my area (species is not important here) and can get them, I turn them over to these groups for proper medical care, socialization and finally correct adoption homes whenever I can. If you are interested in finding out more about bird rescue, please go to the Bird Adoption pages link listed previously.
BIRDS HAVE SHARP BEAKS!!! If they are angry, excited, or curious, they use their beaks to express themselves. You must learn not to be intimidated by this (sometimes easier said than done). After all, they are acting perfectly natural---for a cockatiel!!! You have to learn how they think. BIRDS ARE NOTHING LIKE DOGS OR OTHER DOMESTICATED COMPANION ANIMALS. I disagree with the popular idea that tiels (and other avians) do not naturally know how to bite and that it is a learned behavior from humans. Biting is a defense, and if a predator grabs a bird it will bite to protect itself. If they are annoyed by their mate or another tiel, they will open their beaks and make a threat swipe at them. I have observed this behavior many times over in my own tiels when angered or they want the other to move. Most of this is "bluffing" by use of body language. They rarely grab one another as one or the other will back down and move. The problem we humans have is that we don't always recognize this body language, so the tiel resorts to a harder, annoyed nip or even an all out bite to our skin. The first response is flight, and if that does not work it will be fight (or, in this case, bite)!!! Yes, we humans can teach our tiels to bite, too, by being unsure of our own handling methods. This turns in to a sometimes very painful lesson for the human, too! You need to learn when to back off. If you are given a stern warning and ignore it, a nip will usually follow.
A cockatiel can live 15 to 30 years and nothing is more sad than a neglected, abused, unwanted cockatiel being passed from home to home. These are very intelligent creatures that instinctively pair bond in the wild. Such treatment of being passed around is not understood very well by a cockatiel. Visit Exotic Parrot Rescue and Rehabilitation Exotic Parrot Rescue and Rehabilitation to see some rescued parrots that now have a chance at a loving existence. Parrots are very empathetic and have the emotional needs of about a 1 to 2 year old child. Larger cockatoos are even more intelligent and needy than their smaller counterparts. Not providing the correct environment and home can lead to psychological problems such as feather picking, screaming, and other undesirable behaviors that a human views as annoying, but the bird uses as a coping mechanism.
UNLESS YOU CAN ADEQUATELY QUARANTINE AND VET, avoid a shop or breeder who does not take care of their birds or their business. You need to know what you are doing and the precautions to take when rescuing a bird from this environment. Some breeders truly care for the birds and some are only in this business for a profit, viewing their animals as products. Most all pet stores have birds to sell and that is the only reason that they have them, even if they care about them. If you see any birds or animals being abused or neglected, by all means, speak up. You could make the difference between life and death for some poor, unfortunate soul. Please find a qualified avian veterinarian before you make your purchase. There are not many of these around, and certified ones are even harder to find.
ASK QUESTIONS WHEN RESEARCHING BREEDERS (or pet stores)! What do they feed the birds? Are they hand raised? How are they fed? Are they fully weaned and eating on their own before the breeder will let them go? Are they hand tamed? How many clutches are raised at once? (it is very difficult to raise more than one clutch at a time and give it total time and attention for 8 to 10 weeks) How many birds do they have total? Do they have an avian vet you can contact for a reference? Will they sell to just anyone (red flag!) or will they screen buyers? Do they offer support after you bring the cockatiel home and would they ever take the bird back?
So, are you still interested in living with a cockatiel? If you are still not sure, why not visit a local rescue or shelter and volunteer? That way, you can have some hands-on experience with parrots of all types and sizes before you really decide. If you are still fairly positive that a cockatiel is for you, then HERE is how you care for them.

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