Does anyone have a cockatiel?

scottracy

scottracy

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Jan 3, 2004
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My animal kingdom has just expanded. My 9 year old daughter conned me in buying a baby cockatiel last night. Can anyone recommend a good informative website or article that can help with feeding and nutrition? Currently we are following the pet stores advice. We are hand feeding it 3x per day with a formula called EXACT by Kaytee using a pipette. When we are not handling the bird it stays in a plastic cage lined with some soft paper material. The cage rests on a heating blanket. We are not sure if the bird is eating enough although it seems happy, healthy and content for now.

Scott
 
I love parrots, conures, and the like. I had a cockatiel when I was younger and also a Quaker parrot.

I don't mean to sound condescending, but if a bird is still hand-feeding it's not a good idea for the bird to be sold, especially to someone who has not hand-fed a baby bird before. Some breeders claim that this will help bond a bird to its new family-- however, hand-feeding is a delicate procedure and has the potential to go wrong due to nothing more than inexperience. Since you already have the bird, that's a moot point-- just be VERY careful.

How old is the bird? I'll do my best to find some trustworthy info...

Edit: This site has trustworthy info-- look under Hand Feeding. It's not specific enough for my tastes, but it's a start.
http://www.bluequaker.com/Art-015.htm

Edit #2: Here's a really nice site about weaning, bookmark it for the future.
http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww50eii.htm

And not to scare you, but here are some things that could go wrong during hand-feeding:
http://www.cockatielcottage.net/feeding.html

And one more about hand-feeding..
http://www.cockatiel.org/articles/handfeeding.html
 
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I've had 'tiels and handfed many birds at work. Aquarius posted some very good links. I too agree that selling unweaned birds to beginners is not a good idea. Also, we have always kept ours in a regular cage with a heat lamp, just with everything lowered so that it's still within reach so they can learn how to use the perches and exercise their feet.

The few times I have sold unweaned birds were birds that were almost completely weaned and the people had to come in for one-on-one classes for several feeding sessions.

As far as nutrition, try looking into a good pelleted diet with fruits and veggies for supplementation once the little one is weaned.
 
Whatever you do, don't feed it the mix that is sold for cockatiels (when it's old enough). It's unhealthy and fattening. I use the stuff I get from my vet. It's Harrison Bird pellet formula. All organic and no preservatives - its very heatlhy.

Their diet should not consist of more than 10% seeds and they should be provided with leafy green vegetables and things like carrots, squash, peas, broccoli, etc.

My advice is to take it to the vet and get it checked out (they'll do a test on the feces to check and make sure everything is normal and that there isn't anything wrong. I think it's called a gram stain). They'll also show you how to clip the wings or do it themself, if you choose to clip them and will be able to answer any questions for you (though of course we can help).

How warm is it with that heating blanket? If it gets too toasty, thats not good.
Be careful about using Teflon or non stick pans. When they overheat, they emit a noxious gas that is deadly to cockatiels and some other birds.

It does sound that the bird is too young to be sold though, if its still eating formula.

This is a good, responsible site:
http://www.cockatiels.org/

It has diet info, iirc.

I think my kramer (cockatiel) is the coolest. He (well it's technically a she, I think :eek: ) will just spend hours with me, sitting on me and watching tv or walking around on my shoulder:)
 
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Some breeders claim that this will help bond a bird to its new family--
Click to expand...

Aquarius, your comment is not condescending at all. I agree! I should have listened to my instincts and learned more prior to buying this cockatiel. My daughter, Madison, turned 9 and this is what she asked for. She is smart, responsible for her age, and a fast learner. She currently helps me alot with my aquarium maintenance. Bottom line is "I am a softy!"

The cockatiel has feathers so I think it is several weeks old. Its probably close to weaning and being introduced to a regular cage as Dapple2 states. I will call the pet store tomorrow and inquire about the exact age and type of cockatiel. In the morning I will post a picture for you guys to look at!

I have looked at and printed some information from
http://www.cockatiels.org/
http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww50eii.htm
http://www.cockatielcottage.net/feeding.html

Leopardess, the heating blanket is on a medium setting. The cage is plastic or acrylic. It looks similar to the cages they sale in the mall for the hermit crabs(I have one of those too!) but only bigger.

Wow, thanks for all of the information. I will be very careful and do my best for this bird! I guess our love for animals is bigger than our brains. We have:

2--eleven year old German Shepherds
1--eleven year old Russian Blue cat
2--five year old tabbys (cats) not sure of spelling!
1--hermit crab
1--cockatiel
61--fish

Scott
 
Teils are the best! I had one (going 15 years back) and she was my sunshine to say the least. Someone had given her to mme and to say that I was her reason for being is an understatement. I took her everywhere with me and the fondness she showed was unbelievable. The bond that she created between us, unmistakable. What a fuss she would make when I left the room. I thought she was a male when I first got her (as what the previous owners said.... until she laid her first egg! Then it was time to find her a mate. The first two drove her nuts, she hated them. I came home with a "wild" (untamed) male and she adored him, and he loved her to pieces as well. The adoration they showed each other was unmistakable! They had a few successful clutches and raised some very fine babies. When she dies, it broke my heart completely! She died in the form of an angel, with her wings spread over her head.... A siteful end to a magnificent bird! After she died... the male was heartbroken as well, I couldn't bear to listen to his cries for her.... Nonetheless, teils are IMO the greatest of the birds, once they bond it's a happy journey to travel with them. They are jokers, cuddlers, lovers, and good friends. I agree with everyone else in that it's surpising that someone would send a chick that isn't feeding on solids. I believe every 4 hours or so is the regimen. While I think hand-feeding is a well etablished bonding regimen, I don't believe it's the majpr thing. A lot of time should be spent between the bird and you, and this could happen after it's weened... so not sure why they sold it to you while it wwas still on the formula. Nonetheless, great luck on this baby, these birds are a lot of fun!
 
if you got it eating already you should do fine. they will usually let you know when theya re full. i try handling them a little while their crop isnt so full to get them used to the interaction.

unweaned birds should only be sold to experienced people but if you have to start atleast you have a nice sized bird. i had to learn on zebra finches. and the handfeedings will make them basically like one of your kids if played with enough.

once he starts eating less put some spray millet in there and some veggies. my birds get frozen veggies the kind with the peas, string beans carrots and corn.

many people are against feeding seeds, but i think its fine they always have seeds availible mostly grass and different millets. they dont eat that much of it anyways because i always feed them breads, sprouts and veggies. plus the smallest bird cage i have is 4x6x6 feet. and usually only a few birds in each.

i keep pheasants and button quails in bigger cages. then all the regular cages has love birds, budgies, ringneck parakeet, parrotlets, finches, cockatiels and whatever else i adopt when people move or want a better home for their birds.
 
cockatiel_1.jpg


Can anyone estimate the age based on this photo? I will call the pet store when they open.

Scott
 
I'm guessing your bird is around 8 to 10 weeks old, but it's tough to tell from the photo. The pet shop should be able to supply you with a hatch cetificate and if you bought him from a chain store, he should come with a certificate of vaccinations as well.
 
Just an update. The bird "COCCO" is doing great! It is eating well and interacting with all family members except the 2 year old. The pet store said it was 4 months old.

Could someone recommend a solid dependable cage? Is there a particular brand or design that I should look for? Any good online sites like Big Al's for birds! Thanks for your help.

Scott
 
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