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Cockatiels---do we want 1 or 2?


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My 13dd is convinced that she wants a cockatiel. One place told her that getting 1 bird was best, another place said you really need 2 of them for socialization.

 

If you have one (or 2), how difficult are they to keep? Are they "fun" birds or more annoying? Any other hints, etc?

 

We already have 3 horses, 17 chickens, 2 cats, 1 dog, 1 rabbit (with 2 more coming next week) and some fish. I am not sure that we need this bird but she has been saving up for one and this week or next should have enough money for the bird and food. We already have a cage, toys, etc.

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:lol: Ok, let me start by saying that I kept reading cocktail indstead of cockatiel. Boy was that throwing me!

 

Anyway, if you want the bird to be more social to people then 1 is better. You need to handle it regularly in order for it to stay social. There is a lot of sweeping or vacuuming around the cage. Other then that, nothing too difficult.

 

I'm just glad your 13dd doesn't want a cocktail. :001_huh:

 

ETA: if you get 1 or 2, make sure dd knows to give fresh food everyday even if it looks like food is in the bowl. This may sound obvious, but we knew someone who made that mistake not realizing that what she saw were seed cases and not food. A bird will starve quickly unfortunately.

Edited by jewellsmommy
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We had one when I was a kid and he was AWESOME. Completely awesome - we'd leave records playing when we left the house with whistles and songs and Bo could sing, talk, whistle... He was super, super sweet & would cuddle right up in your arms...

 

My advice?

 

Buy one bird if she wants it to bond with her. Do not put a mirror in its cage (it will think the mirror reflection is another bird. Our current parakeet is in love with his "friend" in his cage.... lol)

 

Spend a LOT of time with it. We bought parakeets for my girls and really underestimated the amount of time needed to really bond with a bird.

 

Eventually, we put both girls' birds in the same cage and they bonded with one another. They were super sweet, though, and took good care of one another. :)

 

I'd suggest buying a very young, hand-fed cockatiel.

 

With all that said - my parents bought another cockatiel years after Bo had passed away. He was young, hand-fed, never-teased... and yet - MAN was he a mean bird! His name was Elmo and he bit every single one of us - hard! Mom & Dad eventually took him back to the breeder and they haven't bought another pet since then. :( Cockatiels are known for having their OWN personality.

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When I had one cockatiel he was great -- he talked (it's was hard to understand, but very cute) and was very sociable with people. When I added a second the noise level went up a lot. The first taught the second to talk a couple of phrases, but then they both stopped talking. I think they just came to prefer each other's company. They both stayed friendly, but just not as interested in human company.

 

So, if you can give one plenty of stimulation and attention, I'd recommend getting one. If not, then I'd recommend two so they have each other for company.

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:iagree: 1 is best to be bonded with humans. They are sociable creatures. So the person who said to get 2 was implying that they believe the human's interest will wane and birdie will get lonely. I say pooey on them. Get one. We have one, a sweetheart named Pedro and he is awesome. He sings several really cool songs and dances with his reflection on the bottom of the dishwasher when he's walking around the kitchen. They're quite entertaining. :001_smile:

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I agree that one is better if she wants it to be more socialized to HER and to see HER as its "flock." If there is more than one bird in the cage, they'll socialize with each other and won't want anything to do with her, in all likelihood.

 

However, this depends on your daughter, too. Do you think she'll be good about giving it attention after the novelty wears off? If not, better to get it a "friend" so it won't end up feeling isolated and lonely.

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Cockatiels are wonderful pets! It is best to buy a handfed baby if at all possible, even though they cost more. That way you will know that it was handled and is tame from the start. It will be a friendlier pet. Be sure to feed it a wide variety of healthy foods and not just seed. It will want attention and to see you, so have it in a room where it will be with you and your dd. You can let it out of the cage and let it sit on you. It will be safe as long as you keep the flight feathers trimmed, which is an occasional nominal expense if you don't want to do it yourself. But they are fun, silly, inquisitive birds who can mimic and provide lots of companionship and entertainment.

 

But to be the best pets you need to just get one, like the others have already said.

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We used to have 1 cockatiel. We paid a lot of attention on him. After a while, we could not give him as much attention as he wanted, so we got another cockatiel. They fight a lot, but when they are separated, they misses each other. The first cockatiel is still very close to us. I guess because he doesn't bond well with the second one.

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One thing to note before bringing a bird home is that they are rather fragile with regards to toxins. They cannot live in a mobile home and I have also heard that cooking in the black nonstick pans near them can cause death.

 

:iagree:

 

Also, no scented candles, plug ins, glad type stuff, spray, etc. These things will cause death. You can look up a care sheet online.

 

Danielle

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Awww, how I miss my cockatiel. They do need a LOT of attention. Mine was out of her cage more than she was in. I found that many cockatiel's are one-person birds. They'll attach themselves to one person and hiss at or bite everybody else..lol. My bird was as loyal to me as a dog. She would fly around the house to find me, and she would start screeching when my car pulled into the driveway!!

 

I always tell people: please but sure to cage your bird before you start cooking. I had a friend who's bird flew from another room right into a hot pan on the kitchen stove and severely burned its feet. Also, non-stick coatings on frying pans are toxic so it's best to not use those or keep the bird cage out of the kitchen.

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We have four -- I have one, my dd has one, and my ds has two.

 

Great pets! Ours pal around together, enjoy singing and talking together, and generally hop into each others cage when we let them out.

 

One thing to watch out for -- we have had several computer cords, lots of plants, and numerous pencils eaten by inquisitive cockatiels!

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Thanks for all of the input. Ideally I would like ZERO cockatiels. I just want to make sure that she has enough time to spend with it. We also have indoor/outdoor cats so that is a concern and they would have to make sure the cats are outside if the birds came out of the cage.

 

How much time do they need a day? We also have 2 cats, a dog, 17 chickens, a rabbit, and 3 horses that all need attention.

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