| ~ COCKATIELS ~ |
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| COCKATIEL QUICK FACTS DIET: Fresh greens and vegetables, cooked rice, grains, sprouted seeds, seeds. LIFESPAN: 15 - 20 years. HOUSING: 20" x 20" x 20" MINIMUM cage with daily exercise or larger cage/aviary. PET QUALITY: Excellent. SIZE: Small size parrot approx 12" - 14" 90 - 110 grams NOISE LEVEL: Poor to moderate talking ability. Moderately loud. Can be annoying to some people. EXTRA COMMENT: Cockatiels can be the perfect family pet. They are sociable and very eager to please. Easy to care for and can be found at reasonable prices. Cockatiels tend to be 'dusty' birds that can cause problems with persons with breathing troubles such as asthma. |
| Cockatiels..... they make perfect companions. They provide an endless supply of entertainment. They are a practical size bird for most families; they’re easy going, easy-to-care-for and demand very little. Start with a hand-raised baby Cockatiel – or offer a home to an older, tame bird for a delightful household pet. |
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| (Nymphicus hollandicus) |
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| (Whiteface Saddleback pied pearl hen) |
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| Dominant yellowcheek cinnamon pied baby cockatiel |
| Some people may find Cockatiels a little on the 'noisy' side but noise is expected with most feathered friends and cockatiels are relatively quiet compared with many parrot species. The 'noise' can be minimized by offering lots of positive attention and covering your Cockatiel's cage at night. If noise is a big issue for you and you still want to add a bird you may consider a Parrotlet or perhaps a Red Belly Parrot. |
| Sociable and generally very friendly and naturally curious Cockatiels make great 'buddies' and love to keep you company. The male Cockatiels are more vocal and more likely to talk than the females although it is a common myth that female Cockatiels cannot talk - indeed they can. Talking ability is poor/moderate and difficult to understand although a few individual birds will be quite the chatterboxes. Many Cockatiels will pick up a few whistles and maybe a couple words. As well, many never talk.... each bird is unique. African Grey parrots have excellent talking ability. |
| (Whiteface baby - if male will develop a white face at 4 - 6 months) |
| Easy to breed - Cockatiels may offer an amazing window into the wonderful world of 'creation'. The miracle of life is truly fantastic to witness with each tiny baby Cockatiel that hatches. They hatch as tiny helpless creatures with eyes closed and are completely dependent on the parents and/or human caregiver. It's best to allow the parent birds to raise them for the first 2 - 3 weeks whenever possible because they are generally stronger and have better immune systems . Sometimes hand-feeding is required so please make sure you do your research before you attempt to breed your cockatiels. |
| Cockatiels are available in many different colors! Normal grey cockatiels are the most commonly available (the color found in the wild) and the more brilliant colors may include Lutino, Pearl, Pied, Whiteface, Cinnamon, Emerald, Silvers, Yellowcheek, Pastelface.... CLICK HERE to view some of the available colors at the North American Cockatiel Society. (NACS) Cockatiels can be 'dusty' and affect persons with breathing concerns such as allergies or asthma. This should be considered before you bring home a cockatiel because even if you don't have allergies or asthma you may notice extra dust in your home. If dust is a problem you may consider a small conure , lovebird or a parrotlet. The dust can be minimized by frequent spraying to keep your Cockatiel clean and clean the cage at least once per day. You may also consider a HEPA brand air filter - they are excellent for keeping the air clean for you and your cockatiel. HEPA filters come in various sizes to suit your room/home and are available in various price ranges to fit your budget. You may find them at a local hardware or department store. |
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| RARE MUTATIONS A 'Rare Mutation' refers to a color of cockatiel that is not commonly found. Rare Mutation cockatiels are normally more expensive to purchase because they are difficult to find and are in demand. Above is a Recessive Silver cockatiel chick. S/he is also whiteface pied so we would say s/he is a whiteface pied recessive silver. Recessive silver birds have red eyes commonly associated with 'Lutino' cockatiels but the recessive silver bird is not a lutino. Recessive silver cockatiels are, at present, very rare in Canada. |
| It is always exciting when the chicks hatch and their feathers come in so we can see what surprises each 'clutch' contains. You may hear of an 'Albino' cockatiel that is all-white. This type of cockatiel isn't really an 'Albino' but rather it is the combination of two mutations: Whiteface and Lutino and is properly referred to an a 'Whiteface Lutino'. Feed them a basic diet of seeds, greens such as dark green lettuce/kale, broccoli, parsley and cooked brown rice, sprouted seeds and more. Click Here to see what our birds eat. Cockatiels aren't really big fruit eaters but some like small tastes so it's nice to offer small pieces of apple, melon and other such fruits too. A modest cage and ample play time outside the cage, a few interesting toys and you will have a very happy pet. With so many colors and a friendly little bird who demands so little from it's caregiver .... who could resist the obvious charms of the ever-adorable cockatiel? |
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| ~ COCKATIELS ~ PARROTLETS ~ LOVEBIRDS ~ CONURES ~ RED BELLY PARROTS ~ INDIAN RINGNECK PARROTS ~ ~ AFRICAN GREY PARROTS ~ GOFFIN'S COCKATOOS ~ UMBRELLA COCKATOOS ~ ~ BLUE & GOLD MACAWS ~ |
| ~ YOUNG COCKATIEL ~ |
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| (Click on a Photo Below for Enlarged View) |
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| (Click on a Photo for Enlarged View) |
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