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Posted by suazoamorc@aol.com on October 30, 19100 at 15:39:42:
In Reply to: Re: cockatiel bird posted by Timothy Henderson on October 10, 19100 at 15:09:03:
: : Hello! I'm thinking of buying a cockatiel bird. I've been considering it for years. I know nothing about them though. How young can they be purchased? What age, and sex can be taught to talk easier? How hard is it to teach them to talk? How hard are the to take care of? Are they friendly birds with kids? Do they require a lot of attention? What's the best kind of cockatiel to have? Can anyone help?
I can vouch that they are some of the sweetest pets, even with children. I have one that is nearly 12 human years old. The best age to get one is just after being wiened, as they are still highly dependant on their caregiver. The males seem to be the ones that can learn to talk. Avoid whistleing to them, as that is their natural language, unless of course you want to teach them some little songs. Have the wings clipped so you will be able to handle them. Do not do this yourself until you are familiar with the correct proceedure. A bird can loose a lot of blood if this is done incorrectly.
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: You can purchase a cockatiel that is still being hand fed. This will insure that the bird is completely bonded to you. A bird this young will require a warm environment and frequent had feeding.
: The next best bet is to obtain a bird that was hand fed, but is now eating on its own. THe cockatiel will still be people-oriented, but will not need as much attention and will be much sturdier.
: Only the males learn to talk. It's easy to train cockatiels to repeat a few words, but their vocabulary rarely goes beyond that.
: It's not easy to determine the gender of a young bird.
: How good are the kids going to be with the cockatiel! A bird makes a great pet for a gentle responsible child. No bird can stand rough handling.
: If you can spend a lot of time with the bird, a hand fed baby will make the most affectionate pet. If you can't regularly interact with the bird, you will be better off getting two cockatiels. This way, you can still enjoy the birds antics, but they can keep themselves amused when nobody is with them.
: Cockatiels are very easy birds to maintain. It's no trouble at all to feed them -- every pet shop sells the basic cockatiel seeds. Any temperature that's comfortable for people will be OK for cockatiels as long as there are no drafts.
: All the different colors of cockatiels are basically the same kind of bird.