Cockatiels

Cockatiels are very popular pets for good reason. In fact, they are so popular, that once you recognize their whistle, you may be surprised at how many you may hear chirping from their homes as you walk through your neighborhood.

Cockatiels have many desirable traits that make them ideal first birds yet they have a lot to offer experienced keepers as well. They have happy, charming personalities and come in a variety of colors. They are inexpensive, easy to care for, and are gentle and good with children and the elderly (or anyone who is fearful of getting fingers bit by bigger birds).

Description

Cockatiels are native to the arid grasslands of Australia, but the Cockatiels that we keep as pets have been bred in captivity for many generations. The normal gray Cockatiel, like it’s wild counterpart, is primarily gray with a white patch on its wing and orange patches on its cheeks (a very pretty bird despite the description of a gray body). Cockatiels breed so easily that breeders have developed many color varieties that are not found in the wild and new color varieties are being developed regularly. Some common color varieties are lutino, pied, pearl, whiteface, cinnamon, and fallow. Many of these varieties, also called mutations (though don’t take that negatively), can be combined to form even more varieties such as pearl-pied or whiteface-cinnamon. 

In the bird world, determining the sex of a bird can often be difficult to a human, though other birds apparently find it easy. However, Cockatiels in their normal congenial manner, have made it easy for us. The gender of a normal gray Cockatiel can be determined by the amount of yellow on the face. Only the males develop a large vivid yellow area surrounding the orange spot on the cheeks. Females have only a small amount of yellow on the face and the yellow is much less intense. It may serve you well to go to a local pet store and try to compare the adult Cockatiels in a cage and see if you can notice the difference. Here’s the catch though: the males don’t develop the distinctive yellow coloring until 6-8 months of age. Since you probably will be buying a younger bird, you will have to rely on the breeder or pet store to provide you with their educated guess.  Further, determining the sex of some of the other color varieties, such as the pied, is not so easy. 

Choosing your Cockatiel

When choosing your new pet Cockatiel, it is most important to acquire a young bird. A bird 2- 3 months of age is ideal. Young Cockatiels offered for sale, are often hand-raised (hand-fed by people from a very young age) and naturally tame already. Parent raised Cockatiels can make equally tame and delightful pets if tamed as soon as possible after they are independent from their parents at approximately 7-8 weeks of age.

Feeding

Cockatiels, in the wild, feed primarily on the seeds and shoots of Spinifex grass, which is native to Australia. Don’t worry, you don’t need to grow a field of Spinifex grass for your Cockatiel. We can simulate their diet in captivity by feeding a good quality seed mix, usually one containing lots of millet and grains. The seed mix should have a low percentage of oil seeds such as sunflower or safflower as these can promote obesity.

It is essential to provide fresh greens and other fresh produce such as grated carrots to supply important vitamins and minerals that are not present in seed.  This is easy to do if you get in the habit of setting aside a small portion as you chop veggies for your evening meal. Do note however, that once your pet becomes accustomed to this routine, he may complain if dinner passes without him being served. You may consider this annoying, or simply use it as the reminder it is intended to be.

A cuttlebone or mineral block is also recommended to provide calcium.

General Care, Health, and Housing

A well cared for Cockatiel will have a life expectancy of 15 to 20 years. Do consider this when your college-bound teenager asks for a Cockatiel or any other pet that may need to be left behind during such times.

Any size house/apartment can easily accommodate a Cockatiel’s cage requirements. The minimum size cage for a pet should measure roughly 18”X16”X18” (LXWXH), but bigger is always better. Larger cages allow for more toys and room for exercise.

It is often asked if mites are a problem with pet Cockatiels. Mites are usually only a concern in outdoor breeding set-ups where the mites are passed from wild birds into the nest boxes. There, they can multiply and irritate the baby Cockatiels. I generally do not recommend mite sprays or repellants for indoor birds, as the mites are rarely present there, and good hygiene will prevent them before they become a problem.

The voice of a Cockatiel is not loud compared to similar sized parrots such as Conures. This makes Cockatiels ideal birds for apartments or condos.  Their natural sound is a short high-pitched whistle.  They generally whistle when they are excited, startled or want attention, though they are not generally considered annoying as other birds can certainly be.

Talking Ability

Cockatiels can be good talkers. Some Cockatiels can learn to speak many words, recite short phrases, sing songs, and whistle several tunes. Cockatiels are particularly adept at learning to whistle as it is similar to their natural voice. Males tend to make better mimics than females. This is probably due to the male Cockatiel’s more varied natural repertoire of sounds that he uses to serenade his mate and claim his territory.

Breeding

Cockatiels are ideal birds for the beginning aviculturist as they are easy to breed and are usually good parents. Cockatiels are one of the few birds in the parrot family that can be bred in a colony set up (more than one pair in the same cage). Many breeders, however, have better results by housing individual pairs per cage. Individual pairs of Cockatiels can be bred in cages as small as 18”X36”X18” (LXWXH), but more room is recommended to allow for plenty of exercise to keep the breeding birds in good shape. If colony breeding is to be attempted, a large walk in style aviary is needed. For 2-3 pairs, the aviary should measure at least 6’X4’X6’ (LXWXH), or longer. It is important that extra nest boxes are provided to prevent squabbling over nest sites, usually 4-6 nest boxes for 3 pairs. Nest box size is approximately 10”X10” on the bottom and 12”-20” high.

Cockatiels will mature at about 8 months of age, but it is best to wait until they are at least a year of age to start breeding them. The birds will begin to spend more and more time in the nest box before the eggs arrive. The eggs are laid every other day until the clutch of 4-8 eggs is complete. The incubation period is 21 days, but the first eggs will take longer because the parents do not always begin to incubate until several eggs are laid. Breeding can take place at any time of year, but it is best to discourage breeding during extreme temperatures, hot or cold. 

Because Cockatiels are usually good parents, they do not need any special treatment to raise their own babies as long as they are provided with a good diet full of variety. Be sure to provide a good calcium source, such as a cuttlebone, to replace the calcium that the hen loses to the eggs she is producing.

The babies will stay in the nest for 6-7 weeks, and the parents will continue to feed them for about two more weeks. Once the babies are feeding themselves, they can be moved to a separate cage.

 Many people like to pull the babies away from the parents for hand-feeding. Hand-raised birds make wonderfully tame pets. It is best to pull the babies when they are around 2-3 weeks of age.

Summary

Cockatiels have much to offer novice bird owners, yet they have just as much to offer experienced aviculturists. They are an ideal “first pet bird”, and if you want to try breeding birds, Cockatiels are an ideal first choice again. Because they come in many different color varieties, they are also great subjects for advanced aviculturists who are interested in genetics and creating new color combinations. Often, people begin their bird search looking for something really exotic, but don’t overlook that Cockatiel available in almost any pet store!