Cockateel as a new pet

[Wyo Chick]

My 13 year old daughter is getting a cockatiel as a new pet. Is there any advice for a new cockatiel bird owner?

 

[WisconsinChick]

a) i suggest you look on petfinder.com for a rescue, the adoption fee usually is less then what you would pay for one at a pet store and saving a life is a great thing to do.

b) birds are highly social so i suggest you get two for when you or your daughter arent around.

good luck

 

[ole-crone]

I don't know if you meant she is being given a bird or is going to buy one.

I've raised cockatiels - but that was LONG ago. They are sweet birds. I used to take in rescues. They were normally more wild and didn't like human contact so we used them as breeders and hand-raised their young. I also had one that had been hand-raised and was a real sweetheart. He loved being with me, would even go to church with me (he'd hide under my sweater, on my shoulder). He never paid attention to the other birds in the house - just the humans. I don't think a second bird is absolutely needed - especially if you want a bird to imprint on your daughter as its' best friend.

Hand-raised babies are worth the extra cost. Other advice? Read everything you can find and you should be ok.

 

[banter]

We rescued a hand raised one "Pixie" who is a hoot! They live a long time with proper care so do your homework. They need a varied diet, and lot's of
social time.

 

[Wifezilla]

You think chickens and ducks are messy......LOLOL

These things will pick through their seed and THROW the ones they don't like all over the darn place.

Yes, hand-raised are better and boys are generally friendlier than girls.

 

[Bec]

I have one that I have had for 12 years now and he is a lot of fun! He whistles and sings! He is very social so I would suggest keeping the bird in a room where he/she will get a lot of human interaction! Mine is in my kitchen and he is happy there! He gets to see all of us and he gets to look out side at all the wild birds and chickens!
They are quite noisy, just making normal tweety/chirpy/whistly noises.
I think she will enjoy a cockatiel! I do think you should look for one that is used to being handled. The one I had with my current one was a lot of fun because he liked to be handled. The One I have now has never liked it and no matter how hard I work with him, after 12 years he still hates it!
I think you made good choice, Cockateils make nice pets and are easy to care for. As for the seeds, you can get a seed guard that goes around the sides of the cage to catch them. I have one and I rarely have to sweep up seeds off the floor. If you are keeping him/her up against a wall I would recommend hanging a washable towel on the back of the cage, sometimes the wall can get poopy