How long do cockatiels live?

[justuschickens]

We purchased our cockatiel Charlie 23 years ago. At the time we got 3 cockatiels, a male that I fell in love with and Charlie and a female who quickly became a bonded pair for my Mother. Mom wanted Charlie because she felt sorry for him, he had been injured in transport from a hatchery in FL. to our ben franklin store in IA. His feathers on his neck never grew back. My Benjamin and Charlie's mate Ashely both passed away a couple of years ago but Charlie is still going strong. I took Ashley to a vet who advertised she specialized in birds and exotic pets as our regular vet didn't treat birds, when she became ill and we were afraid she was egg bound a couple of years age. The vet asked how old she was and I said 18 years and she didn't believe me. She said that cockatiels on average lived 6-9 years tops and although I have a clear memory of purchasing our pets she still insisted someone had lied to me about their age (not a good listener either.) She offered to euthanize Ashley which I declined and took her home thinking if she was going to die it would be better for her and Charlie to have a chance to say goodbye, she recovered and lived for another year and a half. We are very happy that Charlie is still with us but I was just wondering....any1 who has had a pet cockatiel...how long did yours live? how long do they usually live?

 

[ScissorChick]

Cockatiels can live 35 years on a good pelleted diet.

Birds on all seed diets get obese or sick and usually their time

is up at 15 years, or around that. Any good avian vet should

not tell you 6-9 is old for cockatiels. I've NEVER heard that, and never

seen a cockatiel die that young unless it gets deathly sick. 6-9 is NOT old for a cockatiel.

 

[nettie]

The longest Cockatiel I've heard to live was 31 years old... normally they can reach 15-20 if taken well care of. That vet is NUTS and doesn't know @$%$ about birds! I'd never go to that vet again!!!!!

Our Cockatiels are only 1 year old and less. We'll have them an awfully long time since they are on pellets, only get seeds everyone now and then for treats, eat their greens (pea sprouts) have a million toys and chew things, a huge cage, plenty to keep entertained and friendly time with their humans... I'll be old and wrinkly when they pass!

 

[theoldchick]

I purchased a cockatiel in 1979. I euthanized him in 2002 because the arthritis in his toes no longer allowed him to live a good life. He could no longer perch and was uncomfortable living on the floor of the cage. He kept getting fecal balls forming at his vent. His diet: seed, pellets and lots of mixed veggies.

Male cockatiels may live longer than females who will usually succumb to chronic egg laying syndrome.

 

[mhwc56]

we got "Gabby" for my mom as a 3 week old cockatiel chick in January of1988. He's slowed down a little and sleeps more than he used to but over all is still going strong .The only real health issue he has is that they have to get his beak trimmed a little about once a year .
I've heard of cockatiels living to be in their 30s also.

 

[ChickenDreamer]

Our Gabriel lived to be 18 years old.

 

[drdoolittle]

I got a baby cockatiel from my sister right after she wean and to copy various sounds in oed him, and I had him for almost 15 years.

He was a great little guy who learned to say a few words and phrases, and to copy various sounds in our household (smoke alarm, phone ringing, microwave, dogs barking, etc.).

He was never sick at all, I just got up one Sunday morning and went to close the curtains of the window he was next to, and there he was in the bottom of the cage, dead. I still miss him.............

The others are right, they should live at least 15 years------but can live to 25 or 30. My sister had 3 babies from that hatch, and the other 2 didn't loive long at all-----both were dead w/in 5 years------guess the people who bought them didn't take care of them right.

 

[lishah2000]

My male will be 24 this year. He has been on a seed diet his whole life. Parakeet seed at that. He won't eat pellets and doesn't like the sunflower seeds or the bigger seeds. Very picky about his food. He still seems pretty healthy.

 

[KimberlyJ]

I hatched my Buddy in 1982, he passed away in 2000. So he was almost 19. He lived on human food and seeds. He never really liked pellets, his favorite food was McDonald's french fries. He could even say "McDonalds", Merry Chrsitmas and Gimmee Kiss.

 

[Katy]

Mine is almost 18 and he's still going strong.