How Should I Take Care Of My New Pet Cockatiel? Basics To Get You Started

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Cockatiels are social, friendly, and intelligent birds, making them popular pets for bird lovers everywhere. However, many proud owners often fall short of meeting their birds' needs owing to a few titbits of information that they're unaware of. 


Having cared for a small, growing, and nevertheless mischievous family of cockatiels, I've picked up a few tips on diet, enclosure, and training vital for all cockatiel owners. 


I would, however, like to impress upon my readers that the information in this blog article is not from a professional but from years of care, research, and veterinary advice for cockatiels.


Introduction


Cockatiels (Nymphicus hollandicus) are intelligent, curious, and highly trainable creatures making them easy to tame and inexpensive to care for.


They're highly social birds, so it's preferred to keep them with a companion. 


With moderate-level intelligence, they can be trained to do just about anything - as long as it's within their ability. Owners often have the pleasure of their bird impromptu flying to them or at command. 


Cockatiels can be taught to mimic and whistle beautiful tunes and speak up to an extent (though it's going to sound like a toddler on helium lol). Some popular favorites include the chorus to September by Earth, Wind, & Fire and the Mickey Mouse tune. 


~ Joey often sings to greet me ~


Once they feel comfortable enough to trust their owners, they demand non-stop cuddles and attention, often returning the favor by cuddling and preening them too! 



~ Watch my cockatiels compete for cuddles ~

These moments can be achieved if your bird gets the right food, environment, and training. Here are some things you can do to make your bird as trusting as possible. 


Enclosure & Environment


Sunlight, a large play area/enclosure, fresh air, and constant interaction with the owners and family are key to your birds' good health while building their confidence. 




  • The best location for the enclosure

Place your bird cage in an area where not only fresh air and the morning sunlight are available, but where you can readily interact with them, such as in your room, or by a window in a living room. Don't place it near a TV or where loud sounds may startle them.


Remember that factors such as dogs, hawks, and changing weather may scare your bird near a window, so don't keep the enclosure directly next to it. A window with a wire mesh like a mosquito net should prevent predators. Close the windows in case of rain, so your bird doesn't get wet. 


  • Fresh Air

Keep the cage near a window, preferably with a wire mesh such as a mosquito net, to allow fresh air and prevent any possible predators.


  • Sunlight



A common mistake is keeping your birds in sunlight filtered through a glass window. 

UV light, a part of sunlight, has three components: UVA, UVB, and UVC. Of these, UVA and UVB are the important ones. Birds and reptiles can see UVA light, which enables them to choose food and attract and select mates. UVB is essential for synthesizing Vitamin D3, which plays a crucial role in calcium metabolism and immune function. 


Thus, exposure to sunlight helps maintain good bone density and stimulates exercise - and in my experience - makes them appear more vibrant. When sunlight passes through glass, more than 50% of the UVA rays and nearly 100% of UVB are blocked, making it useless to place the bird there. Keeping your bird with the window closed also limits access to fresh air, which is needed to prevent the presence of smell and dust. 


If you place the cage outside on a balcony or in a yard, keep in mind that it's the morning sunshine you want your bird to get and not the sweltering heat of noon. Making this mistake will dehydrate your bird or possibly cause heat stroke. Don't keep them in direct sunlight, but keep a part in shadow so they can move if they feel too hot. 


  • Cage Dimensions

Another aspect to keep in mind is cage dimensions. A cage minimum of 2 feet long, 1 ½ foot wide, and 2 feet high should be sufficient for two birds, although a larger enclosure would allow more room for toys, branches, and a happier and engaged bird. 


  • Toys and Branches


Wood from trees like eucalyptus, neem, teak, elm, balsa, poplar, ash, maple, and birch can be used safely for branches and DIY toys. I prefer neem, eucalyptus, and teak, the former for medicinal properties and the latter for their strength. 


Diet


As they say, variety is the key to life. 


Most people, including those who’ve cared for cockatiels for several years, believe that a good seed diet should be more than enough. However, seeds should constitute no more than 25% of your bird’s diet, with the rest including fruit and vegetables. Also, since they are tasty treats, nuts and seeds should be given only as a part of training which encourages your bird to cooperate due to their limited availability. 


Providing an all-seed diet also puts your bird at risk of respiratory disease. Seeds are a poor source of vitamin A, which is needed for normal development of the epithelium or the skin cells lining the respiratory tract. Birds offered an all-seed diet are often deficient in Vitamin A, resulting in an abnormal respiratory epithelium which can easily be invaded by microorganisms.


Offering your bird a balanced diet of fruit, vegetables, cereal, grain, seeds, and nuts is the best thing you can do. 


There is a vast list of bird-safe foods which you can give your bird, for which you can refer to https://www.queenslanderaviaries.com/bird-safe-food-and-plants


However, here is a list of safe foods you can start with -

  • Fruit


  • Apples (avoid the seeds, as they contain cyanide)

  • Banana 

  • Chickoo (Sapodilla)

  • Melons 

  • Papaya 

  • Cantaloupe 

  • Guavas (Peru)

  • Figs 

  • Blackberries

  • Blueberries 

  • Oranges 

  • Cherries 

  • Apricots 

  • Coconut 

  • Custard apples (no seeds!)

  • Raspberries 

  • Gooseberries (amla)

  • Grapes 

  • Kiwis

  • Pineapple 

  • Pomegranate 

  • Peaches (no seeds!)

  • Jackfruit 


  • Vegetables



  • Beans 

  • Beetroot (leaves included)

  • Carrots 

  • Capsicum (bell peppers)

  • Cabbage 

  • Radish (leaves included)

  • Pumpkin (with the seeds)

  • Cauliflower

  • Broccoli 

  • Celery 

  • Cucumber 

  • Peas 

  • Bean sprouts


  • Nuts



  • Almonds 

  • Pistachios 

  • Cashews 

  • Shelled peanuts 

  • Walnuts 


Be sure to give these only during training, as it encourages your bird to cooperate for the tasty treats. Ensure the nuts are unsalted and don’t have fungi on them. 


  • Cereal and Grain



  • Oats 

  • Bread (feed sometimes, as it has little nutritional value)

  • Pasta (cooked or uncooked; give sometimes)

  • Corn flakes 

  • Bran flakes

  • Cooked rice 

  • Sprouted pulses such as mung beans 


Don't mix any cereal in milk or yogurt as birds can’t digest dairy. 

  • Forbidden Foods


Under no circumstance should you feed your bird -


  • Apple seeds

  • Salt 

  • Tomato and tomato leaves 

  • Onions 

  • Chocolate 

  • Alcohol 

  • Caffeine (coffee, tea)

  • Avocado

  • Mushrooms 

  • Dairy and dairy products 

  • Dried beans 

  • Garlic 



Basic Training


After providing your bird with the best food, enclosure, and anything else you can come up with, it all comes down to this. 

Bird training isn't as hard as most people envision it to be. 


All it takes is patience and a keen sense of observation to see what your bird is most comfortable with. 


A few tips on what you should do, and you'll be good to go!


  • Spending the Right Time


Many owners feel spending a lot of time around their birds will help them feel better acquainted with them and encourage trust and bonding. This is not necessarily true; a new bird is most likely stressed out due to the sudden change in surrounding and is generally wary of any other human or animal around them.


Find out how you can get a new pet bird to trust you here -


~ How Do I Get My Bird To Trust Me ~

  • Making Progress

As you see your bird beginning to make progress with responding and trust, try to feed it a treat (such as sunflower seeds or an almond) through the bars of the cage. With time, you should be able to feed it by hand in the enclosure. 


The next step should be target training, recall, and eventually getting your bird fully adjusted to you and its new home. Doing training sessions 3 times a day of no more than 5-10 minutes duration should be plenty for you and your bird to bond. 


Besides this, occasionally giving a treat as you go by and talking to your bird is also a great way to build trust and familiarity. 

  • When they bite

If your bird bites you, it's usually not because they're incompetent but because they're uncomfortable with something you're doing. Again, with patience and observation, you need to figure out what it is that's going wrong and look for a solution.





For example, if your bird bites you when you're trying to get them to step up on your hand, it's because they're still not comfortable and feel threatened with such a gesture. Using a treat, you can get it to step up while associating the training with a positive outcome - the treat reward. 

  • Common Mistakes 

The worst thing you can do while training is to hit your bird when it doesn't cooperate, whether it is through biting or general disinterest. 


Birds are fragile creatures, and hitting them may cause more harm than intended. 


Secondly, as they are sentient creatures, hitting may cause your bird to develop a fear of you and lead to further discomfort and hesitation during interactions. 


When your bird does something undesirable, like biting you, take a step back and give it a few moments. Try to see its current mood - is it angry, afraid, or just exploring? Anger and fear go hand in hand, so step back and try to calm it down by talking to it. Also, since birds use their beaks to explore, they may nibble or take a nip at you. Don't reward this behaviour - make them repeat the current exercise until they do it right, then reward them. 


Another common mistake is screaming at your bird. Again, all this will do is establish you as an intimidating figure, so avoid doing it. 


That's all, folks


Cockatiels are smart, sentient creatures, and given the right amount of time, love and patience will be inseparable from their human. 


Hopefully, the tips above would be as helpful to you as they were to me. 


I'm working on a series of articles on cockatiels, dogs, budgerigars, alexandrines, mynahs, and many more species in which I'll cover rescue and rehabilitation, diets, training, dealing with broken beaks and wings, and much more.


If you've got any topics you'd like me to cover in future articles or have questions relating to this one, do include them in the comment section!

If there are any changes you'd like to add or changes you'd like to have made, feel free to contact me at the below-mentioned socials -

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