Is a Cockatiel Right for You?
If you are going to be owning a bird for the first time, you may want to take a close look at the cockatiel. This family friendly bird is the perfect choice for beginners, since it is easy to care for and adaptable. Most cockatiels are happy to cuddle up to their owners, especially if it means they’ll be getting a neck scratch, but they also can be fairly good talkers and whistlers.
While cockatiels are one of the best smaller talking birds, they certainly aren’t on the same level as the African grey. Your bird will have a high, little voice and will be able to learn about fifty words if you work with it consistently and it has the desire to learn to talk. Some cockatiels simply prefer to whistle and will learn several complicated tunes, but will refuse to say as much as ‘Hello’ to their owners.
If you have family members with allergies or asthma, they may be affected by the dander your cockatiel sheds. These birds, like African greys and cockatoos, have quite a bit of dander. If you decide to get a cockatiel despite the possibility of allergies, be prepared to spend time each day misting your bird’s feathers to help keep dander down. You may also need to consider buying a plexiglass cage to keep your bird from spreading seed hulls, dander and dust where it would irritate your family’s allergies.
If you decide that a cockatiel is right for you, you will need to make another decision – which color mutation you want. Cockatiels have been raised in captivity for so many years that it is no surprise that they come in a wide range of colors.
The standard grey cockatiels are the most common. Males have a bright yellow face with orange cheek patches when they mature. Cinnamon cockatiels are an attractive tan color mutation. Male cinnamons also develop a yellow face and bright orange cheek patches as they mature.
Pearl cockatiels have white pearl-like spots on their wings and chest. However, when males mature, they lose their pearl spots. Normal pearls look like grey cockatiels and cinnamon pearls look like cinnamon males.
Pieds are also very popular. These birds have grey, cinnamon, or pearl splotches on yellow or white bodies. A clear pied is almost all yellow with color on the wings.
Lutino cockatiels, whiteface and yellowface cockatiels are also available. Lutino cockatiels, with their bright yellow coloring, are very popular pets. However, of all the cockatiels, lutinos are the most high strung, often given to ‘frighting’ for no apparent reason. There are exceptions, but for a first bird, you may want to consider a different color mutation.
Finally, once you choose your cockatiel, you will need to select the right cage for it. Although you do not need to be concerned about having your bird bend wires with his beak, you do need to take a close look at the cage spacing. If your bird can stick his head through the bars, it may decide to stick it back in through another set of bars instead of simply sliding it back out.
More than one cockatiel has gotten stuck doing this and it can prove fatal if the bird is not discovered in time. For this reason, be sure you look for a cage designed for cockatiels. The spacing between the bars should never be wider than 3/4 of an inch (1,91 cm).
A cockatiel is an excellent choice for your first pet bird as they are amongst the easiest of all caged birds to care for. If you are used to owning and caring for, say, a cat or a dog and are used to getting some affection from your pet sometimes owning a bird can come as a bit of a shock. A cockateil will at least however give you a wee cuddle! With the right training and encouragement he can also become a pretty good talker.
Cockateil
He will have fairly high pitched and quiet voice but should be able to learn about fifty words if you spend enough time training him and of course if he wants to! We know of some cockateils that, despite hours and hours of coaching have yet to utter one word but can whistle along quite happily to the theme tunes of their owners favourite TV themes!
One drawback to owning a cockateil, especially if you have young children or if anyone in your home has asthma, is that they can produce quite bit of “dander,” or “pet pollen.” This problem is not insurmountable however and can largely be kept under control by daily misting of your birds feathers. There a number of excellent plexicages on the market that are also effective at keeping your bird from spreading seed husks, dander or feathers which should help reduce allergies. Your carpet will thank you as well!
One of the biggest decisions any potential cockateil purchaser will have to make is what colour of bird to go for. After years of breeding in captivity there is now a wide variety of colours out there.
Standard grey cockatiels are the most popular. The males have a bright yellow face with orange cheek patches as they get older while cinnamon cockateils have a tan colour mutation before developing a yellow face and orange cheek patches.
As their name suggests, Pearl cockatiels have white spots resembling pearls on their chest and wings (although when the male matures he may lose them). Normal pearls are like aesthetically very like grey cockateils, whilst the cinnamon pearls look like cinnamon males. Also very popular are the Pieds. These gorgeous fellows have cinnamon, grey or pearl splashes on their yellow or white bodies, wheras a clear Pied will be almost all yellow but with colour on the wings.
Pied Cockateil
Whiteface, Lutino and Yellowface cockatiels are also available, with the Lutinos being extremely popular. Lutinos are however very highly strung, and can often get ’spooked’ for no apparent reason – for a first bird you may want to consider another type of cockatiel.
Whiteface Cockateil
Finally, and somewhat peculiarly, you need to be careful about selecting a cage for your cockatiel. The cage spacing must not be wide enough for him to stick his head through, as he may decide to stick his head back through another set of bars instead of simply pulling it back. Although this sounds somewhat far fetched to one not familiar with cockatiels, more than one has come a cropper doing this in the past. For this reason we’d suggest 3/4 inch (or 1.9 centimetres) as the absolute maximum spacing on a cage for your pet.
