6 votes

Transport a cockatiel locally in car ride

You've got a few choices. You can do a search on Amazon for "bird carrier." They tend to be a bit pricey but are built specifically for birds. Alternatively, you can go buy a small animal carrier or ...
beta's user avatar
  • 180
6 votes
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Cockatiels bowing heads to eachother

They're asking to be preened. Missy (pictured on the left) never gets the message, so Prince (right) pecks Missy after a few seconds, because he wants attention. I've also seen this in my other ...
Mango Princess's user avatar
4 votes
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International travel with cockatiels (moving from the US)

I've done this with two quaker parrots (Myiopsitta monachus), first by plane from the US to Europe, and some years later, by ferry from one European country to another one. First of all, you may be ...
Sunny person's user avatar
4 votes

Cardboard box for a cockatiel

Should I use cardboard? Does it make sense to hang the bottom of a cardboard box in a cage for a cockatiel? Birds LOVE boxes, this is a great idea! Is cardboard safe? Cardboard is very safe, I ...
Rebecca RVT's user avatar
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4 votes

Can I bathe my cockatoo with Dettol solution?

What should I use? Never use anything but plain water when bathing your bird, even shampoo's marketed for birds are not good. Birds have a preen gland called the uropygial gland which secretes oils to ...
Rebecca RVT's user avatar
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4 votes
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What should I do with fertile eggs if I don't want chicks?

You can dispose of the eggs immediately, but the female might lay replacement eggs. That can be unhealthful for the female, since egg-laying drains calcium and can even weaken bones. To prevent her ...
Tom Gaskill's user avatar
4 votes

At what age should we get a Cockatiel baby at home?

I agree with Layna's post however I wouldn't say cockatiels are beginner pets. Each animal is different and has specific needs, you could easily say any pet is not a beginner pet with that logic. Be ...
Rebecca RVT's user avatar
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4 votes
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Risks giving wooden toys to parrots

We have 2 African greys, about 25 and 20 years. We have found "a busy beak is a happy beak". They love to tear things apart, never had a problem with splinters. Their favorite is chicken leg ...
blacksmith37's user avatar
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3 votes
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Is dandruff from neck massage on cockatiel normal?

The dandruff-like substance on your shirt is a naturally produced powder that is normal in cockatiels. Birds have two primary strategies for keeping their feathers water-resistant. Most birds have an ...
Tom Gaskill's user avatar
3 votes
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Cockatiel wanting head & neck massage?

This seems to be a pretty common behavior for cockatiels, especially when they molt. The head and neck are the most common areas they can't reach with their beak, so they use their feet to scratch ...
Sadeq Dousti's user avatar
3 votes

How to teach a parrot NOT to do certain things?

Positive reinforcement it's the key. Ignore undesirable behaviours, and reward your parrot everytime he has a good behaviour (e.g. paying more attention to him, coddle him, etc.). It's also important ...
Celtik's user avatar
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3 votes
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Something is wrong with my cockatiel - she is missing feathers

There seem to be basically 2 possibilities: Another bird pecks her and plucks her feathers She scratches or plucks herself, which can indicate anything from stress or boredom to malnutrition or ...
Elmy's user avatar
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3 votes
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Cockatiel's lack of body feathers under the wings

First, I’m no expert but have kept budgies. Other than a few "moults", they never lost feathers in large quantities and the only bald spot I’ve seen was a large tumour on an elderly budgie (under his ...
Pam's user avatar
  • 606
3 votes

My Cockatiel makes a strange noise and I don't know why!

Fluffing up can be one of the very first signs of a sick bird. And by sick I mean VERY sick and needs the vet immediately. Birds don’t look sick until they are really sick. In the wild a sick bird is ...
fmorales's user avatar
  • 572
3 votes
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Best way to interrupt a cockatiel's brooding

I did not receive an answer here, so I wanted to post my own experiences. A couple of days later the bird became less aggressive, came out of the nest box more often, and stayed out for longer. When ...
Nymph's user avatar
  • 101
3 votes

How good is a cockatiel's sense of smell?

It was long thought that most birds had no sense of smell at all. A few groups (the Cathartid vultures [turkey vulture & greater and lesser yellow-headed vultures], Procellariformes [storm-petrels,...
Tom Gaskill's user avatar
3 votes

Cockatiels bowing heads to eachother

If it's the gesture I think you're describing... My brother, who speaks parrot,told me that this is a friendly greeting. He's able to do it well enough to reliably get "replies" and interest from zoo ...
keshlam's user avatar
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2 votes

What does my cockatiel's 'toot' sound mean?

Cockatiels will imitate sounds and calls as well as use the repertoire that they have naturally. From your description, it sounds like your cockatiel has picked up a sound from her environment and is ...
Tom Gaskill's user avatar
2 votes
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Identifying component of cockatiel mix

Those are oats, the company all living things sells oat spray if you wanted to add more.
Rebecca RVT's user avatar
  • 12.6k
2 votes

Cockatiel wanting head & neck massage?

Our African Gray parrots do the same thing; I think it is a greeting as much as anything. However, I do break open the sheaths on new neck feathers . In the wild, birds will open these new feathers ...
blacksmith37's user avatar
  • 1,844
2 votes

At what age should we get a Cockatiel baby at home?

Cockatiels should not be separated from their parents before they reach 8 weeks. 12 weeks is better, because that is about the time they would separate on their on in the wild: Cockatiels. But ...
Layna's user avatar
  • 2,102
2 votes

How to teach cockatiel to go back into cage

This what we did when we had the first parakeet (as advised by the seller): Keep it inside the bird cage for at least one week, so he starts to feel it as "home". Interact with home as ...
virolino's user avatar
  • 2,639
2 votes

Will keeping a WaterBath help prevent Overheating during summer in Cockatiels?

First of all, it is important to recognize the signs of an overheating bird: He breathes Ford with the beak open He holds his wings away from his body It can end up on the ground It keeps the plumage ...
PaulieJackdaw's user avatar
1 vote

Cockatiel making weird noise everytime I scratch or take her away from her food

It isn't surprising that your bird is upset, since she's still very young and is in a completely new place without her previous family. I've had new cockatiels who screamed when they were new to my ...
Tom Gaskill's user avatar
1 vote

Cockatiel making weird noise everytime I scratch or take her away from her food

The way I understand, you have her for only a few days / weeks. That is usually too short for the bird to learn to trust you and befriend you. On the other hand (if the video is with your bird, not ...
virolino's user avatar
  • 2,639
1 vote
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Fact or fiction - have I ruined the chance to teach my cockatiel to talk?

Nothing I know or found proves at the cockatiel being unable to learn speaking at a later age. He may indeed be content with what he knows, and especially your reactions to what he knows, but he CAN ...
Layna's user avatar
  • 2,102
1 vote

How does a bird know its owner?

Birds are smart, period. Sight and sound are two main factors, they have a very poor sense of smell. They can tell gender as some parrots bond more with a certain gender, for instance my African grey ...
Rebecca RVT's user avatar
  • 12.6k
1 vote

Transport a cockatiel locally in car ride

My brother uses a standard small pet carrier for his Military Macaw. A towel on the bottom also helps provide something to grab, as well as making the carrier easier to clean when the bird does what ...
keshlam's user avatar
  • 11k
1 vote

Cardboard box for a cockatiel

Similar answer. We have African Grays ; they love to spend most of the day shredding flat cardboard. We put a small box in the females cage, she soon stated laying eggs which involved screaming so we ...
blacksmith37's user avatar
  • 1,844
1 vote

Cockatiels bowing heads to eachother

It sounds like they are asking to be preened. I couldn't find a great video to demonstrate this behaviour but you can see it on this youtube video. As you say, they sometimes get annoyed when asked. ...
Droplet's user avatar
  • 131

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