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 ...
6
votes
Accepted
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 ...
4
votes
Accepted
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
4
votes
Accepted
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 ...
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 ...
4
votes
Accepted
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 ...
3
votes
Accepted
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 ...
3
votes
Accepted
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 ...
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 ...
3
votes
Accepted
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♦
- 32.2k
3
votes
Accepted
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 ...
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 ...
3
votes
Accepted
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 ...
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,...
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 ...
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 ...
2
votes
Accepted
Identifying component of cockatiel mix
Those are oats, the company all living things sells oat spray if you wanted to add more.
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
1
vote
Accepted
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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. ...
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