Thinking about a cockatiel

[Tank]

Im thinking about getting a cockatiel. This will be my first bird in a way when I was 8 we got a parakeet had it for about a year and a half but had a terrible accident due to our nextdoor neighbors cat that we were watching for the weekend. Since I was so young then I really didnt do anything except change the food and stuff but now im 15 and will take full care of it. The cage im looking at for the cockatiel is 20"x20"x28.5" and the bar spacing is 5/8" is this cage big enough for one cockatiel. Ok so now what should I put in the cage? It comes with two perches but I want to get one like 1/2" and the other a little bigger but what type of material should I get. Im just planning to put paper down on the bottom but should I have anything else? I have read so many different things on food for the bird that iam really confused :p So could you just tell me what you feed and how much. The cockatiels at my pet store are $50 and there is one that every time I go there and look at them one come right up to me and I have held it before it seemed really cool and im hoping that one is still there in the future.

[TwinkleToes1049]

I have never had a cockatiel of my own my my aunt has 2. One she got from the paper and the other we found outside. She just puts newspaper on the bottom. And make sure you hold him at least every other day once he gets settled in because my aunts one bird is the meanest bird on the face of the earth and so we don't get to play with him but he talks and the other bird is pretty nice. She gave them alot of mirrors but I don't like giving them mirrors because they become more attached to the mirror then you and they won't be as friendly. I know they love their swing. I'm not sure what food she feed them though. Oh and make sure you get him a cuttlebone for his beak.

[Hagos]

Hi!
First of all, get two! (you can get one forst, bond to it and then get the second one after a while.)
No matter how much time you have, they need to be in pairs or groups. They are incredably social creatures wich really need to be with their own species. I would also suggest that you look up a good breeder and get parent-fed babies instead of buying from a petstore. :)

The perches that comes with the cage are useless, so you can trow them out as well. Get natural branches in different diameters from outside, make sure you wach them in hot water before putting them in the cage. The wood-dowels are not at all good for their feet, but a swing or something with thoose works fine.

They need toys, lots and lots of toys. Being such intelligent creatures they always have to have things to do. Simply putting two acrylic toys in there and thinking they will be perfectly happy doesn't cut it. ;) Á bird might completely ignore the most expencive acrylic toy, and then gp completely nuts over some fresh twigs with leaves on them, or a piece or cardboard. I make most of my toys my self, if you want tips you can email me. Nalani toys has a great selection of toys and toy-parts, so that you can make your own stuff. Things like card-board, beads, leather, wood, etc are also great to use.

A good quality seed-mix (Parakeet, without sunflower seeds.), sprouted seeds, wheatgrass/herbs, some green veggies now and then, and maby a fruit if you are eating some is about what a cockatiel needs. They are specialists in the wild, wich mean they have adapted to living in a sertain area, and to eat what is available there. (Wich is grass-seeds, herbs and grasses, etc.)
The only time they even lay eye on fruit, vegetables etc is during mating season. (To much fresh foods, pellets etc is often the cause of eccessive egglaying, and many other things. My Senegal gets about 10% pellets, 10%seeds, 50% veggies, 15-20%fruit, 5-10% other things.

While my tiels get about 45% seed, 35%sprouted seeds, and 25% other things such as veggies, herbs, etc. :)

If you wonder anything in specific about cockatiels, or just wanna do some tiel-talk in general, email me at nen_lipte@hotmail.com
Take care! :D

//Steph and winged friends.