a tiel for cheap

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hey how yall doing? ok so i was in the petstore today to buy seeds and my friend in the store knows i like birds, so he said they have a tiel for sale for 70$ instead of the 130$, its not the store's birds its just the co worker's birds who works in that store, he wasnt today so the other girl told me about it and showed me the tiels, they are in the back of the store in a huge cage, they have 4 tiels there an the one he wants to sell me is a white one, he is very cute, he said it was a male, i heared that its a female if it has lines over it's belly, but it didnt so i guess he is right that its a male, i mean the tiel looks really cool and for almost half the price, he isnt selling it to me cuz its sick or anything he just doesnt want all 4 he just wants 3 of the tiels that he got, i could get another big cage from ebay for cheap , like a 24x18x56" cage and put the tiel in it,im not sure tho, is having a tiel cool? is it worth it?

[Laura]

Hi there welcome to the forum Well I have to say having a tiel is definetly cool :) but you should do your reading as its not for everyone, I am not sure who told you that lines over its belly means its a female thats totally false if its an all white tiel the only way to tell if its a male or female other then dna is to know what mutations the parents are there is no way to visually sex an all white cockatiel the only other way is to go by behaviour if its more vocal its usually a male but there are also females that can be vocal do you know how old the tiel is?

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ok i just called the store again and he said the tiel is between 6 months to a year old, is that alot? and that is the only tiel that he is selling, hes not selling the others, he said he will give me free food too, their cage costs 70$ , so basically it would cost me like 150$ , is it worth it guys? no i cant get any other cockatiel cuz thats the only one he is selling, he said he belives its a male, btw its a white tiel just like urs laurago, the white body tiel thats in your signature.

[Laura]

ok i just called the store again and he said the tiel is between 6 months to a year old, is that alot? and that is the only tiel that he is selling, hes not selling the others, he said he will give me free food too, their cage costs 70$ , so basically it would cost me like 150$ , is it worth it guys? no i cant get any other cockatiel cuz thats the only one he is selling, he said he belives its a male, btw its a white tiel just like urs laurago, the white body tiel thats in your signature.

Well 6 mths to a year is not old as far as tiels go, is s/he tame? does it step up and let you touch it I would be asking these questions as well you definetly don't one thats not tame as your first cockatiel my tiel is actually more yellow does this tiel have the orange cheeks patches? if it does and it looks like mine then its a lutino the only thing I would be leary about is why he is selling only that one is there a reason for it? I know you said the tiel is healthy but most people don't just sell one of there tiels there has to be a reason for it.
I wouldn't go by what he believes...lol I was told all of my tiels were thought to be male and only Ollie is a male the other two are females, if its 6mths to a year you could be able to tell the sex by behaviour you should ask the owner if its whistling or chattering those are usually signs of a male unless of course you don't care either way which one you get

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i asked him why he just sells that tiel but he said he just wants to get rid of it, i dont think its tame, i asked him if the tiel was handfed and he said "probably", ill call him in a minute to ask if its tame.

[Aly]

Bringing a tiel home is a HUGE decision. The can live up to 30 years when healthy and happy. I agree with Laura. Make sure you read as much as you can before deciding.

[Laura]

i asked him why he just sells that tiel but he said he just wants to get rid of it, i dont think its tame, i asked him if the tiel was handfed and he said "probably", ill call him in a minute to ask if its tame.

I would be leary he doesn't seem to know to much about HIS tiel most people that love birds don't just get rid of one of there pets he is not being honest about something, definetly make sure its tame, its very time consuming for you if the tiel is not tame, the best thing you could probably do is go back to the petstore and ask to handle the tiel and see if it will let you

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i see, and why is it such a HUGE decision? i mean its the same as owning parakeets and i have 3 parakeets.

[Aly]

i see, and why is it such a HUGE decision? i mean its the same as owning parakeets and i have 3 parakeets.

It's similar as far as care, however they need alot more attention. Bringing any animal home, whether it's a budgie or a tiel is a huge decision.

[Laura]

actually its very different then owning a budgie, tiels are big sucks and require a huge amount of attention, some tiels can become screamers if they don't get it I have two budgies of my own and they are into each other and could care less if I am around other then to feed them...lol but my tiels all three of them require my attention alot of the time, my male is super glued to me always wants to be on me or with someone in the family he is very much one of my kids...lol I find the budgies are more so into each other where as tiels are more into there humans as opposed to other tiels

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what kind of attension are u talking about? cant i take him out with my everyday just like i do with my keets? i mean what kind of attension is needed so miuch that ur warning me so hardly? btw their food costs the same as parakeet food?

[Laura]

not trying to warn you hard :) just letting you know there is a difference from owing a budgie and a cockatiel there general care might be the same but there needs are different

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ok i just called him again and he said the tiel is not tame AT ALL, and he said i can get any of the 4 tiels in the cage, not only the white one, i thought he was only selling the white one, so yea basically but anyway i like the white one the most, and he said the white one is indeed a male, there are 2 black females and 1 black male, so yea he said that he tried puting his hand in the cage but they are cool with that but once he tried to touch them on their belly for them to step up with his hand they bite him really hard, so its not worth it guys? he basically doesnt care much about the tiels so he doest know training them but thing is, i dont want to bring a biter to my house and not be able to even touch him, so tell me what should i do.

[Laura]

I think if you really want a tiel, your best bet is to get a tame one, there are lots of tame tiels for good prices out there, he is probably selling them because they are not tame and he never took the time or bothered with them, If its already a biter and won't let you touch it at this age its going to take alot of work on your part to try and tame it and sometimes some of them never get out of that biting stage and some can draw blood if they really want to , I would walk away from this one, for your first tiel you should get something you will be able to handle and as you have already stated you don't want to bring a biter in I think the best thing to do is look elsewhere I personally think 70.00 is alot for a tiel that age thats not tame.
I only paid 75.00 for my pied and he was a baby handraised eating veggies stepped up when asked flew to the shoulder and head etc...

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well if i pass on this one then i wont get a tiel at all cuz i dont know where, the petstore themselves sell 130$ and frankly thats too much really i cant afford that, dont forget the cage, thats why i say i cant afford that, so ill pass on this one even tho i really wanted a differnt type of bird, he said that once i get him home tho he should change from biting but i think that was a lie just so i buy..

[Laura]

most petstores charge alot more then breeders, I did an internet search in my area and thats how i found my breeder, and yes he is lying to you he will not change from being a biter when you get him home it takes time and lots of patience to try and tame them

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where is the breeeder searcher? maybe i can find one near me?

[Aly]

Here is a link for more info on tiels...http://cockatielcottage.net/ I am not sure where you are located therefore I can't recommend any breeders.

[Laura]

where is the breeeder searcher? maybe i can find one near me?

what I did was just typed in cockatiels breeders in Ontario Canada where I am so you could type in Cockatiel breeders in (wherever you live) I just did a general internet search in google yahoo whatever you use.

[Rosie]

Hi there and welcome to Talkcockatiels! You are obviously getting a lot of answers to your questions so I'll say what I think. :)

At the moment I am in the process of getting a tiel. I've had to turn down a tiel that I reserved because my parents didn't agree with it because they thought that it was getting too old to be tamed properly. You have to be patient and let to right tiel come to you. Try looking for adverts in looking papers/shop windows. Also (like Laura and Babyluv12 have said) try using the internet for look for breeders. You may want a hand reared/raised tiel that is already tame and used to humans. Or if you do decide not to get a hand reared one, get one that has preferably just been weaned. I would say the ideal age is probably 10-12 weeks. But try not to go too old. Especially in some pet stores they have older cockatiel that may take months and months of hard taming everyday to just get them to perch on your hand. It may take a while to find your perfect tiel but it'll be worth it in the end. ;) Good Luck

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i live in queens new york, and no i cant look in adverts cuz there arent any adverts about bitds in the newspaper so.. can u recommand me any breeder? and how do i even meet with him if hes not a store??

[Rosie]

i live in queens new york, and no i cant look in adverts cuz there arent any adverts about bitds in the newspaper so.. can u recommand me any breeder? and how do i even meet with him if hes not a store??

As Laura said, look in Google or any other search engines, try typing in cockatiel breeders in Queens, New York or something like that. They will list a phone number/email so you can contact them through that. Try advertising sites as well. Some breeders do it as a private hobby and might not advertise as a "breeder" if you know what I mean. ;)

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i dont know guys, i guess i cant get a cockatiel because i think its a hassle looking for a breeder now and god knows who the breeder is or how he raised the keet, and this store buy was direct thats why i considered it, can u tell me tho, what exactly would be the steps to teach the white tiel that the guy from the store is selling to teach him to step up and be tame? put my hand in the cage everyday and not move it until he gets used to it? the guy said hes used to that tho its just that he wil bite if u try to grab him or make him step up. so yea lets say that i bought him , how would i work with him everyday?

[Aly]

i dont know guys, i guess i cant get a cockatiel because i think its a hassle looking for a breeder now and god knows who the breeder is or how he raised the keet, and this store buy was direct thats why i considered it, can u tell me tho, what exactly would be the steps to teach the white tiel that the guy from the store is selling to teach him to step up and be tame? put my hand in the cage everyday and not move it until he gets used to it? the guy said hes used to that tho its just that he wil bite if u try to grab him or make him step up. so yea lets say that i bought him , how would i work with him everyday?

Hi. I gave you a link prev. to this site- here are the exact articles from the site
http://cockatielcottage.net/bite2.html
http://cockatielcottage.net/bite.html

[Laura]

its really not that much of hassle finding a breeder there are lots out there you mentioned god knows who the breeder is or how it would be raised thats where it takes the time to talk to the breeder and go visit the tiel at the breeders and get to know them there are people that buy cockatiels from petstores there are a few on here with them but most were younger and already tame, your talking about a possibly one year old tiel and you still have no idea of its background or how it was treated, if your really considering getting the tiel knowing that its not tame I would do some reading on how to tame it here is a link how to stop Cockatiels from biting
http://www.cockatielcottage.net/bite2.html

haha....Aly great minds think alike

[Bea]

A tiel is a big commitment (as is any pet). The initial search and out right cost shouldn't be massive deciding factors. You'll have to provide loving care for 20 or more years, and that includes vet care which costs upwards of $60 each visit.

In my opinion you would be better off saving some money so that you can buy a decent cage and hand raised baby. :) I think you would have a lot more fun right from the start that way. Buying a pet shouldn't be done impulsively in the fastest and cheapest way possible.

[Aly]

A tiel is a big commitment (as is any pet). The initial search and out right cost shouldn't be massive deciding factors. You'll have to provide loving care for 20 or more years, and that includes vet care which costs upwards of $60 each visit.

In my opinion you would be better off saving some money so that you can buy a decent cage and hand raised baby. :) I think you would have a lot more fun right from the start that way. Buying a pet shouldn't be done impulsively in the fastest and cheapest way possible.

I agree Bea- well put. A tiel is by no means cheap.;)

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hey all i just came back from the store again and i actually spoke to the guy in the store, guys that tiel is a SWEETIE! it isnt biting at all , he is just moving away because he is new to hands, he said he is from 6 months to a year and it is 100% a male, now regarding the cage, everyone has their own mind and what not and i can get a 18x18x24 cage and its basically just fine, i spoke to a vet about it which is my relative, she said that a bigger is always better but in 18x18x24 it should be fine and happy, she said that she seen people with tiels that are living in parakeet cages, far smaller than 18x18x24, so yea she said its just fine, she said i could also buy the same cage its just that its taller, it costs 10$ more, but i think the one that costs 60 is just enough, so i got an idea of a vet about this cage thing so im good with that, all i need to buy is the tiel and the cage, btw the guy was raising them in his house he just didnt have time to train them so he just raised them, he recieved them all as a gift so yea, there is already a guy thats buying the huge cage he has them in for 100$ and the 3 of the tiels aswell, i told him to keep the white tiel for me and not give it to the guy that buys it tommorow, here is a picture of the tiel im gonna buy btw:

http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/5567/img0229tl1.jpg

i took it today with my iphone, i have a question to u guys, when i whistled the tiels like shaked their heads, what does that mean? they did it almost every time i whistled, they are very cute, like i said NONE of the 4 bite me, and i tried to perch them a few times, but they try to move away from the hand, if i just leave the hand there they dont do anything but if i try to move the hand to make them like step up they move to the side.

[Aly]

That is a cute pied male. It's older than 6 months for sure. Word of advice-and I am sorry if you think I am being a bit rude but: The vet apparently doesn't keep budgies or tiels herself according to her housing and cage requirements.

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she might not but the sweetie tiel will be happy in it. besides ill let it out everyday ;) guys can u tell me what the head shaking is when i whistle? i mean all of them shaked their head really quickly everytime i whistled.

[Aly]

what the head shaking is when i whistle? i mean all of them shaked their head really quickly everytime i whistled.


Sometimes they shake their head when a sound is either too loud, new to them or bothering them. Here is a guide on their behaviors that might help you be able to read your new tiel.
http://www.tailfeathersnetwork.com/birdinformation/behavior.php

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oh i forgot to tell u guys, the tiels eat pellets! they are converted to pellet diet already , right now in the store he gives them seeds because he doesnt have pellets, i plan on buying the vita vittles tiel food btw, he said he would give me the tiel for 70 and a bag of food for free but i said ill buy the food myself and just get the tiel for 60! im getting a great deal, like i said a guy is buying 3 of the tiels tommorow aswell as the huge cage he has them in and who knows which 3 he will get, most likely hell get the pied one because he is so preety, the other 3 are females and like all grey bodys, this pied one is soo cute, thats why i told him to keep it for me and not give it to the guy tommorowo because i said i will go tommorow at 6pm and buy the tiel, guys ill buy him , i love birds , i have 3 parakeets, i think i will have a great time with this tiel, like i said i can not go out now and look for breeders and what not, every tiel is special in it's own way and as long as its not a vicious biter i belive it will go fine, he even showed me, the tiels of the STORE, that they sell for 130$, they have 3 of them , 2 females and 1 male, once u put ur finger in their cage they start to open their mouth getting read to attack! the pied one im getting is not like that AT ALL, he is a sweetie, i was actually able to get him on my finger really quickly but he jumped down hehe, its like my parakeets man, thats how i trained them, i let them get used to my hand first and then step them up, guys i have a question ,wat should be the first thing i do once i bring the tiel home in it's cage? i mean ill put him food and water of course and a toy. should i start puting my hand in the cage to let him get used to it? or where should i place the hand exactly?

[Aly]

Well congrats- I'm sure you'll enjoy your tiel. I don't normally use the slow approach when I first bring a new bird home. (I have two tiels and eight budgies). I handle them right away out of the cage and then put them in leaving the door open so they can look around and rest. All 10 are VERY tame-esspecially the tiels. It's good that they're on pellets already- they should get seed, pellets and veggies so also get a good seed mix for them. Veggies and fresh foods are also a must. As far as why the others looked like they wanted to bite- well, females do that but it's just to scare you off. It's quite normal. Let us know how it goes.

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i see, ur method sounds good, but 1 thing, when i bring him home he will already be in the cage that i will buy for him , u say i should take him out once i bring him in? he isnt used to hands much like u read from my post above so what should be my approache? ur being a great help mate, thanks.

[Aly]

Well, I would take him out as soon as you get home. Give him a few minutes and then take him out and just talk to him , have him perch on you...etc. Just so he gets use to you. The reason I believe handling right away is a better method is because they get use to you before they get use to their new home (even if it's the same cage, it's a new place). That way they bond with you faster..just my thoughts.

[Laura]

I hope it all works out good to hear he is a sweetie and not a biter, my only thoughts are about the cage, the cage size your stating just seems to small for a cockatiel to be comfortable in the cage your describing is not much bigger then a budgie cage and that is just not good enough for a cockatiel they need alot more space then a budgie does you should really think about getting him a bigger cage he would be so much happier no matter how long you have him out of the cage.

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i see, but once i take him out what if he is flying all around? i belive he might, how would i let him perch on me if he is scared of my hands? ur idea sounds great but im just wondering the following, i mean he is probably scared of my hands, how am i supposed to take him out of the cage, i do not want to grabe him of course, i could leave the cage door open, btw, he will try to communicate with my keets right? is it dangerous to let the tiel and the keets out at the same time? is tehre a chance he will attack them? and would the tiel care if his cage is close to the keet's cage or not?

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so u say i should get the HIGHER version of the cleanlife cage? this is the cage im talking about that costs 70$:

http://familyofpets.petrg.com/cgi-bin/fop/PCP00852.html

i dont know why it costs 40 in the website but i cant buy stuff online cuz i dont have a credit card so i have to buy it in the store, it looks too high tho i mean, ill have the cage in my living room, this is the cage that i have for my budgies:

http://www.petblvd.com/cgi-bin/pb/PCP00850.html?mv_tmp_session=1&mv_session_id=nsession

and also the one i was planning to buy for the tiel, it costs 60$, its really big and looks like the tiel will feel great in there, guys i have a question , that cleanlife cage comes with 2 plastic perches, i have a rope perch for tiels but its not long enough to reach from 1 side of the cage to the other, should i just make a bend that fits from 1 corner to the other corner so atleast there will be a rope perch in the cage? i mean like i said the rope perch isnt long enough to reach from 1 side of the cage to the other so what i can do is i can bend it and put it in the corner, i will of course get him a swing aswell.

[Aly]

http://familyofpets.petrg.com/cgi-bin/fop/PCP00852.html



This cage is too small. It's not wide enough and it's not much different then the budgie's cage you have, except the height. Tiels are long- they have long tails that and a large wingspan so they should have a large amount of space. I know you're excited and have alot of questions-that's not a problem but take time to go over this thread that shows examples of cages. I have three of the same kind and they are huge- less than $100 each. Here is the link: http://talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php/post-photos-you-cage-32.html?&highlight=cages

As far as the inside- take a look at this thread and it'll give you some examples of what they should have inside their cage. http://talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php/whats-your-cage-667.html

The budgies cage and the tiels can be put side by side- mine do have SUPERVISED playtime together too- the tiel will probably have no intrest in the budgies and if it's anyone bossing anyone around it'll be the budgies.

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2 good threads , but i can not spend 100 on a cage nor buy online, i mean why is the tall cleanlife cage small? it says specificlly its for cockatiels, i know they might need more wideness but thats all i can afford and i think its not too bad considering others buying much smaller cages than i am so i am proud, ur cage is awesome btw babyluv , if i could get one like that for 70 i would have gotten it but i cant. oh and they do have another large cage both widely and with hight , its house shaped and costs 80 but thats tad too much for my budget, i could buy this cleanlife cage right now and when i get a credit card i might buy another bigger cage from ebay ;) please dont pressure on me i just cant get any bigger cage at this moment, what i plan to buy for the start is a cuttlebone, a swing, i already have a big toy for big birds like tiels, 2 cups come with the cage, 1 for water and 1 for the seeds/pellets. they are in the bottom of the cage btw, thats fine yea?

[Aly]

I didn't buy mine online. I got it from Petco. It is availble online though. I say wait then. That cage is much too small. Just my opinion. Wait and see what the others say-In the end it's your tiel and your choice- we can only tell you what we think.

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it was moved to Cockatiel Talk, no longer in introductions ;) regarding the cage, i cant wait because he will sell the cockatiel to that guy that buys the huge cage and the other 3 tiels, thats why i told him to save the pie tiel for me until tommorow at 6 pm! there is a bird specialist in the store and he said that the cleanlife cage is fine for one but ONLY one tiel and i told him that thats what i want only one tiel, he said that i should be good to go then, but i do understand ur opinon, u personally have the budget to buy an expensive cage, frankly i dont , and its not like i only need the cage and the tiel, i need the food which is 5, the swing, the cuttle bone and thats basically it, i think it will cost me like well lets see, 60$ for the tiel, 60 for the cage, thats 120$, the food is 5, the cuttle bone is like 3 bucks if i remember correct, the swing is 3 aswell i belive, wiil cost me like 130 which is fine. i already have a big toy like i said, i will buy some wooden perch aswell a day later or so, i have a rop perch in my house for tiels already so that i have already which is good.

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btw thx alot for the help aly, i appriciate it, i helps me alot!

[Laura]

A bird specialist? in a petstore that told you that cage was fine its not about buying an expensive cage its about buying whats right for the tiel we are only telling you this as we are all very passionate about our birds I can only tell you from experience when I first got my tiel the petstore will tell you anything to make a sale they don't always know whats best my cage was bigger then yours and I paid 60.00 and it was not big enough I ended up having to go out and spend another 100.00 for another one its really not fair to the tiels to keep him in a small cage. no one is trying to pressure you on what you should do we are just letting you know what is best for the tiel but ultimately its your decision.

[Aly]

Take a look at the stuff that goes into the cage- ur going to need different types of perches, different textures, a mineral block, a lava rock is helpfull..keep in mind you don't want to overcrowd the tiel. I made that mistake before in a cage about that size and that's why I'm dead set saying that is too small. They have long tails and large wingspans and they need the room- they are quite clumpsy also so an overcrowded cage will not help. Most tiels that are kept in a smaller then needed cage have really ruffled looking tails and broken blood feathers so make sure you think twice.I know you're trying to hurry up and bring your baby home but there is no sense in rushing and just getting anything for now. The 3rd cage I bought was $70 and it's alot bigger -same with Laura and alot of other people on here. Are there any other petstores in the area you can go check out for better deals? Anyone who's credit card you can borrow in exchange for cash to order a cheaper bigger one online?

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not that i can think of, besides if i were to order online it would take atleast 4 days to arrive, where would i keep my baby meanwhile? i have no other choice, well the petstore i go to is petland discounts there are 2 of them near me but i belive they both have the same cages aswell as the same price, i have a petco aswell but its like a 45 minute drive, if i had a car i would drive there but i cant and my mom nor dad wont drive me there either thats for sure, im gonna get my lisence soon but thats out of question in this situation. regarding tommorow when i bring my baby home in his cage, i will place his cage near my budgies cage and set his cage up and everything, then i should open the door and let him come out if he wants? i doubt he'll come out tho, right?

[Aly]

Petco is where I got my cages. When he gets home he needs to be in quarantine for 30-40 days. That means not in the same room as the budgies and no contact.

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hm i see, well i cant put the baby anywhere else(other room),however ill put him really far from the budgies cage tho, i have a question, when i let my budgies out as usuall everyday, they might fly to his cage i think, thats fine yea? and like i said, tell me how this plan sounds, ill bring the baby from the store in his cage that i will buy him, ill bring him home, place him very far from the budgies cage location, i will set up his cage, seed/pellet/ water, the perches and the toy, oh ill also place a treat bar for him, i will then put on some nice smooth jazz music and let him relax, ill leave the door of his cage open until i go to sleep and then i will close his cage door,, what do u think, is that a good plan? regarding the next day, how should i start working with him, i did read the website u reffered me to but i would love to hear from ur personal view and what is ur method to get the baby to trust instead of steer away, shall i just continously try to step up him inside his cage?

[Laura]

Not quarrantining your birds is a big mistake your asking for trouble for the health of the birds they need to be seperated into different rooms .

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oh and ill also put a NON painted wooden ladder in there.

EDIT: luargo , quarantining far from the budgies cage is not considered quarantining? i mean they have no physical contact and are really far from each other.

[Aly]

oh and ill also put a NON painted wooden ladder in there.

EDIT: luargo , quarantining far from the budgies cage is not considered quarantining? i mean they have no physical contact and are really far from each other.




Quarantine must be in different room. NO contact.

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ok got it, ill put him in my bedroom then(my budgies are in the living room), can u please answer my previous post where i asked if my plan is right?

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tell me how this plan sounds, ill bring the baby from the store in his cage that i will buy him, ill bring him home, place him very far from the budgies cage location, i will set up his cage, seed/pellet/ water, the perches and the toy, oh ill also place a treat bar for him, i will then put on some nice smooth jazz music and let him relax, ill leave the door of his cage open until i go to sleep and then i will close his cage door,, what do u think, is that a good plan? regarding the next day, how should i start working with him, i did read the website u reffered me to but i would love to hear from ur personal view and what is ur method to get the baby to trust instead of steer away, shall i just continously try to step up him inside his cage?

[xxxSpikexxx]

I think you should save up first to buy a big cage before you get a tiel. You would have him up to 30 years so a nice large cage is a must. A powder coated cage is great since they last a long time. Or just stick to the budgies you have now. And research a TON. Good luck with your decision.

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ok i will research more and save up for a bigger cage and then ill get a tiel, cheers.

[Aly]

ok i will research more and save up for a bigger cage and then ill get a tiel, cheers.

I know you wanted the tiel very much so if you got the tiel just let us know either way how things went.

[Bea]

ok i will research more and save up for a bigger cage and then ill get a tiel, cheers.

I think you will have a more positive experience that way. Let us know how you go.

[Babi]

I just measured the dimensions of my cage (18x20x25 w/o stand) and it's smaller than the one you planned on getting and I have two birds in it. There is lots of room and they are plenty happy in there. They do come out and fly every day though.

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m299/babiface_13/Ninaplayplatinum.jpg

On the 3rd page it had different dimensions but mine is still only a couple inches bigger that that one and I have an extra bird in it. That being said, I think if it is ever a "hassle" to look for the perfect bird that you will be spending 20-30 years with, you really don't want one that bad. You see an oppertunity to get one cheap and want to take it. Not trying to sound harsh, but thats what I have read from this thread.