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Advice for picking a second cockatiel.

1K views 2 replies 2 participants last post by  Lore 
#1 · (Edited)
Hey all,

I currently own one cockatiel, Puck. He is a male (DNA tested) and currently 4 months old. He's a sweetheart, an absolute cuddlebug, and clearly loves being around people, getting attention and scritches. In the short time he has been here, about 2 months, we have clearly bonded. :) Even my boyfriend who isn't very comfortable around birds, enjoys interacting with Puck, giving him scritches, letting him groom his beard and chill on his shoulder, hand or knee.

But I do wonder if Puck is completely happy.During the days I am away at school or work, and so is my boyfriend. Which is leaving only the afternoon and evening to interact and play with Puck. Is this enough, or does he need more interaction?

I already had considered getting Puck a 'buddy' when I got him. But since tiels tend to live quite a number of years, it is important for me that they would be tame and humans-orientated. I also know it would be better to pair up tiels when they are younger.

So I have a couple of questions.
  1. Do you think I should try to find Puck a buddy to share his life with?
  2. I am not interested in breeding my tiel(s). If I do get another tiel, does it have to be a female or could I also look for a male?
  3. I am currently living in a students house, so the birds making noise can be an issue. The birds would live in my room (it is roughly 35 square meters). Is that okay for 2 birds?
  4. Are there any reasons for why you think I should go for a male OR female bird?
  5. Puck's cage is 48cm deep, 85cm wide and 97-81cm high with a rounded top from front to back. (18.9 in deep, 33.46 in wide and 38.19-31.89in high) is this big enough for 2 tiels, or should I consider looking for a new cage if I do want to get a second tiel? I would want to house them together (I am aware this does not always work out though)
  6. Should the bird I get (if I do get a second bird) be around the same age as Puck? Or would it be possible to get a young bird that has just left the nest and can care for itself?
  7. Is there anything else I should consider in deciding if I want to get a second bird?
 
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#2 ·
Do you think I should try to find Puck a buddy to share his life with?
That can only be answered by you. The biggest thing to remember is to never get a bird for another bird. Only get another bird if you know you have the time to dedicate to that bird as well, especially if the two end up not getting along and can not be let out together.

I am not interested in breeding my tiel(s). If I do get another tiel, does it have to be a female or could I also look for a male?
Two males can do just fine together but if they are both singers, they will both be very loud. I had two males who bonded and would mate with each other so they can still get pretty hormonal.

I am currently living in a students house, so the birds making noise can be an issue. The birds would live in my room (it is roughly 35 square meters). Is that okay for 2 birds?
My concern with this would be quarantine. It is always recommended to quarantine a new bird so that if it is carrying an illness it doesn't get your current bird sick. 45-60 days is usually the recommended time frame for this and it is normally recommended that the birds be kept in separate rooms to prevent the spread of disease. A vet can run tests to determine if the new bird is healthy and that can reduce the quarantine period.

Are there any reasons for why you think I should go for a male OR female bird?
This is just gonna be a preference to be honest. I prefer female tiels to males, mainly because they are quieter. Everyone has a reason why they like one gender over the other.

Puck's cage is 48cm deep, 85cm wide and 97-81cm high with a rounded top from front to back. (18.9 in deep, 33.46 in wide and 38.19-31.89in high) is this big enough for 2 tiels, or should I consider looking for a new cage if I do want to get a second tiel? I would want to house them together (I am aware this does not always work out though)
The recommended cage size (absolute minimum) for two tiels is 36inx36inx36in. So yes, your cage would need to be a bit bigger to provide the adequate amount of room that both birds would need to stretch their wings out fully.

Should the bird I get (if I do get a second bird) be around the same age as Puck? Or would it be possible to get a young bird that has just left the nest and can care for itself?
Age is just a preference. Puck isn't going to care whether the bird is younger or older than him, although a much older bird might not like being around a younger bird like Puck. It really all depends on what you are looking for in a second bird. A bird that is over a year old would be easier to tell the gender of if you want a specific gender.

Is there anything else I should consider in deciding if I want to get a second bird?
Vet fund. If one or both birds were to get sick, would you be able to afford to treat them? I had an illness go through my entire flock several years ago and I spent close to a grand trying to treat them. It ended up being black mold causing the whole issue, which we didn't figure out until we were moving out of the house and discovered the wall that was basically all mold. So it is a good idea to make sure you have the means to treat them if necessary.
 
#3 ·
Thanks for your reply roxy :)

Only get another bird if you know you have the time to dedicate to that bird as well, especially if the two end up not getting along and can not be let out together.
[...]
The recommended cage size (absolute minimum) for two tiels is 36inx36inx36in. So yes, your cage would need to be a bit bigger to provide the adequate amount of room that both birds would need to stretch their wings out fully.
This is one of my concerns, as I have no telling beforehand about a second bird getting along with Puck. And when he gets older, they tend to be harder to pair up ifI remember correctly.
As I have little space right now for a second cage, I would either have to invest in a new cage that is separatable (top bottom or side by side). Which is something I want to do later on anyway, but would require saving up for a bit. So getting another bird is probably out of the question until then, for me.

Quarantine shouldn't be an issue. For the time being I could probably house the bird in my boyfriend's room. But it is more difficult with only having one room right now that really is 'mine'.

[...]Vet fund. If one or both birds were to get sick, would you be able to afford to treat them? [...] So it is a good idea to make sure you have the means to treat them if necessary.
I do have a vet fund for Puck, in case anything ever happens to him, and I could increase the amount I have saved up if I were to get a second bird. (I had this back when I had pet rats, too, as they tend to get ill easily) I think this is something a lot of people overlook,so thanks for the reminder :)

My conclusion so far is that it's probably best to wait a little longer before getting a second bird, and get the bird for me in the first place and see if it will bond to Puck in second place. Maybe I'd get a different species of bird, in which case I wouldn't end up with two bonded birds, but hopefully would be able to let them be out of the cage at the same time.

Given my current living situation, it seems more likely and responsible to wait with getting a second burd, until I will move out of my students 'house and find a place of my own.
 
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