# Opinions on Where to Get Cockatiel



## SarahBeth (Dec 18, 2008)

I have decided to adopt a cockatiel. I have thought about the decision for a long time and I am ready to get one. Growing up, our family had parakeets so I have general knowledge on how to care for birds. I would like your opinions on where to get a cockatiel. 

Opt 1) I applied to a local sheltor in our area that houses only birds. They seem fiercely protective of their rescued birds and make people go through rigorous interviews, etc. I would love to rescue a bird that comes from adverse circumstances and I think this is the best option. However, on their website, they describe their process as very lengthy and I'm not sure if I want to be grilled and challenged and wait forever. I know I am responsible enough and I've cared for birds before. 

Opt 2) I could adopt from a breeder. Problem is, I have no idea how to find a breeder in my area. I will not tolerate shipping birds.

Opt 3) I could go to a pet shop. To me, this seems like the worst option of the three because you have no idea what their personalities are. I have also heard from others that sometimes pet shop animals have preexisting conditions that they do not disclose. Perhaps it's heresay but still.

Opinions?


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## allen (Aug 25, 2007)

i would go with a breeder i,m sure others will be on here and let you no what breeders are in your area most good breeders will give you a list of people who have bought from them

and welcome to the group


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## sweetrsue (Jul 8, 2008)

I would find a local breeder. You can google it and once you get a few names you can ask them for other recommendations. This works very well.


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

Adopting a bird from a shelter can be a wonderful thing, but rescued birds frequently come with a lot of emotional baggage. These special-needs birds can be a major challenge for people who've never dealt with this kind of problem before. You'd probably be better off finding a local breeder.

Local bird clubs can be very helpful in finding local breeders. The website for the Greater Chicago Cage Bird Club is at http://www.gccbc.org/ 

Here are some links with addresses for other clubs:
http://birdmart.com/clublist.html
http://theaviary.com/clubs.shtml


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

P.S. Many bird clubs host periodic bird marts where breeders and other vendors come together for a big public sale. Both quality and price tend to be excellent. The Greater Chicago Cage Bird Club is having their next one on March 7th according to their website, and you might be able to find another club that's having one sooner. 

Or later. Cockatiels can breed all year round but most chicks are born in the spring, so you tend to have the greatest selection around June-July.

I found a Yahoo group for Midwest Bird Breeders at http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/Midwest-Birdbreeders/ They might be able to give you some information.


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## Lola's_mommy (Nov 30, 2008)

I got my tiel, Lola, from a nice lady off of CL. You have to be careful if you get an animal from a private seller. You want to research about tiels first and know the right questions to ask. Also, it's important to know if they have been to the vet and for what reasons.

We have a local rescue that sells all kinds of birds, but I would have had to wait months to get a bird because they want you to come in and become familiarized and educated about the bird before you purchase it so you don't have to rehome the bird again for making a wrong choice. I think it's a good idea to know what you're getting in to, but I didn't want to wait that long. 

Just make sure you do your homework and know what you're getting in to so you can make the right choice about the type of bird you want. But from what I've been told and from what I've experienced, tiels are incredibly smart and social, and very much a valuable family member.


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## Birdie21 (May 24, 2008)

Hello SarahBeth, I was born and raised in Chicago suburbs also. Homewood. I went to HS in Chicago Heights. (a long time ago). Welcome. I'm sure there must be breeders there. Chicago area has everything. I miss it, well, the things up there, like theater, museums etc. I got my first cockatiel in May and a second one in July. The first was a female and is rehomed to a good home. I now have a lutino male I adore. I hope you find what you are looking for. Enjoy yourself here. Everyone is very helpful and very nice.


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## SarahBeth (Dec 18, 2008)

THANK YOU everyone!!! I am going to check out all your suggestions and I'll let you know what happens!


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## bigmikey36 (Aug 5, 2008)

Yes Sarahbeth welcome to the board. There's nothing i can add except good luck in your search you seem to be approaching become adopted by a bird in all the right ways you asked great questions and got great answers so the only other thing left to say is welcome to the board and good luck once again

Mikey


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## crazy4tiels88 (Aug 10, 2008)

look on http://www.birdbreeders.com and you can find lots of breeders there!! I did find alot, good luck


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## xxxSpikexxx (Jul 30, 2007)

Welcome  And good luck with your search, Iam sure you will find the right tiel for you


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## SarahBeth (Dec 18, 2008)

Hi again, all! Updates...

I contacted a breeder in my area and he does not have any tiels ready yet. He suggested another breeder to me and I am awaiting her reply.

Meanwhile, I submitted my application to the sheltor earlier this week but haven't heard anything yet. 

I tried these two websites:
http://birdmart.com/clublist.html
http://theaviary.com/clubs.shtml 
I googled some of the groups listed and it seems that some of the links are broken. This may be a dead end. But I appreciate all your suggestions!


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## sweetrsue (Jul 8, 2008)

http://chicago.kijiji.com/f-Pets-Birds-W0QQCatIdZ100135 This might also be a good place to check out. At the very least some of the folks selling birds may know other breeders! There are lots of ads with Cockatiels!*
*


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## bigmikey36 (Aug 5, 2008)

kijiji is awesome!!!
Mikey


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## gforce (Jun 28, 2008)

We adopted Georgie and Sammy from our local pet shop it is a family owned business not one of these chain stores. We had to order them in, we were so happy with Georgie our first tiel we went back for a second and have not been dissapointed.

gforce


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## SarahBeth (Dec 18, 2008)

*updates*

Still no word from the shelter for rescued birds. http://www.rescuethebirds.org/

I contacted a few ads on Kijiji but nothing has come of that yet. 

I found a breeder I found by googling bird breeders(www.beaksbirdhouse.com). He seemed legit so I contacted him. He said he doesn't have any cockatiels until next year so he referred me to someone else (who is also on birdbreeders.com). She said that she has two pairs of eggs and she'll let me know when they hatch!!! I have no idea when that will be but I am excited.

I have a related question. I am a musician (a clarinetist) and I would love to get a male so I could teach it how to sing different songs. I have read in other threads that it is hard to sex the birds before a certain age. Is there any way the breeder will know the sexes? Thanks again you guys! And thanks for coming along on my journey.


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## Amy1569 (Oct 14, 2008)

I understand there is a way to 'sex' the birds by their vent...? (their bottom...if there is a large space, than its a female (large because of the egg passing) and if the bones down there are closer together, than a male. Please experts, correct me if i'm wrong?!
Some, again if I understand right, by their color/feathering..I've heard of eye color as well? These are just what i've read...


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

DNA sexing is guaranteed to work and only costs about $20. Other methods are iffy, although sometimes you can figure out the sex of the chick from the genetics of the parents. For instance if I've figured things out right my Buster and Shodu can only produce sons who are grey and daughters who are cinnamon or lutino, and either sex can be whiteface in addition to the basic color. 

There's no guarantee that your birdie boy will actually learn the songs you want to teach him, but having a male is definitely your best chance for this to happen. Some males are more talented than others, and you might want to ask the breeder how talented the father bird is because he might pass it on to his sons.


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## SarahBeth (Dec 18, 2008)

Ok, kids, we may be in the home stretch here. So far here are my leads:

#1 "Sarah,
I have 2 pairs on eggs right now. I can let you know when they hatch.
Let me know if your still interested.
Thank you"

or 

#2 (I specifically asked if there were any indications of a male bird) "Hello,
Yes the bird is starting to whistle and was interested in this one female. I am selling it because I breed cockatiels with my boyfriends mom. It is tame and hand fed. It is $60.00 and we live in Bolingbrook. It is ready to go to a good home asap. thanks for your interest!"

Opinions welcome and encouraged!


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## sweetrsue (Jul 8, 2008)

I like the sound of #2. The wait would be much less and if you are looking for a male...well there you go!


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## Amy1569 (Oct 14, 2008)

Toby had a vocabulary of a dozen words/sayings or so....at 5 mos old when I brought him home. I got him in October, and in 2 mos, he's learned from me....Good Morning...and he whistles the first few tunes to Jingle Bells...
Here's his video..(he's 7 mos now..and in this video)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifL9seuvWZI


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## SarahBeth (Dec 18, 2008)

I forgot to mention that bird #2 is only 2 months old. Here's the ad: http://chicago.kijiji.com/c-Pets-Birds-Handfed-Cockatiel-W0QQAdIdZ93036470

What does it take to get a bird DNA tested? I wonder if the owner would do it, if I offered to pay the fee?


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## bigmikey36 (Aug 5, 2008)

good luck sarahbeth and it never hurts to ask if the breeder will DNA sex the bird for you

Mikey


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## SarahBeth (Dec 18, 2008)

bigmikey36 said:


> good luck sarahbeth and it never hurts to ask if the breeder will DNA sex the bird for you
> 
> Mikey


Thanks, Mikey. I just sent her an email to ask. I told her that I just want to make sure before I make the committment to care for him for life.


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## sweetrsue (Jul 8, 2008)

The breeder seems to have enough experience to recognize a male. The whistleing is a very good indicator and $60 is a very good price for a Whiteface. Pretty bird!


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## SarahBeth (Dec 18, 2008)

*Updates*

Just got this response from a different ad:

"TUES:12/23/08..I STILL HAVE CHRISTMAS BABIES FOR SALE.. $40 FOR GREY WHITEFACE. $50 FOR PEARL WHITEFACE OR WITH YELLOW FACE. AND I ALSO HAVE 1 YR. OLD MALE'S FOR $20. KENOSHA,WIS...THANK YOU. J******* F*****."

Take off your capslock, lady.


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## sweetrsue (Jul 8, 2008)

A Whiteface Pearl is beautiful but statistically is more probably a female. It takes both a Mother who is a pearl and a Father who either is a Pearl or is split to pearl to get any male Pearls. All it takes to get a female is for the Father to carry the gene. Also I see no mention of how tame these are. I imagine it was in the ad. Does she say what the 1 year old males are (mutation wise) and are they tame? That's a great deal!


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## SarahBeth (Dec 18, 2008)

sweetrsue said:


> A Whiteface Pearl is beautiful but statistically is more probably a female. It takes both a Mother who is a pearl and a Father who either is a Pearl or is split to pearl to get any male Pearls. All it takes to get a female is for the Father to carry the gene. Also I see no mention of how tame these are. I imagine it was in the ad. Does she say what the 1 year old males are (mutation wise) and are they tame? That's a great deal!


Actually, it didn't say in the original ad either. I get a bad feeling from this one, I think I'll pass.

Here's a picture of the two-month old from the other ad who I have been in touch with:

http://kijiji.ebayimg.com/i21/01/k/000/7e/a0/389c_20.JPG


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## sweetrsue (Jul 8, 2008)

He's a little cutie!


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## SarahBeth (Dec 18, 2008)

I just got a reply from the owner and she's apparently in high school...not quite sure what to do about this situation.


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## sweetrsue (Jul 8, 2008)

What do you mean? She's not sure what to do? Or you're not sure?


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