# Cockatiel as a Classroom Pet?



## Dandylion (Jan 30, 2013)

Hi all. I was wondering if I could get your opinion on this.

I have owned Dandy, my 8 year old cockatiel, since she was just a few months old. This year, I am entering the job force as a 4th grade teacher.

I am concerned with leaving Dandy at home for two reasons.
1) I will be gone for long hours and wont be able to give her as much mental stimulation as she is used to.

2) I live in an apartment, and I have been told that Dandy can loudly call for hours if I am not home (she is fairly quiet when I am around). I dont want to upset my neighbors or my new roommate who is moving in in September.

So, I had the idea that I could possibly bring Dandy into my classroom as a class pet, but I am not sure if thats a great idea. She would get a lot of mental stimulation and I wouldnt have to worry about noise complaints, but then I also wonder if maybe she would be nervous about the students.

I definitely would not be letting students take her home with them. No way no how. I shudder to think of sending a bird to a household that knows nothing of birds, and I know that Dandy would be totally stressed out about it. I also probably wouldn't let the students hold or pet her, at least in the beginning, and would teach them to not stick fingers through bars and to be gentle and calm around her.

What do you think? Do you think it could work, or would a classroom be too stressful for my bird?

Another thing I was wondering about is if I do decide to take her with me, if I should commute with her every day or leave her in the classroom. On the one hand, she would stay with me and obviously be cared for a lot more attentively than if I always leave her 15 hours every day. On the other hand, I could also see the constant moving from one location to another to be potentially stressful as well.

Sorry for the super long post. I would love to hear your opinions.


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## Vickitiel (Oct 10, 2012)

You could always test-drive it and see how it works out. In one particularly good cockatiel book I've read, the author talked about how the kids loved their classroom cockatiel. It made school so much more fun for them.


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## eduardo (Jan 27, 2012)

Normally, I am not too crazy about classroom pets unless it's a fish. However, in your particular situation, Dandy might benefit from being there with you. I would not however leave her in the classroom each night. I would take her home each evening.
My only concern would be if she starts flock calling and making a lot of noise in the classroom.


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## urbandecayno5 (Oct 24, 2012)

I was going to say the same thing Dee

What if she starts flock calling or making noises(if she plays with toys that have bells..etc) during class?
Also it might be a huge distraction to 4th graders(I know it would be to me)

On the other hand it may be a wonderful idea and do her wonders just to be with you allday
I definitely would bring her home after class though
I guess you'll have to test it out


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## Tequilagirl (Mar 4, 2013)

If that was me, I would assess the kids first and find out if there are any little terrors. I would never risk bringing my bird somewhere to have her cage shaken around the second I turn my back. And I would padlock any doors.

Yes my middle name is Pananoia lol

Edit: Could your new room mate keep her company?

I would take her home every evening for several reasons, the biggest one being exposure to strong chemicals when the classroom gets cleaned.


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## BirdCrazyJill (Apr 23, 2013)

have you thought about getting a second tiel to keep her company?


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## bobobubu (Dec 12, 2011)

I have been reading about pets in schoolrooms and the consensus is that it's a great idea, it even improves school attendance rates! You can also get grants to help financially with the expenses.
If your Dandy likes to travel, he will probably be a lot happier if you take her with you instead of being parted for so many hours... I am sure some of my birds would.
It will probably make you one of the most popular teachers in your school  I wish we had that when I was a student!


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## bjknight93 (Nov 13, 2011)

I would have a classroom cage and a home cage. And I would take her back and forth with me each day. I think the students would enjoy her.


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

I agree with Bailey...a small transport cage will make the commute less stressful. Fourth grade is right around the age that is actually recommended that tiels can handle (any younger than that and they move too fast and the tiels are scared of them.) I think the class pet idea is a great one for both her and the students!


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## moonchild (Jul 29, 2012)

JuliosMom said:


> have you thought about getting a second tiel to keep her company?


This would be my solution.

Honestly, the classroom pet idea COULD work if the bird had the right personality for it. Or it could be a disaster. You could test it out, but I would definitely bring her home with you at night.

Sorry to be a downer, but here are the reasons I can think of it would NOT work:

- She could be a big distraction in the classroom. If you let her fly free, or come to you for attention whenever she wanted, that could be distracting. Or if you locked her in her cage and she screamed to be let out, also distracting.

- My birds would probably be WAY too stressed out in such a situation...they are scared of kids, sudden movements, loud noises. A fire drill would probably make them have a heart attack even if hoards of kids didn't.

- Possible dangers to her in the environment: cleaning product fumes, pesticides inside or outside the school, hair spray or perfume the kids could be wearing, etc. etc.

I wouldn't do it, personally. I'd leave her home in her familiar environment and get her a cockatiel friend. There are so many looking for homes in most places, you'd also be doing a good deed by adopting one. Granted they may not adore each other at first (or ever), but you could start them out in separate cages and just being able to see another bird will help her not feel lonely when you're gone. My tiels are very content living in a flock, but when I had one I left like I could never leave him alone.


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## Dandylion (Jan 30, 2013)

Thank you for all of the responses!

I think I will at least do a trial period (but not right from the first day, maybe a month into class), and if she is too stressed or is calling during class, it obviously wont work out.

I don't want to get a second cockatiel for two reasons.
1) Since noise is one of my concerns, I would be worried that the two together would be even more noisy.
2) I got Dandy as a 15 year old, because it was the only pet my mother would let me get. Now don't get me wrong, I love her to death, but as a pet she doesn't fit me as well as others. I am more of a dog person. I love her and am committed to giving her a very happy life, but once she passes she will likely be my last.


Ok, next question. Sounds like I should definitely commute with her, but which cage should be where? I have a very big cage (maybe 4 feet high, 3 by 3 feet wide) for her, and I also own a smaller travel cage ( maybe 1.5-2 foot high, 1.5 by 1.5 foot wide). The travel cage is enough space for her to be able to flap her wings, walk up and down her perch, and climb around, but obviously its not a ton of space.

Obviously, I would be commuting with her with the small travel cage.
The question is, where should I keep the big cage? Do I keep the big cage in the classroom, and then bring her home with the small one? Or should I keep the big cage at home, and bring her in the travel cage and then keep her in that during the day.

I would likely be in the classroom from 7:30-5pm every day, which leaves 14 hours at home, though a lot of that would be spent sleeping.
On the one hand, she would still spend more time at home, so maybe the big cage should stay there. On the other hand, I think she might feel more safe in her big cage in the classroom, because it gives her more room to move away from kids if she wanted to. I know from experience that if she doesn't want to be touched, she aint getting touched in that cage ;-)


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## bjknight93 (Nov 13, 2011)

Some people here are probably going to be offended by you saying that you are not a bird person. However, I have to commend you for keeping Dandy even when you've recognized that she may not be your favorite type of pet. Most people would've already rehomed their bird when they decided they're not a bird person. 

Also, I can tell that you really do care a lot for Dandy even if you don't want to get her a friend. If you didn't care about her then you wouldn't be asking about her well-being here!

So..as far as the cage thing goes. How often does she get let out at home? If she is going to be out of the cage often at home on the weekends and afternoons then I would recommend using the smaller cage at home and the larger cage at the school. She probably won't be coming out during normal school hours so the larger cage would be best at school since she will be spending a lot of time in there. You'd rather her spend more time in the large cage than in the small one.


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## Hecken (Dec 23, 2012)

Just my little bit of input - regarding fire drills etc., I found Woodstock was alarmed at first but soon learnt to just ignore them. That's what comes of keeping a cockatiel in student accomodation! He's bombproof and adores travelling!


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## cknauf (Aug 27, 2012)

Another factor to consider is allergies. Some children may be asthmatic or allergic, and you'll have to decide what to do with that.


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

If you give it a trial and decide that it's working out great, you could get an inexpensive large cage and have a big cage in both places. This one's huge and it's only $130: http://www.amazon.com/Prevue-Products-Wrought-F040-31-Inch/dp/B00176F5L0/?tag=viglink121709-20 I have this cage's bigger brother ( http://www.amazon.com/Prevue-Hendryx-F050-Products-Hammertone/dp/B0002AQ228/ ) and it's a very nice cage for the money.


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## Paleghost13 (Sep 14, 2012)

I agree with Echolalia. It _could_ work out, but there are a lot of environmental dangers to consider. Cleaning products, perfumes, hair spray, cooking smells if you are near a staff lounge, glues, and more are all chemicals to be wary of. Plus a classroom is not a contained environment. What if Dandy gets out and flies out a window or door? Even if she is clipped she could get into trouble, stepped on, or chased. What about drafts from heating or cooling registers?

I think the idea is a great one. Class pets are lots of fun for the kids, but birds can be pretty delicate and I would really worry about toxins. Or the kids feeding her something they shouldn't. Allergies in the kids are also something to consider. I love the idea and I don't want to be a downer, but there are so many variables to consider. 

Best of luck with whatever you decide and I hope everything works out for you and Dandy.


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## Hecken (Dec 23, 2012)

You could always keep her cage behind/by your desk maybe? And keep a little lock on it to prevent any releases or escapes


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## Fweet (Apr 9, 2012)

Sorry to say but you can't watch over Dandy all the time & there will be small inquiring fingers heading towards the cage. 
All it takes is one child to fiddle with the catch even though they 'really didn't mean to' or to start poking through the bars & unhappiness follows. 'Dandy pecked me!' & the child will be rushed away as if foaming with rabies & Dandy described as a bloodythirsty monster with a beak of evil.


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## Clair (Jul 31, 2012)

Dandylion said:


> I love her and am committed to giving her a very happy life, but once she passes she will likely be my last.


Don't feel bad. I feel the same way - Grigio is my last cockatiel. 

Good luck with the classroom experiment!!! Keep us updated.


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