# Almost ready...



## Justin (May 15, 2009)

The countdown is a week to getting my baby cockatiel, and I'm making final preparations. I finally got the cage the way I like it, but I wanted to ask everyone's opinion on it. It has one cement perch, two wooden perches, a rope perch, a swing, two feed dishes, three toys(i will rotate toys every other week), and will have a mineral block once I put it in. I also have a wooden playstand I placed ontop, thanks to the flat cage top. I've done almost all my shopping. The only thing left for me to get is Apple Cider Vinegar, for cleaning. I ordered my travel cage online, it will be here in a few days, I have a spare wooden perch and a spare cement perch, I have cement perch covers(real handy for cleaning), pellets, treats, nutriberries, millet, mineral blocks, all my food. No cuttlebones; I'm a vegetarian, and I hear birdies can be perfectly healthy vegetarians too. 
I have done countless hours of reading on training of all sorts, from clicker to more simple methods. So, I'm pretty much ready. I've actually been ready for a long time... I've been waiting for quite a while. Finally! Only a week left to go!
Well, here's the cage setup:

Yes, thats a birdie calendar. 
























What I did here was place the wooden perch right in front of the food perches, for easy access. 

























How does it look? Good setup? Is it too crowded? Any suggestions? Thanks, 
-Justin


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## babybreau (May 19, 2008)

Cockatiels already are vegetarians (they don't eat meat or bugs). However they need cuttlebone for the calcium. In the wild they would know where to get calcium from various rocks and other sources on the ground. However they are not in the wild so we need to supplement their calcium with either cuttlebone or ground eggshell in their food every day. They need constant access to it as they know how much they need. Regardless of whether you are vegetarian, they need the minerals and calcium from it. It's what the birds needs, not you. You can buy cuttlebones cheaply at any pet store or you'll have to finely grind eggshell every day for your bird.


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## Renae (Feb 9, 2008)

Only a week, boy I hope it goes fast for you! :excited:

The cage set-up looks GREAT, well PERFECT actually. And with the Cuttlebone, you can put one in, but a mineral block will do just fine, you don't really need both.


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## saj (May 14, 2009)

I know I'm missing the point, but how does being a vegetarian prevent you feeding cuttlebones to your bird, unless you're a vegan?

Cage setup looks good








That little clamp on bell there on the left hand side of the picture, will bring your bird heaps of enjoyment. I have one and they used to love it, but it's been replaced with something more exciting 

Let me know if your bird plays with that leather kabob heaps.. I've been wanting to get one but just don't know if my flock will play with it


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## Justin (May 15, 2009)

I know that they need the minerals and calcium, which is why I use mineral blocks instead. The reason I don't want my bird eating cuttlebones is because I don't want to deal with it myself, or have it in my room at all, and if there is an alternative, then why not? 

And yes Solace, the week is going by fast! It seems today zoomed by in just a few minutes. Kind of wierd, usually when you think about things and something good is going to happen, 'the suspense kills you' and time seems to stand still. But luckily not this time.  *knocks on wood* 

Oh, saj, that actually isn't a clamp on bell; its a preening toy. Its a bunch of string or something tied onto the plastic, and it hangs down. But I do have a couple other clamp on toys, one with bells. And sure, I'll let you know. I was wondering if he would myself, not totally sure. I can see why they wouldn't, it is kind of big and could be a little intimidating, but I imagine it would be a lot of fun!


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## Renae (Feb 9, 2008)

LOL! You do know we expect photos of your new baby when he's settled in? *cough*


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## Justin (May 15, 2009)

Yes yes of course, you can expect many photos because you can be sure I'll be taking hundreds of em LOL!


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## 11bryces (May 24, 2009)

cuttle bone is a bone so its okay the bird is still vegetarian ... think that in the wild a lot of macaws for exemple ... eat peaces of dry mud that are like rocks and its full of minerals ... a lot of parrot find ways in the wild to take the calcium and minerals from stone and other things .. i don't know how to explain it sorry for my french !... your cage looks good... a little small to me but its perfectly fine !( don't listen to me its just my perosnal opinion) .... you can add some shew toys ! they are great and some treat hiding in the toys or corner of the cage ... cockatiel have to look for their food in a wild so its a good exercise for them to look for their food in the cage  and you would consider another dish for the veggies and fruit


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## Justin (May 15, 2009)

Well I would disagree that eating bones keep it a vegetarian, I would say any product that requires the animal to be either hurt or killed or both to be taken is un-vegetarian, i.e. meat, bones, rennet, gelatin, etc. etc. 
The cage isn't huge, its an ok sized cage, but he'll be getting alot of outside playtime so it won't matter as much. And yeah, I'm going to make sure to schedule frequent foraging activities for my little guy, I hear its very good for them. 
And yes, I do have another dish somewhere around here lol.


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## olive juice (Mar 30, 2009)

Justin said:


> Well I would disagree that eating bones keep it a vegetarian, I would say any product that requires the animal to be either hurt or killed or both to be taken is un-vegetarian, i.e. meat, bones, rennet, gelatin, etc. etc.


Well, not to pick at this point, but you chose to be vegetarian. Your bird didn't. Yes, mineral blocks, egg shells, and some veggies are good sources of calcium too...but assuming your bird doesn't accept these, would you try a cuttlebone? (This has just occurred to me, too..would you even feed your bird egg/eggshell?)
I just think it's a little strange, "making" any pet be a vegetarian. I can understand not wanting to buy the product because then you're supporting the trade which leads to more fish (I think cuttlebones are from fish?) being killed...but the bone isn't for you. It's for your bird. It may be _necessary _for your bird.

On a lighter note, the cage looks very nice. Your bird certainly won't be bored in there.


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## Justin (May 15, 2009)

If all else fails, I would have to resort to a cuttlebone whether I want to or not. It would be selfish of me to simply deprive my fid of necessary nutrients simply because I don't want to handle it; but before I resort to using a cuttlebone, I will attempt other means of providing calcium. 
Oh, and yes, I would feed my bird egg/eggshell:


> I would say any product that requires the animal to be either hurt or killed or both to be taken is un-vegetarian, i.e. meat, bones, rennet, gelatin, etc. etc.


But anyway... Thanks! I spent a lot of time designing it, and actually lol, I've changed it around even more; I wasn't satisfied with the positioning of a couple of the perches, so I spent a while messing around, trying to see what works.


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