# Considering Cockatiels, questions



## April0684 (Jun 17, 2013)

Hi everyone,

I am considering getting Cockatiels in the future and had a couple of questions for y'all.

First, I know I would get two because I know in the wild Cockatiels are really social and I'm also sure that two is more fun! There is a pet store nearby not Petsmart or Petco that sells hand tamed Cockatiels. They even have them out in the open so their customers can also hold and interact with them. I'm pretty certain if I do decide to get Cockatiels it will be from them. Would it be best since I know I want two to get them together at the same time, maybe even look for two that seem to be getting along already?

Second and last question, which combo seems to have the better chance of staying bonded in y'alls experience or does it seem to equal out, male/female, male/male, female/female?


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## Brandon2k14 (Nov 26, 2014)

Its best to start with one because they will probably bond to each other and not you but I wouldnt know about a hand tamed one maybe you could get two since you would be able to handle them.For your last question it depends on the bird each do get along with each other but I wouldnt get a male and female since they are together and would be siblings.


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## enigma731 (Aug 12, 2011)

The idea that two cockatiels will bond to each other and not to you is a myth. Cockatiels are flock birds by nature and you will be seen as a member of their flock.

Whether you start with one or two is really your choice, but a new bird might be slightly less frightened with a companion in a new environment, especially if they are siblings. 

As far as same sex or opposite sex pairings, there doesn't really seem to be any consistency as far as bonding. Cockatiels are generally easy-going birds and it's rare to have a serious mismatch, especially if the birds are together from the time they're young. Some same sex pairs will even "mate" although they obviously can't produce fertilized eggs. If you don't ever want to have to deal with the possibility of fertilized eggs, then you might want to intentionally go with a same sex pair.


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## Brandon2k14 (Nov 26, 2014)

I never said that getting two would mean they wouldnt bond to you they would but sometimes they are very bonded with each other and would rather be with each other than you.Budgies are probably the best example of this I had a tame budgie and once ai got him a friend he didnt want anything to do with me but tiels are different Rocko follows me everywhere and I have 2 tiels the more you have the more fun lol.


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## enigma731 (Aug 12, 2011)

Brandon2k14 said:


> they will probably bond to each other and not you





Brandon2k14 said:


> I never said that getting two would mean they wouldnt bond to you


 

Anyway, let's not threadjack with this discussion.


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## Brandon2k14 (Nov 26, 2014)

enigma731 said:


> Anyway, let's not threadjack with this discussion.


I didnt mean it like that I meant its possible and sometimes it harder to tame two.And your right lets not threadjack with this discussion.


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## Lulu-Tiel (Jun 3, 2012)

enigma731 said:


> The idea that two cockatiels will bond to each other and not to you is a myth. Cockatiels are flock birds by nature and you will be seen as a member of their flock.
> 
> Whether you start with one or two is really your choice, but a new bird might be slightly less frightened with a companion in a new environment, especially if they are siblings.
> 
> As far as same sex or opposite sex pairings, there doesn't really seem to be any consistency as far as bonding. Cockatiels are generally easy-going birds and it's rare to have a serious mismatch, especially if the birds are together from the time they're young. Some same sex pairs will even "mate" although they obviously can't produce fertilized eggs. If you don't ever want to have to deal with the possibility of fertilized eggs, then you might want to intentionally go with a same sex pair.


Agree 110%.


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## Lulu-Tiel (Jun 3, 2012)

I started with one cockatiel, Lulu. I was new to birds and went to a breeder. Lulu turned out to be a male but I still refer to her as a female. Lulu instantly bonded to me. She was I think 6.5 weeks old when I brought her home. She was a single bird for three years I think before I got her a companion. Because Lulu has such a strong bond she thinks of me as her mate and as a result acts very much like a single bird. She wants to be with me at all times and screams when I leave. She's never bonded with any of my other birds and never will but she does consider herself as part of the flock. If I was to do it again I would get two birds at the start. I really don't believe that they should live alone; they're flock animals. My other birds (four others) are bonded to their friends but they're still bonded to me too. Cockatiels are very laid back and easy going! People typically like males best as companions because they often learn to talk, whistle etc but females are equally as sweet and fun.


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## enigma731 (Aug 12, 2011)

Just to add: My girls are more cuddly than my male. But I don't think that's really a consistent gender-specific trait.


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## RowdyTiel (Jan 24, 2013)

enigma731 said:


> Just to add: My girls are more cuddly than my male. But I don't think that's really a consistent gender-specific trait.


^^^
That.

My female is super cuddly, but my males have always been more independent. I have heard of cuddly males though, so it's not a set "rule" (for lack of better wording).


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## tasheanne (Dec 31, 2014)

One of my girls is cuddly and the other one is really really not. Both are very tame but the personalities couldn't be more different. However I think my un cuddly girl is going against the grain a bit and girls are generally more affectionate. I wouldn't put a male and female together unless you're prepared for babies because that will most likely be the result at some point in the future and I definitely would triple check that they weren't related if you do decide to go that way.


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## April0684 (Jun 17, 2013)

Thanks so much everyone for the advice! Honestly, I would really love to have a male and a female so I could experience both but I do fear for them having babies because I really don't want to have to deal with that. Right now, I'm leaning towards two females as being the better option for me.


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## enigma731 (Aug 12, 2011)

There are ways to handle having a male/female pair without babies. Behavioral techniques can be used to discourage mating. If they do lay eggs, any eggs can be boiled to prevent development of the embryo. Of course, you have to decide if you're comfortable with that as a possibility.


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## April0684 (Jun 17, 2013)

Hmm interesting, I will have to give that some thought.


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## enigma731 (Aug 12, 2011)

You might want to look over our sticky post on unwanted egg laying. 

Also, the sticky library in general might help with your planning.


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## Lillyvon (Apr 12, 2015)

My girl is completely 'cuddly' - but that's it. She really doesn't have any desire to be trained and is just a big sook. My boy is affectionate too but so smart and adventurous and LOVES to be trained and shown new tricks. Plus he talks like crazy - she just chirps. 

So really depends on what you want from your bird. If you dont have time to train - maybe get two girls?


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## April0684 (Jun 17, 2013)

Thanks enigma731, I have been reading those and they are really helpful!

Lillyvon, right now I'm still debating the male/female or female/female combos.


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## Lulu-Tiel (Jun 3, 2012)

My male/female pair recently started mating but I'm not allowing them to have chicks for several reasons. I decided to remove the eggs laid and replace them with fakes. I'll admit that I felt bad taking their eggs away and breaking them but it is for the best. I have a very small rescue. I don't really believe in breeding because we have so many unwanted, abused or neglected birds here; especially smaller birds like cockatiels. I didn't want to separate Lucas and Max because they really need each other so this was the only other option available. So if you wanted to go with a male/female it's very doable. There's lots yoy can do to prevent them from mating but if they do do it, there are options.


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## Lillyvon (Apr 12, 2015)

April0684 said:


> Thanks enigma731, I have been reading those and they are really helpful!
> 
> Lillyvon, right now I'm still debating the male/female or female/female combos.


Welcome. If you do have time to train the bird (like a dog - repeat repeat reward) get one male. If you can get him out to play with you daily for a long time - one is fine. If you are new to bird ownership I'd say get a girl or two girls who are just sweet and affectionate. 

I'm knew to cockatiels but have owned parrots my whole life but mostly male and just one. They get very attached - as much as a loving dog. They are not just sit on a perch - once you have bonded they want to be with you all the time! You need to know they can live longer than cats or dogs - up to 30 years or more - so it's a commitment. They can be your best buddy for sure. They have a lovely nature when hand raised - but for first time - get hand raised.


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## enigma731 (Aug 12, 2011)

Males are certainly better at singing and talking, but I don't think there's any reason why females in general wouldn't be able to learn other tricks. There are individual differences, of course, but I've known many female 'tiels who were very smart and eager to interact.


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## April0684 (Jun 17, 2013)

My bird experience so far has been one male parakeet that I got back when I was probably 10. We let him out of the cage and he obviously wasn't hand raised because he completely freaked out and flew to the opposite side of the room, hit the wall and fell to the floor. I was sure he was dead or knocked out but thankfully he was ok other than a sore leg for a few days. That situation scared me so bad I never felt brave enough to try and let him out anymore which lead me to getting another male parakeet to keep him company. Later on, we got two female parakeets but remembering that scare with the first one I again never tried taming them.

I got a female zebra finch around the time I had my first two parakeets. I thought she was lonely so I went back and got a male. They bred and the babies hatched out but the male for some reason went on a killing spree and killed all the babies by throwing them out of the nest. The female would have nothing to do with him after that and would just sit in one spot at the bottom of the cage. I swear she was going through depression. I got scared and ended up returning the male back to the pet store and she perked right up and went back to her normal self after he was gone.

Around this same time we got a canary and one day she accidentally got loose and did the same thing as our first parakeet and fell behind the stove. We had a time getting her out but she was ok once we got her and placed her back in her cage. We started feeling like she might be lonely so we got another female canary to keep her company.

Then I got my first and only cockatiel. His name was Bright Eyes and I loved him dearly. I would let him out of his cage and he would like to crawl up on my lap but if I tried to touch him he would open his beak at me like he was warning me he would bite me so I never did actually get my hands on him. I had taught him to talk and he could say hello, i'm a pretty boy, which he loved to turn into i'm a pretty, pretty, pretty boy lol! He learned the popcorn talk of my guinea pig and they would have conversations back and forth lol! He loved to dance to music and bob his head up and down and I would do it with him sometimes too lol. Unfortunately, I think we only had him like a year maybe close to two and I went in to check on him and he had passed away at the bottom of his cage. I cried and cried and to this day still don't know what happened that caused his untimely demise. I never tried owning another after that.

After him, I switched over to lovebirds and got two we were told they were male and female but I'm actually not 100% sure but I believed them to be. The one I believed to be male passed away a couple of years ago but the female is still going strong. She is at my parents house but I go visit for the weekend there every other weekend so I see her often.

Since I've gotten married and moved out my hubby and I have only owned a pair of zebra finches. They were male and female and had eggs but only one of them hatched but he made it. The female passed away and the father and son were starting to show signs of wanting to be territorial so we ended up rehoming them to a person who had a whole colony in a big avery.

Back then though I never knew there were forums on the internet that could help you learn how to tame birds. This time around I would definitely try a lot harder to do so and to be sure that they are already hand tamed when I purchase them.


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## Odysseus (Jan 27, 2014)

I'm thinking of getting two tiels in the future as well so this thread will be helpful for me as well. For owners with multiple tiels, what are your tips on housing a pair of tiels together? Ideally, my cockatiels will be housed in an aviary when they are not out and about with me.


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## RowdyTiel (Jan 24, 2013)

enigma731 said:


> Males are certainly better at singing and talking, but I don't think there's any reason why females in general wouldn't be able to learn other tricks. There are individual differences, of course, but I've known many female 'tiels who were very smart and eager to interact.


My female knows the eagle trick (spreads her wings on cue) and is currently learning spin (eventually in both directions but we're working on one at a time.  ).


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## Lillyvon (Apr 12, 2015)

RowdyTiel said:


> My female knows the eagle trick (spreads her wings on cue) and is currently learning spin (eventually in both directions but we're working on one at a time.  ).


That is so awesome and adorable! She's gorgeous! My Ringo does 'eagle' but then won't stop doing it as he thinks it's awesome! Haha!

How old is your lovely girl?


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## RowdyTiel (Jan 24, 2013)

Lillyvon said:


> That is so awesome and adorable! She's gorgeous! My Ringo does 'eagle' but then won't stop doing it as he thinks it's awesome! Haha!
> 
> How old is your lovely girl?


Thank you! 
Bwahahahaa!! Missy is the same way! :'D Her reward during trick training is scritches since that what she values most and good ol' Missy's thought process has decided that spreading her wings is going to get her scritches every time. As cute as she is, I don't usually reward her for the behavior unless I ask for it. 

She's going on 10yrs old soon! I adopted her from the local Humane Society when she was 8yrs.


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## Lillyvon (Apr 12, 2015)

RowdyTiel said:


> Thank you!
> Bwahahahaa!! Missy is the same way! :'D Her reward during trick training is scritches since that what she values most and good ol' Missy's thought process has decided that spreading her wings is going to get her scritches every time. As cute as she is, I don't usually reward her for the behavior unless I ask for it.
> 
> She's going on 10yrs old soon! I adopted her from the local Humane Society when she was 8yrs.


\

She's beautiful. Yes I don't reward behaviour not requested and same - Ringo prefers his head scratched as a reward over treats. They both eat well so don't crave food as rewards. Just attention.


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