# Questions About Adopting an Older Bird



## Lu*lu (Jul 4, 2013)

Hi, tomorrow I'm going to pick up a beautiful male whiteface cockatiel someone is rehoming. The current owners are not sure how old he is, as he was passed to them from someone else. He lives on a military base, and I'm thinking it is very possible this bird has been passed from home to home as people are relocated. So his age can be anywhere from 2 years, to like 10! 

*He knows 2 songs, and I'm wondering, can older cockatiels learn new songs? Part of the reason I've been looking for a male is to teach him to whistle!

*Is there any way for me to get a ballpark on his age?


----------



## JoJo's Mom (Oct 20, 2012)

Kudos to you for taking in a bird that needs a home! As far as the songs go, I think with persistence you can teach him more songs. You might even get him to talk a bit.
I don't know how to tell the age, maybe an avian vet could help you there? He is beautiful


----------



## Lu*lu (Jul 4, 2013)

Thank you! I'm new(er) to cockatiels, I've never owned an older one. Or a male, for that matter, so it's a little scary. We live on Oahu and we are leaving in a few years, but I pan to bringing my birds with me. So I hope I can find out how old he is, I wouldn't want to put him on a plane if he's super old.


----------



## estypest (Jul 31, 2014)

That's really nice of you to be adopting this bird, especially if he has been passed around a few different owners. Bless him ! (One of the cockatiels that first got me into them, one at a nursing home who let me scritch him, was put down when the nursing home closed as they didnt know what to do with him. If I hadn't've just been 10 at the time and knew about it happening i'd've loved to have took him in, to be killed just because they couldn't be bothered to find him a home!! .. ahem digression!).

So yes that's really good, though I don't know at all how you could age him really. Don't be worried about age -- Maxi is going to be 17 soon and she's the first to tell you she's not an oldster, just today she was jumping up and down her perch like a loon, batwinging and munching millet like nobody's business. 

Can't help with male singing and such aha, surely there can't be any reason why he couldn't learn something else!


----------



## Lu*lu (Jul 4, 2013)

omg that is so sad about the nursing home cockatiel!!!!! But your post about your 17 year old Maxi makes me feel better. I do hope my boy has many years left in him, when I picked him up tonight the owner said he was untamed and mean...I brought him home, let him out of the crate and he jumped on my shoulder, asking for scritches. I think he's had a bond with a past owner, and I'm very glad I found him. He will have lots of time out of the cage with us. He is a really big sweetie pie.


----------



## Phoenix2010 (Sep 15, 2014)

What a great start! Sounds like he has found the home he was always looking for. While not very experienced with rehomed older birds I cannot see any reason why he won't learn new stuff, especially if he bonds with you. Good luck and keep us up,with your progress!


----------



## Colorguarder08 (Sep 13, 2014)

Lu*lu said:


> Hi, tomorrow I'm going to pick up a beautiful male whiteface cockatiel someone is rehoming. The current owners are not sure how old he is, as he was passed to them from someone else. He lives on a military base, and I'm thinking it is very possible this bird has been passed from home to home as people are relocated. So his age can be anywhere from 2 years, to like 10!
> 
> *He knows 2 songs, and I'm wondering, can older cockatiels learn new songs? Part of the reason I've been looking for a male is to teach him to whistle!
> 
> *Is there any way for me to get a ballpark on his age?


I was told Carolina was 6 months but immediately knew that was wrong before I even brought him home took him to the vet monday cause he injured his wing had his band removed turns out the "6 month old tiel" is ACTUALLY 17 YEARS OLD. And since bring him home a month ago he has learned Riley's "song" not that I would call it a song when Riley sings it but Carolina makes it sound pretty. So yes they can learn new songs at an old age. If he has a band have it removed and his hatch year should be printed sideways on it


----------

