# Best Companion Bird for Cockatiel?



## twopeaedpod

We have a male cockatiel (Luna):grey tiel: who was given to us by a family who could not care for him any longer and we're not too sure of his history (we think that they did not work with him as much as a baby as they said they did), but either way - he is a very skittish bird. We worked with him intensely for about a year and got him to the point where he would come out (very nervously still) and visit with us once-twice/day, but it just seems to upset him SO much. He's a nervous wreck and he just seems so much more content in his cage, so for the last few months we've left him in and not taken him out. He's happier, but he's getting bored. He screeches to be sang to and talked to, but we can't sit there all day singing to him  
He had a sister with him for his first few years and although she passed (egg-bound) before we got Luna, we think he would prefer another bird to be with to keep him company.

The problem is, he does screech (like, ear-splitting) sometimes and we don't want to get a bird that he can teach to screech. We got him to the point where he will only screech under extreme stress/boredom (when we got him he screeched CONSTANTLY for 3-4 months until I trained him out of it)! I just don't want him reverting and having another bird that screeches might trigger that. 

So, preferably NOT another cockatiel. Is there another type of bird that is pretty commonly available that makes a good companion for a tiel that isn't a screecher? 

Thanks so much!


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## Darkel777

I have heard others recommend a Lineolated Parakeet as a companion but I can't say anything about their behavior. I have never owned one of those birds. You might want to reconsider getting another cockatiel though, most females don't really screech and are a lot quieter than their male counterpart.


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## CaliTiels

Depending on how big the cage is, you could get a Rosy bourke


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## twopeaedpod

The cage is about 5' tall and 3' wide, it's very large (on wheels type). 
We would consider a female, but are concerned about breeding issues...we don't want babies! and it would break my heart to take their eggs away from them


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## ParrotletsRock

What about an male english budgie?? Male because they are easier going than hens and english cuz they are bigger than pet type.


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## twopeaedpod

Oh, budgies are cute....lol. They look like little Santas with those face feathers  What a strange noise they make. 
Are they expensive? I can't really spend an enormous amount of money. That's one of the reasons I said "commonly available." We live in a smaller town with access only to small-town breeders, Petsmart, and one independent (mall) pet store.


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## ParrotletsRock

Regular budgies are available in just about every pet store, they are a bit smaller than the english type but would still be a good companion. They are the least expensive of any parrot and can be bought for about $20. If you can find a breeder in your area you should be able to get a handfed, tame young english for $50. or less.


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## eduardo

Where do you live? I know a bird store in Charleston area, SC, that sells English budgies for about $20. English variety is known to be a bit more calm than the regular "pet" type, which is a bit more hyper. I think your cockatiel would appreciate the calmer variety.


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## twopeaedpod

I agree he would like a calmer bird and regular budgies can be flitty. I have done alot of reading up today and I'm finding that most people don't even risk another type of bird and just go for another cockatiel. Female if they don't mind babies and male if they do. 
I do see that the males will be louder together, but it just sounds like singing and talking, which we love. It seems they will only scream when flock-calling and we are okay with that. 

I'm thinking of looking for a local cockatiel, with cage, and that way we can spend a long time getting them familiar (after quarantine time) by being in different cages near eachother. This will also give us time to get to know the new tiel. They can also still keep eachother company from separate cages if they never decide they want to live together in one. 

Is this a good plan?


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## moonchild

Eh...I wouldn't even do an English budgie, to be honest. They can be mellower than regular budgies, but they are still budgies and not the ideal personality match for a tiel. Plus, they can be very chatty (not loud volume-wise, just near constant vocalization). I would look into Bourke's parakeets, or another cockatiel. Two males can get on fabulously, if you're worried about eggs. I have multiple males and they don't make all that much noise with their singing. They can get shrieky in the mornings, but the females will join in and often outmatch the males. I think it's very likely that your boy is screaming out of loneliness, and if you get him a companion it very well may help a lot. I can't say for sure, but based on my experience with birds, they hate being alone. And they can always relate better to a member of their own species. Cockatiels, being in their own genus, really do not have any close relatives except for cockatoos (which they are generally not compatible with because of size differences). They are unique unto themselves. I really don't think I would ever have a single cockatiel, after seeing how much more emotionally healthy they tend to be in a flock.


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## Mezza

Yes, I also would have said another cockatiel or a bourke. 
Poor bubba does sound lonely. .
Its nice to hear you are looking for a companion for him.
What about a handraised tiel that you can possibly handle and then your tiel may see you mean no harm. I don't know its just a thought.


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## twopeaedpod

Mezza said:


> What about a handraised tiel that you can possibly handle and then your tiel may see you mean no harm. I don't know its just a thought.


I would love that. My first cockatiel (many years ago) was hand-raised and she was just the sweetest thing that ever was. I got Luna with her in my memory, but that didn't work out at all the same way...lol. So, yeah, I will start looking for a hand-raised tiel. 

2 Questions: Are the ones at pet stores hand-raised? Should I get a young tiel for best chances at bonding/training or does it not matter? (I got my first tiel young and she bonded/trained easily, but have no experience with older ones.)

Thanks so much! This has been very useful so far!


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## CaliTiels

Most big chain pet stores don't have hand raised birds. I would for a young bird to train, it is easier. I would instead look for a good breeder


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## Mezza

I definitely would go to a breeder if you can. That way you can get a young hand raised one.


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## M'éanín's Mommy

I have Parrotlets and Cockatiels which is an iffy mix. It works for me because I have some really laid back birds. Parrotlets are really quiet and great at entertaining themselves or another bird. They have tendency to be a bit aggressive sometimes, nippy if not handled regularly, but for me it works and my Parrotlet M'éanín is best buddies with Cinnamon, constantly trying to feed him/her, preening etc., so who knows...just depends on the bird and their personality IMO. My 'Tiels are fairly quiet, the only time they get truly excited is if you separate them, they don't care to much if Pancake is the one who leaves room, but the other 3 get pretty upset and start screeching something fierce, but they are siblings and I figured it's because they have always been together, so you could try getting a hand raised 'Tiel like the others suggested.


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## moonchild

Mezza said:


> I definitely would go to a breeder if you can. That way you can get a young hand raised one.


Or look for an adult that is tame. Not sure what your location is, twopea, but in my area there are often lovely tame cockatiels needing homes.


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## Mezza

moonchild said:


> Or look for an adult that is tame. Not sure what your location is, twopea, but in my area there are often lovely tame cockatiels needing homes.


Totally agree here.  But as Moonchild said it would depend on your location and the availability.


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## LaurulCat

*Don't trust the pet stores that claim they have hand raised babies.*

My first cockatiel was a hand fed baby produced by a amature home breeder who then sold the weaned chicks to a bird store. Gracie was the perfect hand fed, socialized and 100% tame pet bird. Instantly wanted social interaction and pets and scritches and perched on my shoulder for hours at a time. She was just an ideal pet. 

But I was afraid she was lonely during the day when I was asleep (night shift). So I wanted to get her a mate. I looked around and the original store had no birds available, but I happened to be at Petsmart one day and they had just gotten a new shipment of cockatiels. Off in one corner there was one Normal grey who was singing to his reflection in the glass. The price was less than what I paid for Gracie, but it said they were hand fed. I checked with the clerk and they assured me the birds were all hand fed. So I bought the Normal grey cock and took him home. Immediately I learned he was terribly hand shy; if he saw a hand come near him, he ran for cover. I complained to the store, but they just said the birds were a little older and they just 'got a little wild' while waiting for someone to buy them. But no matter what I did, Chip would not step up on a hand. He would step up on the back of my hand or my forearm or even a hand held perch, but if he saw fingers and a hand coming toward him, he ran!

I asked my vet about his behavior and she pointed out his leg band. It had letters and numbers on it and she and I looked it up on her computer and found out Chip had been bred by a company that provides cockatiels and other birds for medical experimentation. And, yes, the birds are hand fed because they are 'gavage' fed; which means they put a blunt curved needle down into the bird's crop and inject formula directly into their crop. To do that, each worker grabs up a baby bird, injects the formula and then puts them aside and goes onto the next bird. Each worker feeds hundreds of birds several times a day, depending on how old the birds are. Chip only knew that hands with fingers grabbed him up several times a day and manhandled him and that was why he was afraid of hands. 

My vet also cautioned me that Chip would probably die young. The breeding companies that produce the birds use genetically gimmicked lines of birds who are susceptible to different types of diseases by design. It turned out Chip only lived to age ten and he literally dropped dead off his perch; his necropsy showed a massive heart attack.

So be careful buying a 'hand fed' bird. If the bird runs from you when you try and pick it up or step it up, it may not have been hand fed with gentle hands. And look at the leg band to see who produced it; especially if the pet store does not know where the birds came from!

The absolute best companion for a cockatiel is another cockatiel. They are flock birds and love being with others of their kind. Cock birds get along quite well together, but it is always much nicer, in my opinion, if you can have a pair; they bond and seem to do so much better. If your hen lays eggs and you remove them within two days of them being laid, the embryo has not yet started developing. The eggs do not come alive until the hen starts brooding them and most hens like to wait for five to seven days after laying the first egg before starting to brood. If you remove the eggs then, you are not killing anything because nothing has started growing. Sub in fake eggs and you have no chicks being born and no problems. Egg binding is a rare complication that can happen if a 'virgin' hen has a blockage or congenital defect in her reproductive tract or if the hen is not in top shape and her body gets depleted from forming the eggs, or if she is low in calcium and a soft egg breaks inside her. But keep your hen in top condition and you should avoid the problem of egg binding.


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## Hellena

Honestly, I would only do another cockatiel. They are so docile and sweet that mixing them with another species as a buddy is usually not the best idea. I've had parakeets around mine and the tiels always got pushed around. I now have a linnie instead and that is even worse. The tiels together do fine though. But actually, each one of my tiels would seem more than happy to be by themselves and just have me!


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## twopeaedpod

Thanks tons 
Going to start another post b/c I'm having trouble finding a breeder in my area. Also, thanks for that caution about "hand raised birds!" scary! My Luna does have a band and I wonder if he didn't have a similar chick-hood experience.


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## catalinadee

If you're willing to have two separate cages, you can have any bird as a companion for him  Just having another bird within sight can really help. If you want a bird for him to live with though then I'd definitely go for a cockatiel


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