Baby Cockatiel Question

wilykit

Hi,

I would like to get another Cockatiel (my last one sadly died), and I have been offered one that is around 7 months old - I asked if it was tame and the person said it is in an aviary but should be easy to tame as it is only young - what are people's thoughts on this as I would like one that can be cuddled

Tropez

We had cockatiels when I was a kid but they both have now passed away.

I would love to get another couple but I can't shake the feeling with three whippets running around the house, plus my partner's two dogs when she's at home that it would be an accident waiting to happen.

As for your enquiry, I'm obviously quite out of the loop with as far as training them goes but I did stumble upon quite an extensive resource about cockatiels, which also covers taming them.

http://www.cockatielcottage.net/

wilykit

Thank you

babyshoes

AFAIK, if birds haven't been regularly handled from the time they hatch, they become more difficult to train and less likely to form strong attachments to humans. I am not sure if 7 months is too old for a cockatiel though - instinct says probably, but I have no basis for that apart from half-remembered theory that I accumulated when we got a parrot when I was in my teens.

wilykit

I have decided not to get one - I think it is a bit old, and considering it has been kept in an aviary and hasn't had much contact with people. I got an Indian Ringneck last year that was around 6 months old and wild as anything - and he is still not tame!!!

Mupette

about 17 years ago i was into cockatiels, and took one off a friend who took if off another person who badly treated him,

I had very little experiance with them.

'Widget' was about a year old when i got him, and the first thing i did when i got home was to open the cage door and used a wooden peg to keep the door open. He was rarely made to stay in his cage, i preferred him to have open space to fly.

because he was mistreated with people thrusting sticks thourgh the bars of his cage, he was a quiet little thing for a while with no trust with humans, but over the weeks with a lot of patience with him, he eventually took residence up on my shoulder.

He even took the role of babysitter when i gave birth to DS (now almost 16) and would perch on the moses basket or baby bouncer chair and fly to me in the house if baby awoke and cry'ed to tell me.

The stupidity of the ex husband to leave the front door wide open and allow widget to fly away, the local gulls and pigeons had him

wilykit

Mupette, Wisdet sounded adorable - especially the babysitter part! It's sad that your ex husband let him out, but at least you gave him a better life x

grumpys1daughter

Hi
I know you have decided not to get the bird, I know from personal experience an aviary bird that is 7 months old will definitely not settle in a cage a few yrs ago my cockatiel died and we got another because the house was to quiet lol Went to a pet shop and bought one it was an aviary bird you couldnt even go near the cage to put seed and water in without seed going everywhere and the most awful screaming I have ever heard I tried for a few weeks to see if he would settle but the screaming got worse, there are quite a few breeders out there that hand rear their birds and what they have put into them you will gain loads as they will be used to house noises and most will already step up on command I think they sell them on from around 8 weeks hth xx

wilykit

I did get a hand reared one before and it was adorable. Like I said - my Ringneck is still not tame! I will wait until I find hand reared ones

wilykit

!!!!!!??.........