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Considering a Cockatiel (But: Dust?)

TurangaLeela

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Hi everyone! I'm considering getting a cockatiel, and I was hoping you might give me some advice. Background on me: I'm a 30 year-old student (with at least 2 more years of school left), so I'm home a lot, for now. I live with my partner; we have no kids and no other pets. I have had a bird before - a pacific parrotlet (she died in an accident, and I'm scared to get another tiny bird).

Why I love GCCs: Their sweet, friendly personalities, and their whistling calls! I've never had a cockatiel, but they seem to be calm but playful and loving birds. A sweet, friendly bird is essential for me - I want a bird who can entertain himself while I'm at school, then will want to come and hang out when I'm home. Plus, I live in an apartment, and I know my upstairs neighbor has a 'tiel and that they're allowed, which is a big plus.

Why I hesitate: In a word: dust. My partner is allergic to cat and dog dander, plus he had asthma as a kid. A bird that caused health problems would be terrible. I've read that the dust is easy to contain with a daily wipe-down and a HEPA filter, but I want to learn more so I don't make a mistake that hurts anyone.

Thanks everyone! I love reading about everyone's birds, and hearing all of your stories!
 

Skyler

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I have a drug resistant giadia infected tiel that has very little dust, and a male tiel aptly named Dusty. I had to move him well away from the tv---because as soon as you removed 3 inches of tiel dust from it , there was another 5 inches back in a few moments. Good luck being around him with coffee--the other day I sat near him with a nice specialty drink , Dusty shook his feathers and I then looked at my froth mixed with birdie dander. (Dusty was a rehome from a family that had an asthmatic)

I know you are trying to find a bird species that would be ok in an apartment (noise) and with a roommate. I do think the dust from a tiel might be problematic (I have slight asthma but our house is draughty enough to not hurt the birds but not that airtight) , and my conure , a sun is earsplitting(lucked out again, the neighbors are not that close). have you considered a quaker??

They can be loud , but after a short time , my quaker Cricket usually talks and is the quiestest of my flock. They aren't Australian dry conditions birds like tiels or cockatoos, so they are not that dusty. They can be bitey , mine is but then he had a rough start, and mine is indeed cage aggressive but it is easy enough to work around that behavior.

The problem is if your state doesn't allow quakers. There are quite a few states that have outlawed their species. But I believe that since New York City is one the urban areas that has feral flocks (our wild flocks in Chicago are not as large because of the many times the utility company gassed them) I think they are legal. I also heard that a New York cemetery had massive damage to grave stones from pigeon droppings --got rid of them and then had an influx of quakers(monk parrots). As they decided how to get rid of them they discovered that their dropping were beneficial!!! And now they protect them.

Anyway, read the Good, Bad, and Ugly of Quakers on AA and see if perhaps they would interest you. ---- I love my sun for cuddling, but my quaker puts a smile on my face.
 

sunnysmom

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I don't find my tiel to be that dusty. Frequent baths does help keep the dust down. Perhaps your partner could spend some time with a tiel to see if the dust bothers him. I'm allergic to cats but my tiel doesn't bother me. But I know it's different for everyone. Cockatiels in general are sweet and pretty laid back. Do you have any rescues near you that maybe you can visit some birds and see what type you like?
 

Tiel Feathers

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One of my tiels is dusty, the other one not so much. As Sunnysmom suggested, baths and misting help a lot. I also vacuum every other day and wipe the cages every day with vinegar and water. My husband grew up with asthma, but since moving to CA he doesn't have any problems, even with our tiels. Our bunny and her hay make way more dust! :jawdrop1: I would try to have your husband spend some time with your neighbors birds and see what happens.
 

Robyn

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I don't find my tiel producing much dust if any at all.
 

blewin

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Buddy is only dusty when she is molting. We find that a bath twice a week solves most of the problems. That being said, a trip to the allergist would let your partner know if he or she is allergic to birds. If this is the case, I would stay away from 'tiels.
 

TurangaLeela

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Thank you all for the wonderful advice and replies. I really appreciate you taking the time to read and respond. My partner and I will keep looking into a 'tiel - I can't get enough of their sweet faces and adorable singing! @blewin - your idea of seeing an allergist sounds like an excellent suggestion. Plus, since basically every pet store has cockatiels, it won't be difficult to find some to interact with. Thank you so much, everybody! :geek:
 

blewin

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Tiels are wonderful companion birds. I hope that you and your partner are able to take one home!
 

alcmene

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I think tiels and dust are a mixed bag. I have had 2. One wasn't dusty at all. Never an issue. The other- ho boy! Daily baths and a super expensive heavy duty HEPA air filter helped. But all that just sort of took the edge off. It was still a constant dust battle
 

TurangaLeela

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I think tiels and dust are a mixed bag. I have had 2. One wasn't dusty at all. Never an issue. The other- ho boy! Daily baths and a super expensive heavy duty HEPA air filter helped. But all that just sort of took the edge off. It was still a constant dust battle
Wow, that is a big difference! Is there a way to tell how dusty an individual bird will be before you bring him home?
 

alcmene

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Wow, that is a big difference! Is there a way to tell how dusty an individual bird will be before you bring him home?
Maybe? I don't know of one, but that doesn't mean there isn't a way. I would talk to a few cockatiel breeders and ask them.

A sure fire way though would be to adopt a bird from a rescue and ask them about that particular bird's dustiness. Rescues are going to be interested in placing birds in homes where they're a good fit. So they'd be honest with you if a cockatiel they have available is a dusty one or not.
 

alcmene

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It's funny, my first cockatiel was the not dusty one. For years I read people complaining about their tiel dust. I thought they were nuts. Couldn't understand what the big deal was. Cockatiels aren't hardly dusty at all! People are just big whiners, naive me thought. Then I got a second tiel. Who i'm convinced is the world's dustiest small bird. That'll teach me to be overly smug! :lol:
 

TurangaLeela

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Maybe? I don't know of one, but that doesn't mean there isn't a way. I would talk to a few cockatiel breeders and ask them.

A sure fire way though would be to adopt a bird from a rescue and ask them about that particular bird's dustiness. Rescues are going to be interested in placing birds in homes where they're a good fit. So they'd be honest with you if a cockatiel they have available is a dusty one or not.
That's an excellent idea! There are a lot of cockatiels in rescues here in NYC - when we get closer to bird o'clock, we'll definitely check out the rescues. :dancing:
 

Monica

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Word of caution, sometimes a lack of dust can potentially indicate a health problem!
 

LemonGrass

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Mine are extremely dusty...I mean to the point that I can't wear black clothes without it having splotches of white where they have sat. The dust level can be controlled with regular bath, regular cage wipe downs, and an air filter right by the cage.
 

Princessbella

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I agree with interacting. Buddy, my first tiel wasn't very dusty but boy, is Bella, She can sit on my shoulder and before you know it , my dark shirt looks almost white but my brother, who is deathly allergic to cats and dogs, seems to tolerate having birds on him without any problem. Welcome to the tiel family! :)
 

Toffee's owner

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Are Males duster than females? I remember my boy bird (RIP TimTam :( ) used to flap his wings like crazy in the cage almost hanging form the perch but my female bird didnt at all. Is that a 'boy' thing to do??
 

CeciliaZ

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Are Males duster than females? I remember my boy bird (RIP TimTam :( ) used to flap his wings like crazy in the cage almost hanging form the perch but my female bird didnt at all. Is that a 'boy' thing to do??
Just exercising...all my tiels do it - even the girls. :)
 
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