Adopting 3 cockatiels - Need advice

[Rachelkelly86]

I’ve been a huge lover of birds since I was 12 years old (currently 20 now.) My boyfriend’s family has decided they might be interested in adopting birds! A family in my state is giving away a cage and 3 birds for free. Two cockatiels are ten years old, and their baby is 3 years old.

My boyfriend’s family has a ton of pets already. Two dogs, 3 cats, and a rabbit. As far as we know, these birds have not been trained to be hand held, and also don’t have their wings clipped. We are planning to have a test run with the birds for a week to see how they get along with the rest of the pets and adapt to the house.

What can I do to help them acclimate easier? Will there ever be a time where we could eventually hold them, or is it too late to train them? Do you think it’ll be okay for the birds to have all these other pets around?

 

[Lady Jane]

Two members that are cockatiel people to help you will respond to my tag:

@Tiel Feathers @sunnysmom

 

[Tiel Feathers]

I think it’s great that you want to try and give these birds a loving home. Have they seen other pets before? If not, they will probably be very scared of them. You should always keep cats and dogs away from birds, even while the birds are in a cage. This is because the predator instincts of the cats and dogs might make them try to jump on the cage and try to get to the birds. When the birds come out of the cage, the cats and dogs should always be put into another room. While the birds are adjusting, you should cover their cages on three sides and keep the house fairly calm. Talk softly to them and just let them get used to their new surroundings. It’s hard to say if they will ever become comfortable with hands, I think most birds could, but it would take an incredible amount of patience and trust building on your part. Think months or years, not days or weeks. It is possible to have a very close relationship with a bird without ever being able to touch them with your hands.

 

[sunnysmom]

It's wonderful that they're thinking about adopting. Have they researched having birds? It's not at all like having dogs or cats- sorry if that sounds really obvious. But sometimes I don't think people realize that although wonderful, birds are not "easy" pets. And household changes have to be made- no Teflon, no candles, no air fresheners, etc. And extreme caution has to be taken if there are cats and dogs in the house- the whole predator/prey thing. Tiels are lovely birds. And I think they can be tamed. It just takes time and patience. Sitting with them, talking to them, handfeeding them treats, etc. I also am not in favor of clipping a birds wings if it's possible not to. It's better for their health and mental well-being to be flighted.