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New cockatiel mama

sunnysmom

Ripping up the road
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Michelle
Thanks so much!! We've actually decided to go with a male and are researching names and we've reworked our home's floor plan to accommodate both the cats/dog and bird so he can have nonstop flying time in a main part of the house and be able to receive plenty of attention from us without ever having to interact with the others:bliss:

And thanks for the supplies tips!! Also, we'll be living in the woods. What kind of flea meds would you recommend for him?

I don't think your bird should need flea meds. And I would never use any type of over the counter medicine for a bird without running it past a vet. I knew a woman on another forum whose birds actually died from her treating them with an over the counter mite spray. (And no, your bird shouldn't need to be treated for mites either. :) )
 

redfurmom

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Felicia Daniels
I don't think your bird should need flea meds. And I would never use any type of over the counter medicine for a bird without running it past a vet. I knew a woman on another forum whose birds actually died from her treating them with an over the counter mite spray. (And no, your bird shouldn't need to be treated for mites either. :) )
Awesome thanks!!
 

redfurmom

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Felicia Daniels
Since we have reworked the plans and our tiel, which we have happily decided to name Dobby, will mainly be a cage free fella except at night and for a few hours each day while I'll be handling our other animals, working in the garden, etc what size cage will he need? Still get the 31"x20.5"x53" or something smaller?
 

Tiel Feathers

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I think you should go with the bigger one since you have the space and funds for it. If he's out almost all day, you could go smaller, but I would still go with the bigger one because he will be happier when he is in it, or if you go away he could stay in it for a few days while someone checks on him. You would probably end up getting the big one later anyway. Dobby is a cute name btw!:)
 

barry collins

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Wide is better than tall as a cage and as big as you can fit in your house will always be best. general room of thumb for 1 bird is minimum big enough for your bird to stretch its wings fully without touching the bars. If allowed plenty of out of cage time a then a really big cage is less important. I have created a corner of a room where my birds feel safe and have food and water and perches with toys and they spend about 8 hours a day out of the cage.
 

redfurmom

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Felicia Daniels
I think you should go with the bigger one since you have the space and funds for it. If he's out almost all day, you could go smaller, but I would still go with the bigger one because he will be happier when he is in it, or if you go away he could stay in it for a few days while someone checks on him. You would probably end up getting the big one later anyway. Dobby is a cute name btw!:)
That's what I was thinking, thank you!! We think it'll fit him perfectly!:loveshower:
 

barry collins

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I think you should go with the bigger one since you have the space and funds for it. If he's out almost all day, you could go smaller, but I would still go with the bigger one because he will be happier when he is in it, or if you go away he could stay in it for a few days while someone checks on him. You would probably end up getting the big one later anyway. Dobby is a cute name BTW!:)
Yes I agree you will end up wanting a bigger cage especially if you go away for a few days..
 

redfurmom

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Felicia Daniels
Wide is better than tall as a cage and as big as you can fit in your house will always be best. general room of thumb for 1 bird is minimum big enough for your bird to stretch its wings fully without touching the bars. If allowed plenty of out of cage time a then a really big cage is less important. I have created a corner of a room where my birds feel safe and have food and water and perches with toys and they spend about 8 hours a day out of the cage.
Thank you!
 

redfurmom

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Felicia Daniels
@Tiel Feathers I just read that when you have a tiel, you can not have any incense, candles, etc burning. No plug ins going, no perfumes or scented deodorants, etc. Now I'm nervous. I don't mind never having any of this stuff for personal use BUT I will be around this stuff when I'm creating products for my Etsy shop. Do I need to reconsider getting a tiel since I can not avoid being around this kind of stuff? It will be in a room that he would be off limits to but it will still be on me. Thoughts?
 

barry collins

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Birds can be sensitive to many things in the air including air fresheners, hairspray, anything burned like candles or incense sticks and teflon cookware fumes can kill them even from another room however most things will be fine done in another room, your deoderant or hairspray will be done in your bedroom and you can avoid unnecessary burning of candles etc in the house. And use normal steel pots and pans when cooking.
Birds need alot of thought and some compromise to keep correctly but they are worth the effort in the end.
You are obviously doing lots of research so want to do it correctly. I think you will be fine but maybe wait until you are settled into your home and all the commotion has calmed down before you commit to a bird?
 

redfurmom

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Felicia Daniels
Birds can be sensitive to many things in the air including air fresheners, hairspray, anything burned like candles or incense sticks and teflon cookware fumes can kill them even from another room however most things will be fine done in another room, your deoderant or hairspray will be done in your bedroom and you can avoid unnecessary burning of candles etc in the house. And use normal steel pots and pans when cooking.
Birds need alot of thought and some compromise to keep correctly but they are worth the effort in the end.
You are obviously doing lots of research so want to do it correctly. I think you will be fine but maybe wait until you are settled into your home and all the commotion has calmed down before you commit to a bird?
I absolutely think Dobby will be worth it in the end! Since posting, I've done more research and here's what I plan to do:
- build an outdoor studio to help minimize what is in the house with him even though my products are all natural
- like you said, stainless steel cookware or even cast iron
- NO burning or heavy scented fume products. Cleaners will be natural (homemade vinegar solution, etc) and to add a nice scent to the house each day I can simmer orange peels or something like that. Still googling other safe, natural ways
- wear my homemade deodorant and solid perfume; nothing full of chemicals from a store
- shower and change my clothes after I'm done in the studio before I handle him

Will these precautions keep him safer? What about when people come over who have on scented perfume and cologne and deodorant?
 

barry collins

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Everything sounds very good to me. I'm sure you will be a good cockatiel mama.
 

Tiel Feathers

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I wish everyone thought so much about all the things that need to be considered before getting a bird. I can tell already that Dobby is going to have a wonderful home!:)
 

Monica

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There is non-stick cookware out there that you can use... you just have to make sure that it's PTFE and PFOA free.

Hard anodized aluminum and ceramic coated are two types that *might* be PTFE and PFOA free.



Can you share links to the perches you are considering?


Tiel Feathers and I share the same avian vet. Before I went to see her (our vet), I was actually quite happy that she, too, believed that little birds shouldn't eat more than 50% of their dry based diet as pellets. As mentioned, about 50/50 seeds and pellets. This can then take up 25-75% of the diet with the rest being fresh foods and sprouts. The more fresh foods, the better! However, you do need to figure out how to balance the dry foods with the fresh foods. If the main diet is, say, 75% dry, then the rest can be mostly vegetables and some treats. On the other hand, if the dry diet is 25-50%, then the rest should be made up of sprouts, grains, legumes and vegetables. Cockatiels aren't big on fruits, generally speaking, so they don't need to be fed fruits very often. Berries, exotic fruits, sour or unripe fruits are probably better to feed anyway!
 

JulieAnn

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Julie Panasik
I have two dogs and would love to know how you worked your floor plan to have your birds out as well as your dogs and cats?

Julie
 
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