New to cockatiels

[Donuttb]

Hey,
I am looking to get a pet cockatiel and have a few questions about cage sizing, food and company for the bird as well as placing of the cage. Just to put this out there, I have owned birds before, I have two aviaries for my Zebra Finches and Budgies however they aren't really pet birds- more for breeding, not for profit, but as a hobby. I have done a lot of research into these however there are a few I'm clueless on.

So first of all I've been looking at cages and have read up that wider cages tend to be better however I can only really find taller ones. I have only had a temporary cage (3ft long x 1ft high x 1ft deep) indoors for my finches so I'm not entirely aware on scale of cages and I was wondering which would be better off for a cockatiel since I want him/her to have a large cage with plenty of room to move around:
1. Liberta Jing Bird Cage, Large, 95 x 46 x 46 cm: Amazon.co.uk: Pet Supplies
or
2. TecTake XXL Bird cage aviary on wheels | incl. 3 perches + feeding station + water dispenser | 131x78x52 cm: Amazon.co.uk: Pet Supplies
or
3. Rainforest Cage Caracas (Web Exclusive) | Pets At Home
Please recommend others (around £60≈$80) if they'd be better

Secondly I have read that seed is not really optimal for cockatiels and that they much prefer pellets. Due to the fact I have only had birds that eat seed I am really weary on what they should eat so is this OK? Cockatiel Food Mix 2kg | Pets At Home I understand it says cockatiel mix however I want to make sure. I am also wondering if its OK to keep cuttlefish in its cage as a source of extra calcium- I do this with my budgies.

Now for the one I'm fretting about the most. Due to the fact of me moving on and starting my first year of college (in the UK), I am unsure of my college timetable. The longest I could be at college for is from 7:30am til 6pm, however that is very unlikely. The point is I want to be social with my bird, tame it, let it out is cage for long periods however if I am at college I cannot do that. I was considering getting two cockatiels, or put a new fledged budgie chick is with him/her so if I am away a fair bit they have each other until I get home to let them out and play. If this is not really a choice I will wait until a later time and see if my timetable will allow me to be at home more.

Finally for the cage placement, I can presume its best to be near a window. My only concern is that it may be too cold? Fresh air flow isn't really an issue as I like to have my windows open a lot although I'm not too sure if during the night it will be too cold for my bird. They fully open horizontally so I can adjust them but I'm not sure if cockatiels prefer to be in a slightly chill environment or a warmer more room temp environment.

Thank you for reading and I hope you can help. As you can tell I want the best for the bird(s) and really don't want to mess up for the birds sake. I am open to any suggestions for any subject

 

[CeciliaZ]

Welcome! For my tiels, I prefer a flight cage - similar to the second cage. I think the others are too small. Ok to be away for much of the day as many bird owners also work full-time. Offer your tiel a variety of toys - they like to shred things - mine also like small bells - but prefer their shreddables- balsa wood, fingertraps, mahogany slices, cork, thin slices of pine, vine items.

Cockatiels are flock birds and do like the company of another bird - but they don't always get along. I would not have a budgie share a cage with a tiel...although much smaller than the tiels, the budgies may be aggressive towards a tiel.

I would not suggest putting the cage right near a window...tiels tend to be frightened at swift or quick movements, a bird flying by might scare them or lights from cars at night. Also you don't want them close to a window where it can get too cold. Mine do like to look out the window...they sit on their "wingdow" window seat and even on the sill...but are easily frightened by the site of the birds outside.

My vet recommends a diet of seed and pellets - cockatiels prefer seed and it can be hard to get them to eat pellets. Also supplement with healthy human foods that are safe for your bird - many threads on that here. Mine like romaine lettuce, broccoli, shredded or small thin slices of carrot, peppers, dandelion greens, pasta, cooked sweet potato and rice. They also like sprouted wheat berries.

 

[sunnysmom]

Welcome. I agree with Cecilia, out of the three, I like the second one the best. Tiels tend to do better with wider rather than taller cages. If you're going to get a second bird, I would suggest another cockatiel. Tiels are pretty laid back and often other birds, even smaller ones, can bully them.

 

[Donuttb]

Thanks for the quick reply!
I will try to look for slightly bigger flight cages and start to look at seed!
Many thanks, I want to make sure that I know/ have all I need to make the cockatiels feel at home <3

 

[Tiel Feathers]

I agree with @sunnysmom and @CeciliaZ the second cage is the better of the three.

The food doesn't list the ingredients, so it's hard to comment on it. Some good brands are Harrison's, Roudybush, and Zupreem Natural. In addition to pellets, your bird should eat a good quality seed mix. Some good ones are Harvey's Cockatiel, Higgins Safflower Gold, and Goldenfeast. Cockatiels should a EAT a mix of about 50% pellets and 50%, along with plenty of fresh veggies and some whole grains.

Cockatiels like a fairly steady room temperature with no cold drafts, so I wouldn't leave the window open too much, or put the cage right by the window. If part of the cage is by the window, and part of the cage is also against a wall so the bird can feel secure, that might be okay.

 

[Donuttb]

Thanks, I'll definitly look them up.
One last thing, I've just done some reading and saw cockatiels tend to become attached to other birds in the cage when put together. I would like to keep my bird(s) tamed-to step up, fly to me and interact with me however I'm unsure if having two would interfere. I'm sure if I tame them both it will be find but I was wondering if anyone has had troubles with two or more tiels in this aspect as I've seen this mentioned quite a few places.
Thanks again for all the help today

 

[Tiel Feathers]

I think the key to keeping them affectionate and tame towards you is to make sure that you work with them individually away from each other a couple times a day. My tiels all have seperate cages for various reasons, but I have one male who is infatuated with one of my females. He will follow her everywhere when they are out, and he gets upset when she's not around. I wish I worked with them seperately when they were little, but I didn't. Despite this, he will still hang out on me and come to me, and I love him to pieces. He's very hands off, (not because of his love for her, it's just who he is) but we still have a great bond. In general, I think two tiels are better than one, just so they have a friend when you are not around, but one can work also. A lot of attention and treats will make them both like you.