cockatiel cage and food

[heisenberg]

hello , it's been 2 months since I got this tiel , she changed a lot and develop new behaviours every now and then , she didn't have her first molt yet but I guess from behaviours she is female , she enjoy staying in company with the family , I didn't get to buy a big cage but most of the time she is outside of the cage since I work from home and I provided some toys outside of cage too , I can't get a very big cage since the place is not big but is the cage in the photo is good size for tiel ? it's 24" x 20" x 28 " , if she is really female then I probably would plan to get a male tiel in the future but not for breeding , that cage would be suitable if I decided to get other one ? would a couple get along in same cage or that's small for them ?

also I wanted to ask , when I give vegetable or fruits , does it have to be outside of refrigerator for a long time ? currently I keep them outside of refrigerator for long time before giving them , but can I give them directly from refrigerator or that will be bad for them ?

also , fruits like peaches or apples or such , I know I should remove the seed , but should I also remove the rind or I can give it to them with rind ?

 

[sunnysmom]

That size cage is fine for one tiel but not for two. Also, there's no guarantee that any 2 birds will want to share a cage. So if you get a second, I think you should plan on separate cages and then later if they decide they want to share a cage, go from there. I have 2 tiels and the one is horrified if the other even touches his cage. Also, 2 females can be friends too. You don't have to get a male. It's fine to give tiels food from the refrigerator. Also, cockatiels generally aren't fruit eaters. I would focus more on vegetables. When I do occasionally try to give fruit, I remove the skin.

 

[heisenberg]

That size cage is fine for one tiel but not for two. Also, there's no guarantee that any 2 birds will want to share a cage. So if you get a second, I think you should plan on separate cages and then later if they decide they want to share a cage, go from there. I have 2 tiels and the one is horrified if the other even touches his cage. Also, 2 females can be friends too. You don't have to get a male. It's fine to give tiels food from the refrigerator. Also, cockatiels generally aren't fruit eaters. I would focus more on vegetables. When I do occasionally try to give fruit, I remove the skin.

thank you for your answer , I will focus more on vegetables now .. I often eat a salad of cucumber and tomatoes , it's good to give him those in form of salad when I make it ?

 

[Zara]

It is important that there is no salt, pepper, oil or dressing on any salad you give your bird.

Cucumber is high is water, so feed in moderation. Tomatoes are ok to feed, but not the green bit.
Other good foods are carrots and carrot tops, romaine lettuce, broccoli, peppers, peas, quinoa, other leafy greens and a little exotic fruit like mango or berries.

 

[heisenberg]

this weekend I'm buying the cage , but just random question , is it still necessary to buy big cage even tho he is spending most of the time outside the cage ?( I'm working from home so he is mostly outside with me , not very long time in cage ) .
my family told me that since he is mostly outside then there is no need to buy big cage , but I still plan to do it , just want to make sure that I'm doing the right thing and It's worth to buy big cage even tho he won't spend lot of time there

 

[Shezbug]

There will be unplanned times that having him out all day isn’t going to be possible, things such as family or personal illnesses, work changes, housing repairs or emergencies etc in those times your bird will suffer being stuck in a tiny cage.

 

[sunnysmom]

thank you for your answer , I will focus more on vegetables now .. I often eat a salad of cucumber and tomatoes , it's good to give him those in form of salad when I make it ?

I don't give tomatoes to my birds because they are acidic. Cucumbers are fine. As are leafy greens. Although ice burg lettuce doesn't really have much nutritional value and spinach should only be given occasionally because of the high iron content.

 

[Skum]

It is important that there is no salt, pepper, oil or dressing on any salad you give your bird.

Cucumber is high is water, so feed in moderation. Tomatoes are ok to feed, but not the green bit.
Other good foods are carrots and carrot tops, romaine lettuce, broccoli, peppers, peas, quinoa, other leafy greens and a little exotic fruit like mango or berries.

I thought tomatoes were toxic to them, now I know.