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Differences between cockatiel and conure care

Birbparent

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You can skip to the second paragraph I accidentally wrote my entire bird journey

Hi so first let me back up almost five years ago when jadenanimations posted a video calls were getting a new member of the family or what is really when she shows her getting her turquoise GC conure Ari basically from that point on I knew I wanted a bird and a conure specifically a turquoise green cheek mainly because turquoise is my favorite color and less because of Ari directly and four about four years I had my heart set in a green cheek for as soon as I move out not even trying to ask my mom guessing it would be out of the Question and for those a four years I did research and research on green cheeks and conures in general then my family is starting a chicken business where I am doing all art and editing and photos and one day when I was talking to my mom about getting my room done (we were going to paint move furniture etc) I ask if when all of this was done if I could get a animal of some sort and then the conversation slowly made it’s way to one of the projects I was working on for the business witch we are doing mainly exotic breeds of chickens some times when useing the fancy search in the photos app the type of bird I’m looking for a photo of won’t come up since the phone won’t recognize it as a chicken but it will recognize as a bird so while looking for a photo I came across a fan art I did of Ari and show my mom while saying this would be what I would reallly want for a pet and she was excited cause she thinks parrots are really cool and someone at her work will Bing their baby’s in when they are abandoned or are being hand tamed sorry for the long back storie here’s the important part

So basically I’m getting my parrot from my moms freind and my heart US been set on a conure for years I have done tons and tons of research on conures and I found out about cockatiels that’s arnt yellow or white faced and my moms freind pefers them over the conures witch her husband has and up until about a month and a half ago I was going to get a conure and we’ll now I’m getting a cockatiel and relitvley soon since I’m help tameing some babies in return for my bird not costing as much amd while I have been doing all the research as I can I went from 4+years of research to about two months by the time I get them and luckily they are simmalar in a lot of ways(like size so the cage I have will work still) but they are also two different species of bird so what are the biggest (and smallest) differences between a conure and a cockatiel that I should know about I have been doing as much research as I can and have been taking to the people at my local bird shop so here is my next stop thank you so much p.s sorry for the long pharagraphs and spelling and grammar errors I’m writing this really late at night and don’t feel like editing but want to get this out there so I can get as much info as can
 

Birbparent

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Also what is a difference between regular mutations and having a mutation since I’m getting a white faced (mabye cinamon
 

Sunni Tiel

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There isn't really any difference between mutations other than appearance. Pieds and normal greys tend to be stronger though, the other mutations are sometimes more prone to diseases and weakness because of inbreeding and things like that.

I don't have a conure, but plan on getting one soon. They are relatively the same size, so food and such are similar. I think the only really major difference is dust, cockatiels have A LOT of dust, and it can mess with allergies. I think also It's more common for female cockatiels to be crazy egg layers and become egg bound, but I don't know that much about conures when it comes to hormones. If you got a male though it obviously wouldn't matter. Other than that they have pretty similar care.

Conures do need a slightly larger cage minimum than cockatiels, but you want a bigger cage anyway. Cockatiels are usually more laid back and gentle, but you could have a conure that was gentle and a cockatiel that was outgoing and mischievous. I depends on the bird.

You could say their care is basically the same.

More conure and cockatiel people will be along soon, I don't know if I missed anything...
@Tiel Feathers
 

Hankmacaw

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One big difference in care is that the cockateil requires seed in it's diet (about 25%, I believe) while the conure does not - not being a granivore, seed eater). The other parts of the cockateil's diet should be vegetables 25% and a good pellet 50%.

Conures are more closely related to the macaws and don't require any seeds in their diet.
 

Birbparent

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There isn't really any difference between mutations other than appearance. Pieds and normal greys tend to be stronger though, the other mutations are sometimes more prone to diseases and weakness because of inbreeding and things like that.

I don't have a conure, but plan on getting one soon. They are relatively the same size, so food and such are similar. I think the only really major difference is dust, cockatiels have A LOT of dust, and it can mess with allergies. I think also It's more common for female cockatiels to be crazy egg layers and become egg bound, but I don't know that much about conures when it comes to hormones. If you got a male though it obviously wouldn't matter. Other than that they have pretty similar care.

Conures do need a slightly larger cage minimum than cockatiels, but you want a bigger cage anyway. Cockatiels are usually more laid back and gentle, but you could have a conure that was gentle and a cockatiel that was outgoing and mischievous. I depends on the bird.

You could say their care is basically the same.

More conure and cockatiel people will be along soon, I don't know if I missed anything...
@Tiel Feathers
Thanks great on the mutation I hear that they could be more prone to disease and I was wondering if it gets worse as you add on more mutations
I have allergies so one of the reasons they weren’t my first choice but it’s not like I haven’t had cats dogs and chickens to mess with my allergies so just will have to get used to them
Luckily in a emergency if I do have a female and she is egg bound I have felt with it in chickens and if I am unable to go the the vet I could hopefully help her on my own but will still rather a professional do it
 

Birbparent

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One big difference in care is that the cockateil requires seed in it's diet (about 25%, I believe) while the conure does not - not being a granivore, seed eater). The other parts of the cockateil's diet should be vegetables 25% and a good pellet 50%.

Conures are more closely related to the macaws and don't require any seeds in their diet.
Oh really this is new information thank you what do you recommend for seed as part of a regular diet I plan on doing lots of training so seed would still be treats hopefully like millet And Sunflower for treats but I haven’t looked in to seed diets because I have Ben told again and again to not have a seed diet even tho that is still not entirely the case here
 

Hankmacaw

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Some of the cockatiel people will have to help you with what are the best seed mixes - I have only had macaws, but we learn a lot here. Remember it is a varied diet - seed, pellets and vegetables
 

sunnysmom

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Thanks great on the mutation I hear that they could be more prone to disease and I was wondering if it gets worse as you add on more mutations
I have allergies so one of the reasons they weren’t my first choice but it’s not like I haven’t had cats dogs and chickens to mess with my allergies so just will have to get used to them
Luckily in a emergency if I do have a female and she is egg bound I have felt with it in chickens and if I am unable to go the the vet I could hopefully help her on my own but will still rather a professional do it
I don't think it's that they're more prone to disease, it just seems to be like the pieds and normal greys are heartier overall and when you hear of a really old cockatiel, it's usually one of those two mutations. Lutinos for awhile had a reputation for not being healthy due to poor breeding but I believe with better breeding over the years that's not really true anymore- if it ever was. Lutinos do tend to have a bigger bald spot under their crest than other mutations but that's just a small cosmetic thing. One other difference with cockatiels is that they tend to be more prone to night frights than other species and for that reason, I use a night light for mine when they sleep.
 

Tiel Feathers

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Cockatiels do need quite a bit of seed in their diet. I feed 50/50 seeds/pellets (that’s consumed amounts mind you) and as many veggies and sprouts as I can get them to eat, with a few grains thrown in. I feed Roudybush crumbles, Goldenfeast Australian Blend, and nutriberries. Freeze dried veggies are also very handy, and broccoli and leafy greens are usually accepted readily.
I have three females, and only one lays eggs once in a while, and it’s not that big of a deal. Females are often quieter and more laid. Ack than males, but of course not always.
As others have mentioned, dust can be an issue, but if you clean cages and vacuum every day, and mist your bird regularly, it’s not that much, esp. with one little tiel. Night frights can usually be controlled.
Cockatiels are usually more laid back than conures. Often they like to sit and watch everything that’s going on. They still like to shred toys, but they usually aren’t as clownish. In general they are more quiet than conures, especially the females, and often they just love hanging out on their person. They also can be quite skittish, and often fly off at the slightest disturbance.
 
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