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First time cockatiel owner

LuckyBird6

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Hello! Yesterday I bought a cockatiel from the pet store. I bought him seeds, a large cage, a type of seeds for feather health. I'm planning to buy him a cuttlefish bone, some toys and something for him to bathe. Any tips?
 

Shezbug

ASK ME FOR PICTURES OF MY MACAW!
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Welcome to the Avenue :hiya:
Congratulations on your new bird.
 

sunnysmom

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Welcome! How old is your tiel? Tiels need more than seeds in their diets. They also need pellets and vegetables.
 

Sparkles99

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:godmor: & welcome!
 

MattP

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Hi LuckyBird

Welcome. Can I recommend a tiel care guide if you havent got one yet? And be careful what you read on Google/Bing. I'm new to cockatiels too... trying to learn as much as i can because parrots are complex. A few tips off the top of my head:

~ as Sunnysmom said, need to add pellets and veg (particular kinds and some only occasionally such as those with high oxalic acid) as seeds are too high in fat (can cause fatty liver) and lack essential nutrients

~ some shredding and foraging toys, and maybe some training for your tiel in how to benefit from them

~ a nightlight to help prevent night frights

~ clean water bottle and replace water daily as they quickly contaminate the water with droppings and their beaks

~ avoid drafts and a/c

~ search for suitable toys that don't present a choking or trapping hazard

~ be careful with home surface cleaners and don't cook stuff with teflon pans

~ nicotine is deadly, so careful with smoking/vaping

~ Tiels like all parrots need flight time in a secure area, and there are things to learn about stress-free/low-stress cage infils and exfils

~ Learn as much as you can about body language (head and beak movement, tail, body feathers, wing movements and so on) so you can start learning about how to read the needs of your tiel before he/she feels frustrated with communication difficulties and starts exhibiting more drastic behaviours

~ training your tiel helps you both to form a relationship, facilitates such tasks as cage entry/exits and provides stimulation for your bird. Try to locate a primer

~ Use positive reinforcement rather than negative and see what Pamela Clarke said about antecedents

Maybe you know some of this or some of it doesnt apply. I also recommend you read Pamela Clarke's advice on avoiding pair bonding. She also gives suggestions on simple toys. I imagine others with much more experience than I can add to my list (and maybe modify it).

How old is your new tiel? M or F? Feel free to share some pics!
 

MattP

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Sorry about the duplicate... i tried editing but ran out of time. Now i can't seem to delete the first one
 

LuckyBird6

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Welcome! How old is your tiel? Tiels need more than seeds in their diets. They also need pellets and vegetables.
He seems quite young, I don't know his age. I know that, can you please recommend me what vegetables and other foods should I give him?
 

Branch

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I don't know if this rule is general or just me but whenever I feed a small bird, I usually feed them like soft things that don't need to be cracked open. Nevertheless, adult or baby cockatiels love food such as sweet potatoes, corn, and safflower seeds.
 

Tenleigh

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Hello! Yesterday I bought a cockatiel from the pet store. I bought him seeds, a large cage, a type of seeds for feather health. I'm planning to buy him a cuttlefish bone, some toys and something for him to bathe. Any tips?
Hi! I have a cockatiel myself. Don’t give your cockatiel only seeds, offer them some carrots, apples, corn, etc. DONT get any toys with bells or mirrors, try to get toys with wood and foraging toys. Also buy a lot of perches, rope perches and perches that are not straight. My cockatiel likes to bathe with a mist spray bottle spraying at him from distance.
 

MattP

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He seems quite young, I don't know his age. I know that, can you please recommend me what vegetables and other foods should I give him?
Spinach, kale, pumpkin, broccoli, bok choy, grated carrots
 

sootling

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Spinach, kale, pumpkin, broccoli, bok choy, grated carrots
And peppers, peas, corn, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, oranges, lettuce (not much though), cucumber, apples, celery (not much). Just some more ideas :)
 

sunnysmom

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He seems quite young, I don't know his age. I know that, can you please recommend me what vegetables and other foods should I give him?
With any young tiel, you have to watch to make sure they are completely weaned. Cockatiels typically wean between 8-12 weeks but some take longer. Sometimes the stress of a new home can make a baby regress too. So if the bird starts making any static sounding noises that means he's hungry and may need some formula. A good way to get young tiels to start eating other foods is giving them some softer foods to start with. You can moisten some pellets with water. Try some mashed cooked sweet potatoes, some leafy greens in big pieces that they can chew on, some fresh zucchini, etc. My tiels also like the Higgins Worldly Cuisine mixes.
 

Tyrion

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Gimby

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He needs toys ASAP. Toys provide stimulation. He needs a bathing bowl - LIXIT Quick Lock Small & Medium Bird Bath - Chewy.com, a swing BIRD LIFE Cockatiel Bird Swing, Assorted Colors, 7-in - Chewy.com, rope perches, a boing, and hard perches rope perches - Free shipping | Chewy definitely needs a better diet than seeds. Seeds are the equivalent of us eating potato chips all day, every day. No nutritional value and very fatty and no good to for the organs to be consistently eaten all day every day. Seeds should be used as a treat truly. Good food brands are Higgins, Roudybush, Laefbers much healthier alongside fruits, vegetables, nuts. No dairy products they hurt their tummies. No chocolate, no avocado. Every moring in my food mixture my birds get their staple diet which is Roudybush with fresh blueberries and a few chopped nuts for smaller bird. The larger ones crack there own nuts but that doesn't pertain to your bird. Cockatiel is the perfect starter bird. Look up information on Cockatiel care. Developing a bond takes time, patience and dedication. Be patient and be active with your bird and you'll have a companion for years to come! Birds are more than animals you just throw in a cage and throw seeds and water too!
 

LuckyBird6

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With any young tiel, you have to watch to make sure they are completely weaned. Cockatiels typically wean between 8-12 weeks but some take longer. Sometimes the stress of a new home can make a baby regress too. So if the bird starts making any static sounding noises that means he's hungry and may need some formula. A good way to get young tiels to start eating other foods is giving them some softer foods to start with. You can moisten some pellets with water. Try some mashed cooked sweet potatoes, some leafy greens in big pieces that they can chew on, some fresh zucchini, etc. My tiels also like the Higgins Worldly Cuisine mixes.
Thanks for telling me this, fortunately he is not a baby
 

Zara

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Giggles611

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Hello! Yesterday I bought a cockatiel from the pet store. I bought him seeds, a large cage, a type of seeds for feather health. I'm planning to buy him a cuttlefish bone, some toys and something for him to bathe. Any tips?
Make sure its gets. If its female when nesting 8 hrs of sun a day. And then you want to to get some of you can craft them wood toys. Change it up once a month they get bored and they like pop corn
 

NEVRM0RE_

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Hello! Yesterday I bought a cockatiel from the pet store. I bought him seeds, a large cage, a type of seeds for feather health. I'm planning to buy him a cuttlefish bone, some toys and something for him to bathe. Any tips?
Welcome!!!
 
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