How old is/was your most senior tiel?

[macaronish]

I've heard the oldest ever tiel was 36 - yet the most Conservative estimates of their lifespan are 10-15 yrs! What's your personal experience? Also where did you get your tiel and do you think their breeding contributed to their lifespan?

 

[Shezbug]

@sunnysmom

 

[Birdie Mama]

Hi,

Corky was a gray tiel who lived to be 28 or plus years, we had him for 27 years and we think he may have been about 1 year old or so when he landed on our balcony to join our other tiels. Joey, his mate, was with us 24 years and was only a 1 year old when a friend who got her as a baby gave her to us. Dusty was about 18 years when he passed. I think @sunnysmom has a tiel that just turned 33 but Im sure she will be on soon with the exact age. They can live a long time with proper diet and care. None of ours had ever been sick or needed a vet thankfully.

 

[zERo/]

One of my relatives basically dumped their 12 and will be 14 year old cockatiel on me 2 years ago. He was poorly cared for and fed so I don't really expect him to live how long he could've.
We'll see!

 

[sunnysmom]

My first tiel Sunny passed away at 20. My 2 tiels now are 23 and 33- Scooter and Rosie. Sunny was a pied, as is Scooter. Rosie is a normal grey. Every tiel that I have heard of living a long time have been one of those two mutations.

 

[sunnysmom]

My first tiel Sunny passed away at 20. My 2 tiels now are 23 and 33- Scooter and Rosie. Sunny was a pied, as is Scooter. Rosie is a normal grey. Every tiel that I have heard of living a long time have been one of those two mutations.

I think breeding does play a part to a certain degree. Sunny came to us at 15. I traced his leg band to a breeder registered with a national cockatiel breeder association. Scooter has all the markings of a "show bird". Yes, there are such a thing. Lol. He has an amazing crest and straight wings. So I think he came from a knowledgeable breeder.

A lot of pet store birds seem to come from the equivalent of puppy mills. So in that case yes I think poor breeding will shorten their life span. Proper diet is very important too. But Sunny had a poor diet until we got him and he lived to 20. So I think it's a combination of things.