New to forum, looking for some advise

[Tarosoul]

Hello, so I just recently (about 6 days ago) got my first bird which is a cockatiel, I’ve wanted one for so Long and now finally I got him as a early birthday present. I wanna make sure he is happy and stress free but I don’t have hands on experience with birds. Any tips on what to do and what not to do? And also what’s the best diet for him? And some behaviors and postures I should look out for

 

[LSA]

We like pics!

 

[Garet]

Can we see his entire cage? It looks like you have a dowel perch. Those are very hard on their feet.

 

[Lady Jane]

Welcome to AA. You are off to a good start by seeking advice from experienced bird people. Most important check around and find an avian vet. Then start saving for vet services. Your bird will eventually need nail trims. About once every 3months or so. Invest in a gram scale to record his weight. I prefer the Goldenfeast blends. They have great pellets too.

We have many vendors here in AA that sell sturdy and safe toys. I suggest you look in the safety forum for the dangerous toys people have posted. Make sure to feed your bird some veggies cut up every day. Leafy greens and the orange\yellow veggies are important for vit. A. Don't forget natural sunshine too. The sun coming through glass is not sufficient.

 

[Tarosoul]

I hope this is a good enough picture what kind of perch do you Recommend? I’m not sure what kind of perch it is, this is the cage I was given when I got him

 

[Lodah]

Welcome to the forum... dowels are particularly hard on their feet... If you can put some natural wood perches in there he will be much more comfortable! A bigger cage with parallel bars would be much better for him in the long run also!

Hope all goes well for you both!

 

[Lady Jane]

I hope you get a larger cage for him. They need more room. Flight cages are not all that expensive.

 

[Cynthia & Percy]

welcome

 

[Garet]

Personally, I like to make my own perches out of natural tree limbs;

Bird; Birds: Safe, Toxic Trees, Woods. Safe Tree Wood. Parrots. Parrot cages.

You have to be sure that they are free of any chemicals, including herbicides and pesticides and clean it thoroughly.

He also looks like he could use more toys in there.

Thank you for coming here, btw. A lot of folks out there don't really bother trying to do right by their birds. The fact that you came looking for help shows a whole lot about your character. I hope you stick around and continue to improve your bird's life.

 

[LSA]

Personally, I like to make my own perches out of natural tree limbs

Me, too. A regular trip walking the backyard provides great natural branches. The front yard has trucks driving by, so the branches might have chemicals. Also, beware of concrete or emory perches. A small bird can get sore feet from them, too.
For food, my incoming YNA gets Volkman Avian Science with Pellets, the WCP is slowly changing from fruity Zupreem to Harrison Lifetime; the conures are about the same size as yours and get Harrison's; my budgie prefers mostly seed. Invest in a good food processor and give chopped up fruits and vegetables daily. It doesn't take much! Also, my babies have always loved DRY pasta to play with and eat!
An Avian Vet is hard to find but worth It! Birds are good hiders of illness until often it's too late. An AV will know what to look for!
You've come to the right place!

 

[Tarosoul]

I hope you get a larger cage for him. They need more room. Flight caves are not all that expensive.

I totally will get him a bigger cage soon I just need to save up money. Some one also recommended that I should get a parallel cage, so I looked it up and they have like the length of the bars what would be a good length for him?

 

[Tarosoul]

Personally, I like to make my own perches out of natural tree limbs;

Bird; Birds: Safe, Toxic Trees, Woods. Safe Tree Wood. Parrots. Parrot cages.

You have to be sure that they are free of any chemicals, including herbicides and pesticides and clean it thoroughly.

He also looks like he could use more toys in there.

Thank you for coming here, btw. A lot of folks out there don't really bother trying to do right by their birds. The fact that you came looking for help shows a whole lot about your character. I hope you stick around and continue to improve your bird's life.

I might just make him a perch like you said but for now I’ll buy him a store bought perch that’s natural wood. You seem to know a lot about taking care of birds, right now osha is like making grinding sounds with his beak is that bad? And he likes to poop in his water dish, I’ve read that he does that to gain vitiams that he’s lost? Is that true? And thank you so much for helping me out!

 

[Betz]

Yep. A larger cage.
I'd also ad some colorful hanging toys he could chew on. Try to get toys with bells! SIZE appropriate bells! They love to make the noise! They get very proud when they make noise.
Just give home lots of love and attention and you'll be fine. But, don't forget the toys!

 

[Lady Jane]

This is the cage i have from the same seller. Everything went well and the seller was really easy to deal with.

A&E Flight Cage and Stand - FREE TOY WITH PURCHASE! | eBay

i just read a post on FB . tonight where a bird got their beam stuck in a bell so be cautious.
!! Dangerous toys list !! | Avian Avenue Parrot Forum

 

[Betz]

As far as the size cage, I found this;
Cockatiels are playful birds that need a large cage to accommodate their head crest and long tail. The larger the cage, the more comfortable it will be for the bird. The minimum size cage for a cockatiel should be 24" long by 18" wide by 24" tall. A good cage should have horizontal bars on at least two sides, as hookbills love to climb. Horizontal bars help to make climbing easier. Bar spacing should be no more than 3¼4" apart to prevent injury.
The very best to you and your baby!

 

[Garet]

I might just make him a perch like you said but for now I’ll buy him a store bought perch that’s natural wood. You seem to know a lot about taking care of birds, right now osha is like making grinding sounds with his beak is that bad? And he likes to poop in his water dish, I’ve read that he does that to gain vitiams that he’s lost? Is that true? And thank you so much for helping me out!

It's nothing. There are a lot of very knowledgeable people here, I learned most of what I know about birds on the forums here.

My birds grind their beaks when they're either content or falling asleep, it's not a bad thing at all! What you're likely hearing is a very happy little bird.

I've also never heard about the pooping in water for vitamins bit, though. I have two birds that are potty trained. One kept using her water dish and I had to provide a second dish for her. They usually have cheap dishes at most pet stores. One non-potty trained bird likes to poop in his disney princess bowl of water, so I make sure to fill it and a second dish for his water. So far, he poops in his princess bowl and drinks from the one that's higher up in his cage.

 

[iamwhoiam]

Welcome to AA. Congrats on getting your 'tiel. Bigger cage, natural wood perches, platforms, rope perches, ladders, swing and more toys. I noticed the cage has lift up doors also known as guillotine doors. You may want to zip tie those. Some birds have been able to figure out how to lift them up and then come out and there is always the possibility that the door will come down on them on the way out. When you get a bigger cage do not get one with the lift up doors.
My 'tiels get Volkman cockatiel no sunflower and Caitec Oven Fresh Bites Pellets (small size). They also get mixed veggies. Every now and then they get millet, Avicakes or Lafeber popcorn as treats.
Have you named your 'tiel yet? How old is he?

 

[sunnysmom]

Welcome! Congrats on your new tiel. I fed my cockatiel about 50% seeds, 15% pellets (actually nutriberries) and then the rest vegetables and grains. It can be difficult to get a bird to start eating vegetables if they've never had them before but persistence usually pays off. Some of my tiel's favs were raw broccoli (chopped in little pieces), raw green beans or snap peas, lettuce (not ice burg, no nutritional value) and mashed cooked sweet potato. He also loved Higgins Worldly Cuisine rice mixes.

 

[HolliDaze]

Bird poop potentially has bacteria that can make them sick. In the wild, cockatiels drink from lakes ofte n and don't need to worry about the water being dirty. In captivity, they do. Change the soiled water asap

 

[nu2birds]

Welcome welcome..........your little tiel is adorable, you'll find LOTS of help here. Larger cage when you can and lots of toys too.