How to Care for Baby Cockatiels

 

Content

• Before you begin: What you need to know.
• Get to know the cockatiel.
• Who is Cockatiel?
• The origin of the cockatiel.
• Physical characteristics of the cockatiel
• How to determine the maturity of baby cockatiels
• Cocktail mood.
• Step 1: Determine if you want to buy or adopt a baby cockatiel.
• Step 2: Buy a large cage.
• Step 3: Use your baby cockatiel in your presence.
• Step 4: Train your baby cockatiel to climb on your hand.
• Step 5: Be patient
• Step 6: Feed your baby cockatiel a balanced diet.
• Step 7: Teach your child to talk and whistle the cockatiel.
• Step 8: How to Tell if Your Baby Cockatiel is Sick
• Final thoughts.

Cockatiels are a highly recommended companion bird for beginners and are highly regarded for their many qualities. If raising and caring for baby cockatiels without parents is your dream, you've come to the right place! Check out our step-by-step tutorial on caring for these baby birds to make sure you meet all their needs.

Before you begin: What you need to know.

Baby cockatiels require a lot of care and attention. They are also messy little and quite vocal birds. Plus, with proper care, they can live for over 20 years! So, before adopting or buying

a baby cockatiel, you need to ask yourself the questions following.

How much money are you willing to spend? Although cockatiels are not expensive birds, they need a large cage, lots of toys and other items to thrive. In addition, you will also need to budget for annual veterinary expenses.

Are you busy all day? Do you work from home or spend a lot of time outside? Be aware that cockatiels, and even more so babies, do not cope well with isolation. If you can't spend a lot of time with your cockatiel, consider adopting other species that won't require your daily presence.

Do you hate noise? Although baby cockatiels aren't very loud, they chirp and fuss in their cages morning and night. If you can't stand clutter or hate waking up early in the morning, you should go for a quiet pet.

Can you age your cocktail for 20 years? This question only requires serious thought. While caring for cockatiels is not difficult, you need to make sure that you are up to the challenge of raising a pet bird for such a long time.

Get to know the cockatiel.

Who is Cockatiel?

Cockatiels are part of the order Psittaciformes, i.e. parakeets and parrots, and the family Cacatuidae - to which cockatoos also belong.

Scientific nameNymphaecus Hollandex.

sizeBetween 11 and 14 inches

The weightBetween 85 and 150 g

long lifeFrom 11 to 20 years

The origin of the cockatiel.

Cockatiels are native to Australia. In the 18th century, when Europeans colonized Australia, the first birds of this species were transported by boat. Easy to handle and full of good health, cocktails are spreading rapidly and becoming popular in Europe.

Physical characteristics of the cockatiel

The cockatiel is a small parrot with a crest that allows it to be very expressive. The classic-looking cockatiel is characterized by the yellow color of its head and underside of its hood, orange spots on the ears, gray nape, and white stripes along its long crest feathers. Wings

How to determine the maturity of baby cockatiels

To determine the maturity of cockatiels, you need to wait for the first molt, which usually occurs from the fourth month. Before this age, it is difficult to determine the maturity of the bird: the young of both maturity are identical. However, males have a paler head than females in adulthood. The cheeks are dark orange, as are the feathers.

Cockatiel is a bird that is resistant to many diseases. In addition, this species rarely exhibits behavioral disturbances, which is very common among large parrots.

Cocktail mood.

It's not for nothing that cocktails are as popular as pets. Here is a short list of the many virtues of cocktails.

• It's easy to control.
• Sociable and loving.
• Gentle and kind with children.
• Balanced.
• peaceful
• Learn quickly.
• intelligent
• curious
• Living things
• expression
• playful
• loyal.
• Can live with other pets.

However, if you have sensitive ears, be careful: the cocktails are very noisy!

Now that you know a little more about cockatiels in general, follow our guide to help you care for baby cockatiels.

Step 1: Determine if you want to buy or adopt a baby cockatiel.uying hand-fed chicks from a bird breeder is a great option for beginners. ; Also, the baby should be at least three months old. A hand-fed baby is already accustomed to human presence, which will make it much easier to care for and control.

Note : If you are a beginner, never try hand feeding your baby cockatiel. Always consult your veterinarian before attempting such a delicate procedure.

Adopt a cocktail from the shelter. . Before buying a pet bird, it's usually best to adopt it, even if it's a little older than you expect. On the other hand, if you are a beginner, adopting an older cockatiel will help you gain experience before buying a baby cockatiel. Either way, be sure to take your bird to the vet after adoption to make sure your bird doesn't have any illnesses.

Step 2: Buy a large cage.

If you plan to adopt a single baby cockatiel, you can put it in a stainless steel cage at least 25 inches high x 20 inches wide and 15 inches deep.

If your bird does not have a companion of its own kind, put the cage where most of your family lives: it is very important for these friendly and loving little birds to feel close to you. .

Equip the cage with lots of parts (natural branches will work well), lots of toys (bells, swings), food and water bowls, and cuttlefish bones for calcium.

Your baby cockatiel's cage should be cleaned once a week. That said, you should always make sure it stays clean by changing the bowls and bottom of the cage every day. Your cockatiel also needs very good hygiene: give him a bath at least once a day. Finally, make sure your bird is not exposed to drafts - this is important extremely!

Step 3: Use your baby cockatiel in your presence.

Sit near your baby cockatiel's cage every day to get him used to your voice and presence. Talk to him, sing him, whistle him daily. Then, when your baby starts moving closer to you every time you sit by his cage, offer him small treats (the most popular is usually sorghum, followed by corn and sunflowers). have seeds). After doing this little trick for a few weeks, your cockatiel should get used to eating out of your hand.

To do this, carefully open the small door of its cage and entice your baby cockatiel to approach your hand. Gradually, your bird will come closer to your hand and in no time start feeding from the palm of your hand.

Step 4: Train your baby cockatiel to climb on your hand.

As soon as your baby cockatiel starts eating from your hand, it's a sign that he trusts you. You can then teach him more tricks, for example, climbing on your hand and your shoulder. But, again, proceed slowly and very patiently. Never try to get your child to climb on you, otherwise you may lose his trust and bite.

Note : To get your cockatiel to quickly learn to climb onto your shoulder, drop a treat on it and praise your bird as soon as it starts to climb onto your arm. However, if your bird starts biting your hand, stop training and try again later.

Step 5: Be patient

Give your bird some time when you first bring it home. If your cockatiel was hand-fed, this may only take a few hours. However, children who have not been socialized will need a day or two to get used to their surroundings. During their adjustment period, do not handle them but do a daily cleaning routine and talk to them gently.

Step 6: Feed your baby cockatiel a balanced diet.

Most experts recommend special food pellets that will provide a balanced diet for your baby cockatiel. This diet should be supplemented with vegetables (including green vegetables, highly recommended) and fresh fruit. Occasionally you can give unsweetened grains, such as millet, once a week.

Your baby cockatiel always should have access to fresh water. You can also serve it by adding orange juice or apple juice to water. Be sure to add a cuttlefish bone (a source of calcium for his bones) and a mineral block to his cage.

Important : Do not feed your baby cockatiel the following foods (as they may be toxic to your bird):

• Avoid eating. :
• avocado
• parsley
• Beetroot
• raw potato
• Chocolate
• Tea, coffee, and all dairy products.
• Onions, garlic and shallots.
• Mushrooms
• Citrus fruits.
• Rhubarb.
• Cabbage.

Step 7: Teach your child to talk and whistle the cockatiel.

Baby cockatiels can learn to talk and whistle at eight months of age. However, you should be consistent in your “lessons.” Try to talk to them as often as possible, using simple words that are no more than one or two syllables. Also, as soon as your child says a word or whistle, immediately offer a reward and praise him!

Step 8: How to Tell if Your Baby Cockatiel is Sick

It's important to regularly check for parasites (beak scab, lice, etc.) and make sure your cockatiel's paws and beak are in good condition. In addition, there are treatments to ensure proper care of the claws.

Because cockatiels often hide their illness until it gets really bad, you should watch carefully for signs of illness. Cockatiels that are very sick will sit at the bottom of their cage and pull their wings. Other signs of a sick bird are as follows.

• Repeated bites.
• cheapness
• Sudden weight loss.
• Swelling of the eyes or nose.
• To throw a feather or tail.

Take your cockatiel to a veterinarian at least annually. Also, if your cockatiel shows any of the above symptoms you should contact your veterinarian immediately. Remember that although it is expensive to take your bird to the vet, it can get sick very quickly, and "wait and see" is not a good idea because they are fragile creatures.

Suggestions:

Always handle your baby cockatiel very gently. . Remember that these little birds are delicate and can be easily injured.

If possible, adopt another cockatiel. . Know that keeping these birds with variable and dynamic activity avoids behavior problems! Anger is a cockatiel's greatest enemy and can be detrimental to their physical and mental health.

Do not plan to mix your adult cockatiels until you have experience with other bird species. .

Baby cockatiels love to beat their head feathers against the tide. . This is a way great to strengthen relationship your with them.

Cockatiels love to play with shiny and mirrors objects. . However, do not put a mirror in their cage. They think their reflection is another bird and become frustrated when their reflection is unresponsive.

Final thoughts.

For baby cockatiels caring is not that difficult if you are good prepared and aware of their needs. If you adopt or buy your young cockatiel from a reputable breeder and follow the steps in this guide, you should be a master at raising cockatiels in no time!

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