cockatiels?

[krrc]

does any one keep these birds? how are they as far as noise factor and how much attion do they need ect. thanks!

[jaybox_reptiles]

well i dont no too to much about them but my sister used to breed them............. and i think as far as noise they make it just like any other bird but i dont think it is quit as bad as some like prakits.............. i no to cut the noise down when you have people over or they are screeming you can put a tall or blanket over their cage and that should help................ hope this helps

Jay
Box

[Pontus]

they are VERY social animals

[snakemann87]

Yep I use to keep theM!@ THey arent very noisy at all. Except the chirp quite often. Attention wise........ALOT. As with any bird/parrot they need loads of attention, love, and care Lets just say they're no snake or lizard.

[krrc]

ok well the reson this all started is cuz i work at petsmart. (yes, petsmart) it's not a bad at people make it out to be but I still wouldent buy a reptile from them do to the fact they are low quility <-sp. well anyways the birds have really grown on me and i would really like a gold capped conure but I'm kinda short the $500.

P.S. my first day working with the reptiles they told me I could do whatever I wanted to the cages and if I needed anything just pull it off the shelf. how do you like that?

[LISA127]

cockatiels are not noisy at all. they just chirp and sing. no loud screeching like the bigger parrots. they need more attention than a reptile, but again not as much attention as the bigger parrots. the are very friendly birds, and like to be scratched behine the head.

[DarkHunter]

Ahhhh a bird question....now this is my field
Cockatiels are generaly quiet but can be noisey at times...they need about 2-3 hours of handling time a day...give or take...Make sure if you want to be able to handle it, you get a "handfed cockatiel" they have much stronger bonds to humans as they were raisssed by human parents instead of theirs. Although they might have a higer price range its definitly worth it!!! Most people dont know this but try to keep Mirrors out of the cage, this will cut down the talking as well, birds think its another mate and try to sing to it....Mirrors also make birds sick...they get too attached to them and they can actully get depressed...freaky eh? If your worried about noise....try your best to get a female...its about $50 blood test to sex a bird through Health Gene... they cut the nail too short so the quik bleeds, put it on a card and send it away, your results should be back in a week or two. Males sing more to intise mates...and are also the better talkers. If you dont want to spend the money on blood tests...females have lighter colouration on the cheeks and when they are older, on the underside of the tail if you look closly the tail feathers will be stipped and if its male they will be solid.
Whatever you do...try to stay away from circular cages! Bad bad bad idea...It can make a bird motion sick, they need a corner to feel safe in!
Hope i help if they're any more questions let me know
~Shannon

[snakemann87]

Your cockatiel isnt gonna be as noisy as the conure by any means! My worst nightmare is having a Nanday Conure in the same room as I trying to sleep....AAAAAAAAAH!

[DarkHunter]

oh god....Snakeman - you think a full grown nanday is bad....i raised 5 from hatchlings...that annoying pitched chirp/scream is ever WORSE as babies :s!!!!!!! im not going to sleep tonight now hehehe

[sapphire_moon]

ok as for the people saying that they aren't noisy, then you must have had an exception, EVERY cockatiel that I have EVER owned has been a loud singer/chirper/screecher. The last two I owned were loud as well, as to why we had to get rid of them because we are getting ready to move. ALL birds have to have TONS of attention, BIG cage (about twice the length of their wing span). NEVER put them above eye level, to them above eye level= they are superior.......And if you happen to get one that is not loud, they all have the possibilitie of being loud.

If you get one bird it may look to you as it's mate, there for will has a good possibility of absolutely hating your partner. And if you decided to keep your partner (yes your partner not the bird) then your bird could get really stressed and start pulling out his/her feathers. Or get EXTREMLY violent/ biting, screaming, not letting you or anyone else touch it. They can and will stop eating.....think HARD about getting something like a cockatiel or any other bird........They are not as easy to take care of as a snake.

[DarkHunter]

Sapphire moon - your right...birds are very much diffrent than reptiles!!

i have 5...2 bigger ones...my cocaktiel and a macaw....birds are a huge commitment and cockatiels live about 14-20 years....make sure you want one and its not just a phase 'cuse birds can die from seperation anxiety if you decide to tell

[Yve]

my parents have a cockateil, Blue which has been around for over 20 years.....and still kicking!.....I never found him to be overly noisy....he does have a mirror in his cage and always has, this is the first time I've heard that mirrors aren't a good idea but at this point I wouldn't take it away and he seems content with how things are.....he will whistle and chirp at it a couple times a day the chirping isn't loud the whistling is....its entertaining to hear him going at it!:P...He's out of his cage every day and has a few perching areas designed for him.....leaves poop where ever he goes though... I think they vary in noisiness and temperament...ours is quite agressive and will actually try to entice you to scratch his head by putting it down and then tear at your finger!lol....I wouldn't recommend whistling at it because they learn what they hear and the loudest noise Blue makes is a whistling tune my dad taught him (great if you don't live in an apartment). A happy parrot is one that gets ALOT of attention otherwise they will get depressed....I saw a show on t.v. about parrots and there was a worse case scenario of a large parrot that was put in a room away from people (so they wouldn't have to hear him) and because of the isolation started to rip feathers out of his chest and mutilate himself in depression.

[Siretsap]

By the way 500$ for it is quite expensive. They sell for about 150$ here.

[krrc]

$150 for a gold capped?
Thanks guy for all your help

[tHeGiNo]

Very interesting! My friend has a cockaeil and he has a stripe down his chest without feathers. I was wondering why this was until I saw Yvonnes post. Is this the cause of it?