Cockatiels are members of the cockatoo family and are known for their outgoing personalities, especially among males, as well as their whistling. These characteristics combine to make these birds a popular pet in the United States.
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| How to Breed A Cockatiel |
The feathers on the top of the bird's head are a dead giveaway as to how it feels. Cockatiels are small gray, white, and yellow birds with a more subdued coloring in the female. They have a 20-year lifespan.
This is an informative article. Nodisk One is not permitted to make a diagnosis or recommend any form of veterinary care. If your pet is in pain or ill, we recommend that you take him to the vet.
The basics of Breeding Cockatiel
It is one of the social birds that loves to communicate with humans, and to raise the Cockatiel a number of basics must be followed, and the following is an explanation of the most prominent of them:
Provide the appropriate cage
- Care must be taken to secure or make a suitable cage for the Cockatiel bird, commensurate with its size, and giving it enough space to move its wings smoothly.
- The cockatiel bird cage must have dimensions of 50 x 50 x 76 cm as a minimum. Care must be taken to increase the size of the cage.
- It is usually preferable to place the cage of the Cockatiel bird near the place where the family is in the house, such as the living room or one of the bedrooms.
- As for the type of cage, it is preferable to choose the cage made of stainless steel.
Providing Cockatiel care supplies
Cockatiel care is one of the basics of proper breeding. The cockatiel needs some supplies that keep it happy in its cage, the most important of which are the following:
- Provide a number of food and water containers.
- Provide a cover for the cage from the bottom; To contain scattered or fallen seeds outside the cage.
- Providing tools for cleaning the Cockatiel and its cage, such as: the remover, and the vacuum cleaner.
- Provide a set of toys that the bird may need, to avoid feeling bored.
- Providing a number of bars for standing the Cockatiel inside the cage, made of wood, which are usually called perches, and preferably of different heights and thicknesses, in order to preserve the health of the Cockatiel feet.
Cockatiel feeding
It is preferable to provide healthy foods to the Cockatiel, and a good Cockatiel food usually includes 75% of the granules of ready-made food for birds, and 25% of the seeds, and care must be taken to fill two-thirds of the bowl of Cockatiel food daily, and the following is a list of the most important foods that the Cockatiel prefers:
- Fresh, dark leafy green vegetables make up 20% of the celery's diet.
- Fresh fruit within certain types, such as: papaya fruit, berries, watermelon, and kiwi.
- Fresh, clean water that he needs at all times.
Cockatiel training and care
Those who want to buy a Cockatiel must take care to train it, take care of it, maintain its health, happiness, and cleanliness, so we list in the following a number of ways to train and care for the Cockatiel:
Squash training
You must start training the Cockatiel on the presence of its owner, and then start training it by following the following:
- Put the cage near the presence of its owner, and try to spend some time near the cage.
- Talking to him, or quietly whistling next to him, which helps him get used to his owner's voice and presence.
- Open the cage, and provide food with the palm of the hand, to feel reassured.
- Attempting to accustom the bird to climb at the hand of its owner, and this training can be started gradually for the Cockatiel that bites by placing the fingers in a smooth movement on the top of the Cockatiel leg, as the bird will automatically climb at the hand of its owner, stop the training process, and try later when being bitten.
- Begin training the Cockatiel, which does not bite easily, by placing the finger on its stomach, specifically above its feet, and light pressure on its stomach, and here the Cockatiel will automatically rise at the hand of its owner, and at this time it must be praised for its response, and the reward is offered to it.
- Accustom the Cockatiel to mention the word (up), or any other similar word when practicing climbing on the hand, to learn that this word is related to ascending on the hand.
Cleaning the Cockatiel and playing with it
Care must be taken to clean the Cockatiel, as the Cockatiel can clean itself on its own, but the owner needs to put a suitable bowl containing warm water about 3 times a week, as he can use it to clean himself and take a shower, and the bird can also be sprayed with a spray of warm water to clean it.
The owner of the Cockatiel can play with him and entertain him through several means, including the following:
- Allocate at least one hour a day to carry the Cockatiel and play with it.
- Entertaining the Cockatiel by taking him out of the cage, and allowing him to stand on the bars in the form of the letter (T).
- Put a number of toys inside the cockatoo cage, including at least 3 toys, to ensure that it is entertained at all times.
Cockatiel health care
It is preferable to take the Cockatiel to the veterinarian regularly, as it is one of the sensitive birds that may be exposed to disease without the owner realizing it, but it may show some symptoms that indicate the deterioration of its health, including:
- Unusually oversleeping.
- Biting.
- Strange behaviour.
- Low weight.
- Sneezing.
- Irregular breathing.
- Coughing.
The bird should be shown to the specialist doctor immediately, if its owner notices the appearance of these symptoms.
A male and female pair should be unrelated, free of disease and birth defects, and between the ages of 2 and 5 years old to ensure the health of breeding cockatiels and their offspring. Before breeding, have your cockatiels examined by a veterinarian to ensure they are healthy.
Laying of Eggs
After mating, female cockatiels lay their eggs one to two weeks later. Cockatiels, like many other birds, are known to lay one egg every other day until all of them have been laid. Each clutch usually contains between four and six eggs.
Time to Incubate
Cockatiels incubate their eggs for 18-20 days on average. This can vary by a few days in either direction and is usually nothing to worry about.
Weaning and Hatchling Care
Many breeders let the parents raise the chicks until they are about 2 weeks old if they are to be hand-fed cockatiel babies. The chicks are then "pulled" from the nest and placed in a brooder where they will be hand-fed until they are weaned. Between the ages of 7 and 8, most baby cockatiels can be weaned by feeding them millet, small bits of fruit and vegetable, and softened pellets.
Only credible sources, such as peer-reviewed studies, are used by Nodisk One to substantiate the information in our articles.
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