How to Fight the Winter Blues by Keeping a Cockatiel as a Pet
How to Fight the Winter Blues by Keeping a Cockatiel as a Pet
So, your thinking of getting a Cockatiel to keep as a pet, as far as birds go, you better make sure it really is what you want, in this article I will share some of my personal experiences of being a cockatiel owner in the past. The cockatiel is a very hardy bird as it requires no additional heat source or such, in fact it can live comfortably in a home or apartment year around, if the temperature is comfortable for people, it's fine for a cockatiel.
Cockatiels come in different colors, with the most common colors being, yellow, grey and white, and some rare ones being green or blue. Cockatiels are a nice size bird, similar in size to a slender pigeon, and they are recognized by the tuff of hair on top of their heads.
Cockatiels require a large cage, do to their large size, and especial since they like to hop around their home a lot. Cockatiels eat mostly any premium mixed bird seed, but you can buy them more expensive cockatiel seed or pellet food at most pet shops or online pet stores, make sure you give your cockatiel fresh water daily.
Cockatiels can be trained to sit on your finger, and they will often stay perched there, or on your shoulder while you sit or walk around. They often like to peck and pull at your hair, and if you wear earrings, they often find them very fascinating, and love trying to pull them off your ear. If you decide to purchase a cockatiel you should get one that is young, because if you buy an older one that has not been socialized around humans a lot, they can be very aggressive birds, and they will be quick to give you a nasty bite, when you attempt to pet, or hold them.
Also, be aware that some folks say cockatiels can be trained to say a few words, the bird we had never talked, but it sure did screech, and I mean it screeched very loudly, so make sure, you can put up with a lot of noise at time. Now, they do often whistle and sometimes they imitate other tunes and such, by whistling. If your bird gets in one of the moods, where it starts screeching, and it drives you nut's you can often calm it now, by covering it's cage for awhile with a large towel, to simulate nighttime.
Also, cockatiels like to go to sleep when the sun goes down and wake when it's light outside, so if possible cover your birds cage with a large towel at night, so it can sleep better, then uncover it in the morning when you awake.
Cockatiels like to fly, so if you want to take yours out of its cage, to let it sit on your finger or shoulder, you should take it to a professional that can trim it's wings, so it cannot fly, or when it's gets a chance it will, and there has been a lot of cockatiels that have flown right out an open door or window, the moment it's been opened, never to be seen again. And, if your bird is out of its cage and it takes off flying, there are all kinds of dangers it may encounter like, cats, dogs, ceiling fans, hot stoves, heaters, even cups of hot coffee or beverages can be fatal or cause serious accidents if your cocatiel suddenly flies and lands in them.
A cockatiel will need to have it's nails and beak trimmed on a regular basis also, if it's nails get too long, they can get jagged, and caught on carpets, or other things, and the bird can easily scratch you or it's self, leading to an infection, again seek a professional to make regular checkups for your cockatiel. You can buy what is called a; cuttlebone, which your cockatiel can peck and chew at, to help keep it's beak trimmed.
Like any pet, a cockatiel has good and bad traits, and it's up to you if you want to try raising one as a pet, if you do, you will have something that can give you a lot of joy, and you will find that's its a great thing, to help fight the winter blues.
There is a website that describes numerous activities and other methods to help eliminate the Winter Blues, this website is called: Winter Activities - and it may be found at this url: http://www.winter-activities.com
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