Starting With Cockatiels
By Linda S. Rubin
Photograph by Gene & Judy Wright

"If we were suddenly denied the pleasure of all our birds except one, we would unhesitatingly choose a cockatiel to be that one pet." This quotation, from the widely read book Parrots and Related Birds by Henry Bates and Robert Busenbark, epitomizes the feelings of cockatiel enthusiasts who have experienced the unique joy of owning a tame cockatiel. In addition to its delightful, loving personality, a cockatiel is relatively easy to tame and makes an excellent family pet and devoted companion bird. They are also easy to breed and come in a myriad of color mutations guaranteed to fit most price budgets.

Like other cockatoos, the cockatiel has a retractable crest which it raises up and down in response to alarm, excitement and other emotions. Owners can learn to understand their bird's emotional state in part, by observing the position of its crest.

Just like cockatoos, cockatiels generate a "powder-down" which is responsible for the white powder that gives unbathed birds a "dusty" feel. While regular bathing is highly recommended, owners should use only plain, clean water. It is important not to administer any additives to the bath water or shower spray, because foreign substances could interfere with the natural powder-down that protects the cockatiel's plumage.

Cockatiels generally don't defend themselves well and can be at the mercy of dogs and cats. Even small children can unintentionally harm a cockatiel and should be taught how to properly hold the bird and gently stroke its crest.

While cockatiels make excellent family pets, select one person, initially, to be in charge of training. This will help the new bird to become familiar with the trainer and develop trust more quickly. Once the bird settles in and is responding to training, it can gradually be introduced to other members of the household.

Obtain a young bird. Cockatiels are fully weaned and independent of their parents by 8 to 10 weeks of age. This is the perfect age to tame a bird and teach it to eat a well-balanced diet.

Older birds are more difficult to train and require more work and patience. It is also more difficult to convert an older bird to a healthier diet, if it has not learned to eat nutritious foods. If you must have an older bird, be certain that you will have time to work with the bird on a daily basis. Training must be done consistently. Nothing is more heartbreaking than to see a bird condemned to sit in a cage because it has not been properly trained by its owner.

If you do not have the time to train your new bird, it is best to purchase a hand-fed baby. Hand-fed babies are taken from the nest at 2 to 3 weeks of age and fed a formula several times a day, by hand, until the chick is weaned. This is the best method to produce tame birds. The act of gently handling the chicks during feeding causes the birds to become tame. They lose their fear of human hands and associate them with food.

One exception to purchasing an older cockatiel is acquiring a bird which is already tame, or was hand-fed as a baby. However, some hand-fed birds, if ignored for long periods of time, can revert to a more wild demeanor. It is important older that birds demonstrate their tameness by stepping up on a person's hand, to show they have not become "hand shy." Although formerly tame birds can be retrained -- especially if they show interest in people -- it will take time and patience on the part of the owner to work with a shy bird.

While hand-fed cockatiels are generally confident and willing to step up on a friendly hand or finger, new owners should realize it takes time to nurture a growing relationship between you and your new bird. As you begin to get to know each other, over time, a bond of trust will develop. Your bird will soon learn to fly to you, sit on your shoulder, and show interest in being part of your daily activities.

Today, cockatiels are bred in great numbers and many pet shops specializing in birds offer young, hand-fed babies, purchased directly from bird farms and local breeders. However, even if a bird is advertised as "hand-fed," it doesn't guarantee it will be entirely tame and trusting. Some large breeders hand-feed birds in mass production; feeding chicks as quickly as possible without spending adequate time to gently handle each bird. Other breeders choose to raise a limited number of birds and spend more time handling chicks during feeding, to produce tame, trusting babies. They usually feed by spoon or syringe, imitating the parent bird's natural "chug-a-lug" head-bobbing movements, which are more satisfying to the chick. Such breeders pride themselves and base their reputations on raising very tame, hand-fed babies.

Another advantage many breeders choose is to band their babies with closed, seamless leg bands placed around the chick's foot. Legbands offer permanent proof of identification and usually include the breeder's code if the bands are registered with a national specialty organization.

The National Cockatiel Society (NCS) sells closed, coded bands to its members. A band includes a personally assigned band code with one or more numbers and letters, the society's initials, the number chick, and the current year stamped on each band. For example, NCS-3R-77-99 would stand for the Society's name National Cockatiel Society, the breeder's code 3R, the identification number of the chick #77, and the year the chick was bred, 1999. The breeder's code is kept on file with the NCS membership/band secretary who can trace the code back to the breeder. The breeder would then be able to inform the purchaser about the bird's background, according to records kept. This is an excellent safety back up should the bird ever escape, or change hands to a new owner.

Closed banding also offers proof of pedigree. Professional breeders and exhibitors typically breed one pair of cockatiels to a cage, to be certain that the birds they produce belong to the parent pair. The birds are usually banded between 10 and 14 days of age with a closed, seamless leg band carrying the breeder's code described above, which provides lifetime identification. After the age of 2 to 3 weeks, it is close to impossible to slip a seamless band onto a bird's leg since the foot has grown beyond banding size. If a bird is exhibited at a show, the breeder lists the bird's band number on the entry form, since only closed-banded birds are eligible to receive points towards their championships for the top 10 placements at cockatiel shows.

If the breeder wishes to sell the bird, a pedigree card will include a place for the breeder to list the bird's band code. Many hobby breeders who keep records of their birds often offer birth certificates which include the bird's band code, color variety, date of birth, gender, family tree, and other pertinent information. The NCS offers its members the opportunity to purchase pedigree records and birth certificates. Qualifying exhibitors may also earn their champion and grand champion certificates and register with the NCS Hall of Fame.

Membership in the National Cockatiel Society is open to everyone. NCS is a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization which has just celebrated its 15th anniversary, with members throughout the United States and from foreign countries. Among the benefits NCS members receive are an educational bimonthly journal and the opportunity to purchase their own closed, coded seamless legbands. Members can seek out breeders who sell closed banded birds by inquiring with the NCS coordinator.

Closed-banded birds are definitely the way to go to assure your bird will carry permanent identification, throughout its life, should you ever need to prove he's yours.



Linda S. Rubin is an aviculturist writer, editor, panel judge and speaker, and has raised cockatiels and parrots for more than 20 years. She is president of the National Cockatiel Society; a specialist in the genetics of cockatiels; and has self-published several books: Cockatiels: Breeding Smart, Guide to Cockatiel Color Mutation, and Cockatiel Genetics Made Easy. For further information, the author may be reached by writing: Aves Communications, 93 Woodcliff Road, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467.