Cage, toys and a million other things!

[CowardMan]

Hello all,

so deciding that I'm going to go for a cockatiel I just have a couple questions that could do with assistance with.

firstly, for Cages what bar spacing should I get? Most of the cages I'm seeing have a bar spacing of 1.5cm, Is that too much? Or too small? I also see most of them have a grate above the tray at the bottom, is the grate okay for them? I know they'd be spending most of their time on perches but I assume at times would hop on the ground to play or pick at something?

for perches I'm looking at more natural wood style and have a couple different ones in the cage, avoiding the dowels. I've also seen these nail trimming perches that seem to be made of a rough material to keep claws naturally cared for, and I've also seen calcium perches, not sure how useful would be as I didn't think birds would like to eat the branches they stand on?

Toy wise I've got in my shopping basket a set of non coloured wood hanging toys, with like woven balls and other similar style bits on them. A little wheel thing that they move and it drops out treats like seed, not sure if that one is a bit beyond a baby tiel? In a similar vein have also got a plastic ball with openings that treats can be dug out of, I assume that is something they can figure out once they realize it has good stuff in there. Would there be any other toys would recommend? Don't want to overload them when they arrive but have some toys for when a bit more settled and for outside the cage too.

For food I've got a pack of Harrison's pellets (i've seen people recommend them) some mixed seed, some millet stick and some treat sticks, they look like seeds and dried fruit all stuck with honey I think, would there be any other food stuffs to get? Possible a cuttlefish bone?

Lastly I've also got in my basket a bottle of disinfectant spray and poop off spray.

I have seen things like these little cozy hut things? reviews saying people love them but I'm not convinced, looks like just an opportunity for them to hide and feel cornered, especially at first. I've also seen flight harnesses? Which sounds fun for going for a walk but I assume I should hold off until they're settled before I think about that.

I think I've got most things covered, let me know if there's anything else I should put in the basket or anything I should take out

 

[GivemeSeedsorgivemeFlesh]

I don't know about others but my bird doesn't go down to the bottom of the cage for leisure. Sometimes he does something silly and ends up down there by accident, but he immediately climbs up. I have a ladder down there he can use to climb up if so desired. The grate is the same material as his cage but even if it weren't it is covered by paper which is changed out daily. I use the brown packing paper that comes in all the boxes ordered online. I included a link for non toxic bandaids. Get ready to buy a lot of veggies. I had alfalfa sprouts with my coffee this morning to prove they weren't poisoned. Yummy. PFA free bandaids https://techthelead.com/all-the-ban...st-of-brands-found-to-have-forever-chemicals/

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Great choice to get a baby cockatiel! I had one and Charlie was the easiest most pleasant little guy!

Bar spacing of 1.5cm is fine. Get the largest cage you have space for. I never use those bottom grates because they're just one more thing to have to clean bird poop off. I just line the cage bottom with plain packing paper. Whether a bird likes to walk around on the cage floor is highly individual. Some of my budgies do it but some don't. I find that when one goes to the bottom, others follow. Same thing when out of cage. Some birds love to walk around on the floor and some don't. Personally, I hate it because they can get stepped on. In the wild, budgies and cockatiels are mostly ground feeders but the ground is a dangerous place for birds so they don't usually hang out there.

Nail trimming perches aren't very effective at keeping nails trimmed and their rough texture is hard on birds' feet. If his nail are so sharp they get caught in fabrics you should bring him to an avian vet and have them trimmed slightly.

Hide huts are not a good idea. They like them but they encourage nesting behavior and territory protecting and egg laying. None of which are good. A bird's claws can also get stuck in the fabric and loose strings can get wrapped around them. Some say birds can even swallow the fabric causing blockages.

Harness training is beyond my scope but I've heard you must start very young and slowly to get them to accept a harness.

Yes on the cuttlefish bone. It provides essential calcium and other minerals.

 

[Vampiric_Conure]

**Points up at DonnaBudgie** What they said .

Bar spacing can be a little bit wider. I wouldn't go wider than 1 inch, and even then, that's a bit wide for most smaller birds.

There's a birdy hut that is acceptable if you're interested. It's a woven seagrass mat with a seagrass mat bottom. It's open-ended and allows light through, so nesting behavior is minimal. I just wish I could remember where I saw it, LOL! It was on Amazon I think.

 

[CowardMan]

Okay all sounds good. I'm gonna have a re-arrange of furniture when I have a good chuck of time to how I would like it to be, and should have some more space for the cage.

Okay I'll hold off on the nail perch. Have had a look and thankfully despite how little avian vets are in the UK there is one not too far from me that says they specialize in parrots. So I can go to them if need a nail trim or anything else, If they have a good variety of branches they don't seem to need trimming that often?

yeah I didn't like the look of them, the seagrass hide looks a bit better, just saw on amazon but at least at first I think I'll try hold off on that for now just so don't end up with a little guy permanently hiding away

I'll have to have a look at harness training, I'll probably order one and have it about so can get used to it and after some time getting used to each other before starting with that

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Have you located a cockatiel you're interested in? When are you planning on getting him/her? Do you have a sex preference?
If you have a choice, you should handle all the available baby 'tiels to determine which one responds to you the best. It's always best to let the bird pick you instead of you picking the bird!

 

[GivemeSeedsorgivemeFlesh]

Great choice to get a baby cockatiel! I had one and Charlie was the easiest most pleasant little guy!

Bar spacing of 1.5cm is fine. Get the largest cage you have space for. I never use those bottom grates because they're just one more thing to have to clean bird poop off. I just line the cage bottom with plain packing paper. Whether a bird likes to walk around on the cage floor is highly individual. Some of my budgies do it but some don't. I find that when one goes to the bottom, others follow. Same thing when out of cage. Some birds love to walk around on the floor and some don't. Personally, I hate it because they can get stepped on. In the wild, budgies and cockatiels are mostly ground feeders but the ground is a dangerous place for birds so they don't usually hang out there.

Nail trimming perches aren't very effective at keeping nails trimmed and their rough texture is hard on birds' feet. If his nail are so sharp they get caught in fabrics you should bring him to an avian vet and have them trimmed slightly.

Hide huts are not a good idea. They like them but they encourage nesting behavior and territory protecting and egg laying. None of which are good. A bird's claws can also get stuck in the fabric and loose strings can get wrapped around them. Some say birds can even swallow the fabric causing blockages.

Harness training is beyond my scope but I've heard you must start very young and slowly to get them to accept a harness.

Yes on the cuttlefish bone. It provides essential calcium and other minerals.

Speaking of cuttlebone, don't be a jerk like me and put it back in backwards after cleaning the cage. No wonder he kept going over there and looking at me.

 

[CowardMan]

I'm thinking around April/May to get them,

there's 2 places I know not too far from me, one place I saw at the weekend and they had their babies all together, still a bit young to go out they haven't quite got all their flight feathers in, the other place I'm going to try and have a look this weekend. Yeah I think going for the one most interested in me is the best bet, I like the ones with more white and yellow but that's not a deal breaker for me. I think I'd rather a male just to avoid any egg issues

 

[DonnaBudgie]

I'm thinking around April/May to get them,

there's 2 places I know not too far from me, one place I saw at the weekend and they had their babies all together, still a bit young to go out they haven't quite got all their flight feathers in, the other place I'm going to try and have a look this weekend. Yeah I think going for the one most interested in me is the best bet, I like the ones with more white and yellow but that's not a deal breaker for me. I think I'd rather a male just to avoid any egg issues

When you decide which baby you want, you should put a deposit on him and come into the shop frequently to visit with and handle him. It seems to me that you should bring your baby home a couple weeks after it's weaned. I wouldn't wait much longer than that. A three month old (12-14 weeks) is a good age. Why wait until the baby is much older than that? Shop staff seldom has the time to devote to socializing baby birds as much as they should, and if he doesn't get handled frequently it will take him longer to adjust to handling later.

 

[CowardMan]

main reason for that time is number 1 funds, I've got a couple bits I need to pay out for, vehicle servicing the biggest hit and I know I'm going to be out for the easter weekend so don't want to leave them at home with someone coming in to change food/water so soon after getting them which I'm sure I can sort with either of the breeders I'm going to see, and that does sound like a good idea, going in and seeing them until they're ready to come home

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Im curious about how much a baby cockatiel costs today. When I bought my baby Charlie back in 1993 I think I paid $250 USD. Have they gone up much since then?

 

[CowardMan]

not sure about USD but here they're about £150, but add on the cage and everything else it'll end up being nearly £400, if I didn't have the maintenance due on my bike which I know is gonna be a hefty hit I'd order everything now.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Thats a good, fair price (about $190 USD). I'm sure I overpaid for my cockatiel back then, but it was a shop that catered to wealthy people out in Los Angeles (I wasn't wealthy but I had the money) and I didn't shop around at all. I'm sure I could have gotten one from a breeder for much less. There's always something that eats up all extra cash, that's for sure. Just visit and handle your new baby frequently.

 

[GaleriaGila]

I love this thread. It's a great example of what's best about our PF... motivated new members, knowledgeable advisors... genuine interactions.
Welcome. You're our kind of folks!

 

[CowardMan]

I love this thread. It's a great example of what's best about our PF... motivated new members, knowledgeable advisors... genuine interactions.
Welcome. You're our kind of folks!

yeah it's nice having a nice interaction online for a change! Does feel like most places you see people asking questions they're just berated for not knowing things.

Also would people generally say parent or hand reared would be better? I think both the places I'm looking at parent rear their babies, I would assume parent would be better because it's how they work in the wild. Also I want to make sure, there's no need for any wing clipping? I've seen some places around say to do it during the taming process but I want the lil guy to be able to fly around, I mean why get a bird if you don't want them to fly right? And my apartment has the bedroom overlooking the living room as a balcony so there's a lot of upward space to fly which feels like it would be a waste if they can't fly properly