Hello Everyone

[Junieplus4]

Hello!
I am inheriting 2 Cockatiels at the beggining of May, I believe they are both males. I hope to get some much needed advice from more experienced bird people

My family nominated me as their next home, since I am the more qualified 'animal' person. I have 2 dogs and 2 cats currently, who are completely spoiled. I am looking forward to adding these two birdies to my family.

They are in a very small cage and they are not tame. They avoid hands like the plauge and one even bites hands. I have patience and understanding since all my animals were rescued and had their own 'issues' to work out. But since I am new to birds, I hope I can get better advice on dealing with their birdy behavior.

Some things I hope to get answered:
1) The best cage to get for the two (I heard wider is better than tall? What is a good size?)
2) The best diet (I heard they need a pellet/seed stable diet along with fresh fruits and veggies)
3) The best way to tame them (I know this takes time, but maybe there are tricks?)

Thank you all!

 

[MikeyTN]

Welcome to the forum!!!

I really like the HQ flight cage for cockatiels. Their price are pretty good too. The only thing you need to replace is the perches and food dish in this cage as the ones that comes with it isn't very good.

I feel they do better on seed/pellet plus fresh food diet better then pellets alone. The only thing is convincing them to eat it.

It would be easier to tame them alone in a small enclosed space where you can sit with them one on one to tame them down.

 

[Terry57]

Hello and welcome!
Looking forward to seeing pics of your new fids when you get them
MikeyTN is a great person to help you with them - he has so much experience!

 

[Junieplus4]

Thank you. What is a good brand of seed/pellet to get? I have been looking all over online for a nice large cage and I think I found the one you are describing!

 

[MikeyTN]

A lot of seed mixes have stuffs mixed in that cockatiels don't eat. I personally prefer kaytee's fortified seed mix with pellets then I mix them with parakeet seeds to thin out the sunflower seeds to a minimal. I used to do my own mixture when I used to buy them by the bulk from seed companies as I mix them together to a ratio I like. The mixture should be just a few sunflower seeds per feed.

 

[antoinette]

Hi and welcome to our awesome forum
So exciting getting fid's I bet you can't wait.
Please post pic's when they arrive

 

[reikibella]

Welcome Junieplus4

I am new too but i did alot of research on training and food before getting Bandit my Galah (RB2), hes around 4 to 5 months old and i got him just over a week ago and he wasn't hand tame at all. I have done some touch training with a clicker and a chop stick and within a day he was stepping up and not nipping at my hands. I'm still trying to get him off an all seed diet and onto fresh fruit, veggies and sprouts, Birdtricks.com have a great parrot cookbook and videos about training all types of parrots. I live in Australia and most of the pet shops around me have heaps on cats and dogs but are very limited on bird items. I still have a lot to learn myself but i hope the info i have found so far helps you.
Have a wonderful day
Bella

 

[Sheryl]

Welcome and thank you for giving the little ones a home. Hope they can stay with you forever.

 

[RavensGryf]

Hi, and welcome to the forum.

 

[Junieplus4]

Thank you everyone! All your advice has been helpful and I certainly will post pictures when they get here!