Q: Once I have decided on a cockatiel to purchase, how do I get it to my home?
A: You must drive to my home and pick up your tiel; I will NOT ship them.
Q: Should I purchase one or two cockatiels?
A: Of course I want you to buy two! Just kidding. If you have more than two hours
a day to spend with your bird, then it would be fine to just buy one, but make sure it has plenty of toys to play with when
you are gone. If you don't have much time to spend with your bird, then you should get it a friend. Cockatiels of the same
gender, as well as mixed pairs, get along quite nicely. If your cockatiel has almost no interaction with either you or a fellow
cockatiel, it could lead to some serious behavioral problems, like the plucking out of breast feathers, self mutilation, or
constant squawking.
Q: What types of cockatiels do you have to offer?
A: You can go to the For Sale page to see what is available. Be sure to join the
waiting list as soon as possible, because business could get tight.
Q: If a want a cockatiel that whistles or sings, what gender should I get?
A: Males are the whislers and singers. I have never heard of a female that could
whistle or talk at all. No cockatiel is a skilled talker, but with some patience and practice, you could bring out some hidden
talent. All males are very fluent at whistling (that is, if they enjoy that skill). It is very easy to teach a male a tune
by repeating it a few times every day.
Q: What do I do once I get my cockatiel home?
A: Your cockatiel needs quiet time now. You should already have its cage set up
in the room it will stay in. Make sure the room is in an active area. Cockatiels like to be in the center of activity, but
make sure that the first few days are peaceful. Leave your cockatiel completely alone the first day so that it can adjust
to its new surroundings. Make sure that its cage is relatively high, about eye level. They like to be able to see everything
round them. The second day, sit a little way away from your cockatiel and talk softly to it so that it gets used to your voice.
You can gradually et closer and closer. Keep this up for the next couple of days, and then bring you cockatiel out of its
cage, on you finger. Pet it on the head and talk softly and reassuringly. Pretty soon your cockatiel will adjust to the daily
schedule in your home.
Q: How do I tell if my cockatiel is male or female?
A: I will try to send you the gender you specified, unless you didn't specify, or
I made a mistake (which is unlikely to happen).
If you already have a tiel, and do not know how to tell the genders apart, there are 3 ways to tell
that I know of:
- Genetic surgury is the only sure way to tell what gender your tiel is.
- If your tiel learns to whistle, it is most likely a male.
- Females usually have mostly light tail feathers, with dark bars going across underneath, whereas
male usually do not. Also, if your baby has pearled pattering, it will lose that pattering with its adult feathering if it
is a male. Females also have small spots under their wings. Males lose these in their adult feathering.
These are the three ways that I know of to tell a cockatiels gender. NOTE: It is impossible to tell
baby cockatiels apart, because the males at this stage look like little females.
