Cockatiel FAQs

The baby on the right grew up to be the National Cockatiel Society's 2011 "Specialty Show" Best In Show.
The exhibitor novice ~ Josh Perkins ~ Thank you Josh!

Q2. ANSWER: A cockatiel's legs are a site of heat loss. The bird conserves heat by putting one leg where it's warmest, among the feathers of the stomach. If you notice that your bird is sleeping on both feet, keep an eye on this bird - he may not be feeling well. With any other symptoms of illness you should take him to an avian veterinarian right away.

Q3. ANSWER: A cockatiel molts once or twice a year and during this period your cockatiel will be growing in new feathers, which takes a lot of energy. The feathers are growing in tend to be itchy and the process is sometimes painful, so your cockatiel may just want to chill out for awhile. The molt will be over in a few weeks to a month.

Q4. ANSWER: In the wild, cockatiels feed on young grass seeds, available only a few months of the year that are full of nutrients and best of all full of calories that they need in abundance when they breed and nest. But dry seeds don't have the nutritional value that young seed sprouts do. So, the "dry seed addicted" cockatiel is getting a lot of calories without the same nutrition. This can lead to a fat cockatiel with liver problems, fatty tumors and gout.
Get your cockatiel eating dark leafy greens daily, cooked birdie foods; healthy table foods; some pellets available at all times while allowing just about 2 Tablespoons of seed daily per adult cockatiel. Keep cuttlebone (soft side out) available. It is a good idea to feed any new bird what it is used to while it adjusts to a new home. It is critical for a recently weaned baby, to make sure to ask what the baby is used to eating and get a generous sample of it from the seller.

Q5. ANSWER: Just like chickens, cockatiel hens can lay infertile eggs. A few eggs a few times a year are o.k. If your cockatiel hen wants to sit on her eggs, let her play mom until she abandons them, which will be in about three to 4 weeks, when she realizes they aren't going to hatch. If you take away an egg as soon as she lays it, she will keep laying.
Feed a laying hen extra calcium sources such as green vegetables, and make sure a cuttlebone is always in her cage.
You will have to simulate wintertime by using a cage cover or a location that only exposes her to 8 or 10 hours of light. (Wild cockatiels don't breed in winter because they don't have enough food and water).
If these methods don't work, take her to an avian veterinarian. He can give her a calcium shot to prevent brittle bones, and laying soft shelled eggs leading to egg-binding, a deadly condition.

Q6. ANSWER: Cockatiels can be fearful of the dark, and when something startles it, or maybe when some of them begin to fall asleep they jerk like we do, only they launch themselves against the sides of the cage, often breaking feathers, hurting themselves on any object in the cage. You should look to see if the bird is injured and bleeding anywhere.
Even speaking to your bird won't calm it down right away. It is best to keep a night light on for a cockatiel to prevent a night fright thrashing last longer.

Q7. ANSWER: Cockatiels and Cockatoos are notorious dust producers. The powdery dust comes from powder-down feathers that grow closest to a cockatiel's skin. A healthy cockatiel preens it's feathers with oil produced from a preen gland at the top of it's tail to keep the feathers tight and waterproof. The only way to keep the dust in check (not eliminate it) is misting the cockatiel with cool water a few times a week with a water mist spray bottle (find one in the hair care department). Only bathe and mist in the day so the cockatiel will be dry before night time. A cockatiel is most beautiful ("in show condition") when the feathers are in tight condition so water rolls off it's feathers.

Q8. ANSWER: A 'Normal gray' hen's cheek patch is muted compared to the cock bird's which is contrasted against his yellow face. A bright large cheek patch is very desirable and the best 'show birds' are bred to have big and deep color cheek patches. I have cocks with too pale of cheek patch and a couple hens, (a lutino and a pied) with a rich red-orange color cheek patch.

Q9. ANSWER: All young cockatiels have bars on the underside of the tail feathers. You can use this method of sexing after the bird is 1 year old, when the cock birds lose the baby feathers and now have solid feathers under the tail. A hens under tail feathers remain barred. LUTINO males, a pale yellow bird with dark red, sometimes plum color eyes, have solid white (yellow) feathers under their tails too, but you need to see the feathers through a light source to see barring on lutino hens.

Q10. ANSWER: Most cockatiels grind their beaks just before falling asleep. It is thought that it may be a way of unwinding and stess relief.
It is a sign of relaxation.

Q11. ANSWER: A bird club is your best source for reputable breeders/members of the type bird you are interested in. You might locate a bird club through a veterinary clinic that has a certified avian veterinarian in certain days of the week. You can go online and search for area bird clubs.
It's important that you buy from someone that can and will be happy to answer your questions before and after the sale. The thing is, you have to do some research to be able to ask good questions. Then make a list of questions. Pet shop sales people have limited knowledge (of course) compared to breeders...even though they get to be good talkers.
After my first cockatiel, I found out that I could get different colors, and I bought more from newspaper ads cheap. I didn't know enough to ask the right questions, so I got my stripes the hard way. If you want to get into breeding or exhibiting,
you need to buy closed banded birds from someone that keeps breeding records.

Q12. ANSWER: I believe that if you buy a bird from an exhibitor, you will get a good and healthy bird. You will be able to contact him/her pretty easily after the sale, and because a good reputation is priority with exhibitors. Read: Question 16. - and Answer 16. - these are the good questions to ask the breeder when buying your bird.

Q13. ANSWER: A cockatiel runs her beak over each and every feather on her body, every single day, with the exception of those feathers on her head and neck. A cockatiel picks up conditioning oil at the base of her tail from an oil gland, while running its beak through its feathers. Feathers must be clean, dry, and in good shape, because they regulate a bird's body temperature and of course, allow flight. A cockatiel living alone doesn't have the benefit of mutual preening between a pair or group. Your cockatiel can "zip" her wing and tail feathers back up, but it can't preen it's head and neck, so it will, by putting it's head down, offer you an invitation to preen for him/her. Sometimes you can help open new pin feathers for your pet by gently scratching open the casings. To a cockatiel, hair is the equivalent to feathers. Your bonded cockatiel will want to preen your hair, eyelashes & eyebrows, mustache or beard. Allopreening (mutual preening) is a sign that a cockatiel pair is bonding.

Q14. ANSWER: At age two to three weeks old, the chicks accept hand-feeding much better than any later. They will be used to being handled by humans and will be sweet and trusting, making them excellent pets. For the pet owner with tame parent birds, it's possible to tame babies without hand-feeding them.
The chicks that are parent raised seem to be better birds for future breeding. A lot of the hand-fed ones need practice to get things right, i.e. mating rituals.

Q15. ANSWER: Usually a cockatiel is on alert or startled when he raises his crest feathers straight up. Most cockatiel's crest feathers will be down when they are relaxed.

Q16. ANSWER:

How old is the bird?

Who is the breeder? (If you are not purchasing the bird from the breeder.)

Is there a guarantee?

If so, for how long?

What are the conditions of the guarantee?

What veterinarian do they use or recommend?

Are the sellers willing to offer advice and support later?
**If you have no experience hand-feeding baby birds, please do not buy an un-weaned bird. This usually ends tragically. A reputable breeder will not sell un-weaned birds to anyone who has no experience hand-feeding

Notice if the bird wears a closed leg-band, important for "show" birds because the band has the birds' unique identity if it is registered with NCS or ACS. The hatch year is stamped and band colors change according to hatch years as well.

09/14/11