Cockatiels

[Finchgirl]

I have been looking in to cockatiels lately, and would love to see them in my future. Their sweet and cuddly, personable nature is so adorable and to have a pair would be the best! My questions for all you cockatiel owners are, one: In your experience, does hand feeding really make a difference? Two: If I'm at school or work for more than six hours every weekday, would it be best to get a non-breeding pair or same-sex pair? Three: Will a same-sex pair work or will they not get along? Four: Should I purchase from a breeder or aviary, or is a regular pet store or even a rescue okay if I don't want to show the birds?(I'm all for rescuing pets and all of ours are rescued with the exception of the goldfish and mystery snails. Yes, that means I rescued a tetra guppy )

[wellingtoncdm]

For sweet and cuddly like you said you need a single hand fed bird. Having two hand fed birds together lets them bond with each other instead of you. I have a pair of cockatiels that are very bonded. The male was hand fed and is way friendlier than the hen who I bought from a breeder. He isn't sweet and cuddly anymore now that he is living outdoors with his true mate in a huge cage. In my opinion single hand fed birds require lots of attention and can be very needy. They may not like being alone for six hours or more but many many people do great with them. There are usually lots of unwanted cockatiels some of which are hand fed up for adoption.

[Hilary]

I was asked to pet sit a male-female pair of tiels a couple of years ago, and they never really cared for each other. She was from a breeder and was stand-offish, while the rescued male has turned out to be Mr Personality (repairmen and contractors especially LOVE Hank). I lost her about a year ago (yes, the "pet sitting" gig turned into a permanent home for them) and he actually seems happier by himself. I'm actually not home very much, but when I am I make a point of constantly stopping by to have a chat with him and he seems like a happy, well-adjusted bird. He does have another cage with two budgie girls nearby, but I'm not sure if they count as company.

Of course, all birds have different personalities, so take this for what it is - one person's experience. The female was also quite a bit older, so that may have made a difference in how they interacted.