Are you a bird lover? While some love them big, others prefer the small, social, lovable, affectionate birds that won’t require much space. If you are such a person, then a cockatiel can be a good option. However, you are probably thinking of how to care for her once you become an owner. Is it hard to do so? In this article, we will consider some of the measures you can take to ensure you take care of them. Learn what to do from their feeding, health to the general care you can provide.
The healthy Diet of Cockatiel
Taking care of a pet animal involves being keen on what you feed her. However, you might ask yourself about the right diet. Well, you need to ensure your friend gets a balanced diet. This way, it can live up to 20 years, that’s a cockatiel lifespan. You can add some green and leafy vegetables, to the diet. Ensure you give your cockatiel specialized pellets of the right amount. The overall diet should contain 60 to 70% of these. Also, you can add some fortified seeds. To keep your little friend hydrated, ensure you provide her with adequate water. Before giving her water, just make sure that it is clean, filtered, and free from chlorine.
Also, you should change the water given to your cockatiel every day. Importantly, water is very important during her feeding. Therefore, ensure that you have some whenever you want to give her food. Plus, if some vegetables are left uneaten, do not leave them for long; ensure you discard them. You should only offer her treats that are less than 10% of the total food given during feeding. Also, it is important to know some of the foods to never feature in the diet of your cockatiel.
What you should avoid include avocadoes, seeds of fruits, chocolate, caffeinated drinks, and alcohol. They can cause harm to your pet. You should avoid giving your cockatiel treats with high fat or sugar content.
The Cage for Cockatiel
If you think of owning a cockatiel, you will have to think about the cage too. When buying, go for one which is around 2 feet high, 20 inches wide, and with a depth of 18 inches. However, you can also opt for a larger cage. Since you don’t want to poison your cockatiel with the cage, avoid one made of zinc and lead, consider stainless steel instead.
The cockatiel loves climbing. Therefore, give them some horizontal bars on the cage specifically for this purpose. You can also have perches in the cage so that they can climb easily. Furthermore, they will get excited from these exercises, therefore, don’t be scared to provide a good number of perches. Interestingly, out of the many perches available, you might notice your friend preferring one of them as her sleeping point. Nonetheless, inside that cage, you can incorporate some toys for playing with.
As the cockatiel can get bored, you can keep exchanging the toys, perhaps weekly. Therefore, ensure you have a cage spacious enough to accommodate not only the perches and toys but also the toys. The cage should allow them to freely move and flap their wings. You don’t want your pet to hit things over and over when in the cage, do you?
Additionally, ensure the door of her cage is wide enough so that whenever you want to return her, you don’t struggle much. Furthermore, you can spread newspaper on the floor of the cage to cover it. Therefore, a lot of care is needed even on the cage of the pet.
Their Health
Caring for your pet’s health is not easy. However, it is a step every pet owner should take. You wouldn’t want an unhealthy, sickly cockatiel around you, would you? Well, knowing whether the bird is healthy or not is a bit daunting. However, some signs can help you know that your friend is very okay. For example, if she is active, social, and alert, you shouldn’t worry. If you put food and some water in her cage and she eats throughout the day, you are safe. When you look at the beak, leg, and feet and see the normal color, then there is no reason for panic. Plus, if the vent is clean and dry, with the feathers well-groomed, your cockatiel could be very healthy. On the other hand, if you notice some swelling on the beak or eyes, coughs, runny stool, loss of appetite, you should be alarmed.
Some of the signs to make you worry include discharge from the nose or eyes, using one foot for sleeping all the time, and having soiled feathers. Therefore, whenever you see a warning sign, don’t hesitate to inform your veterinary doctor. the sooner you do so the better for you and your pet.
The Behavior
When you know how to act and handle a certain pet’s behavior, caring for it can be easy. On the other hand, if you administer whatever doesn’t go well with your new friend, she might not like it. In turn, you can feel like your efforts are worthless and that it is very hard to look after her. Well, if you own a cockatiel, the same applies. This bird is usually very vocal. However, they are a bit noisy but not to the level of the larger parrots. The males are considered to be noisier than the females, therefore, if you want some level of quietness, you can opt for the latter. Nonetheless, a cockatiel is better at whistling than talking, you need to be ready for the sounds often. When you understand the behavior of cockatiel and act accordingly, there are higher chances of you enjoying your journey in pet keeping.
Another interesting thing about these small lovable creatures is the fact that they get amused easily. With simple toys, you can enjoy their happy side. These fun moments can make you love caring for these birds. Therefore, have some toys in-store when you are thinking of owning a cockatiel, or if you want to make your playing sessions more fun. Furthermore, their curiosity part will be brought to life when you incorporate some playing materials. Allow them to explore what the surrounding provides for them.
If you ever think of social birds to keep, then cockatiel should not fail in that list. They love interacting with their fellows or even their owners. Suppose you get a pair of these birds, you will give them some nice time of enjoying their company. However, you should be careful so that the human bond is still intact despite them having partners. On the other hand, if you have one cockatiel, you can give her the needed interaction. This doesn’t have to be difficult. If you are simply in the same room as your bird, it can appreciate your presence. The interaction doesn’t have to be so complex.
If you are wondering how you can enjoy the company and what you can do, well don’t worry. A little petting on the feathers, talking to her can go a long way. Why not give them that opportunity to show you how social she can be? Therefore, if you want companions who will make you enjoy their company, you can consider cockatiel.
Hygiene and Maintenance Measures
When you have a pet, you need to keep hygiene in check. Whether it is about the pet or her habitat, all the maintenance measures should be taken care of. Well, you need to clean the cage regularly. The perches should be disinfected too and left clean. You can also have a replacement of the cage liner regularly, once every week or more often than that. The dishes in the cage should also be cleaned or replaced regularly, especially when broken. Plus, the toys used by your cockatiel need frequent cleaning and replacement when they are damaged or for new ones in the cage so that the pet isn’t bored.
Whenever you are cleaning, you should ensure that whatever cleaning agent you use does not affect your pet. Since the fumes in these cleaning products can be harmful, just use a small amount, do not overdo anything. Better yet, you can opt for a natural cleaning agent instead of going for those that you could be skeptical about.
Another measure you can take to ensure your cockatiel is cared for is taking a step of providing bathing water. You can offer her some lukewarm water with no chlorine for their bathing. Furthermore, their flight feathers should be clipped carefully, either by you or an avian veterinary. This act ensures your tiny friend isn’t injured and doesn’t escape.
It is hard to take care of a cockatiel
Cockatiels are small and lovely pets you can keep. They also have interesting personalities, and you might love their social nature. Furthermore, they can whistle for you too. however, you might wonder whether you can keep it or not. The big problem lies in if it is hard to take care of a cockatiel. As discussed in this article, there are aspects you can focus on to ensure this pet remains healthy and has an enjoyable life. In so doing, taking care of it becomes easy.
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