Cockatiel

My cockatiels, Tinky and DeeDee, have been joined at the hip forever. Except for a brief period of introduction (the importance of quarantine was not emphasized back when I first started my flock), they have done everything together from the beginning, including sharing a cage.

For some time, they were housed with cockatiels Henry and Cocoa, who have since passed, and they lived in perfect harmony as cockatiels so often do. They were great together.

As I mentioned in a recent post, the two were not doing particularly well. Tinky had ...

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Male cockatiel, DeeDee

I took Tinky and DeeDee, the last two remaining of my flock of cockatiels, to the vet the other day. They are about 18 now and, though they have been in good health, I have been noticing the signs of old age approaching for some time.

Though he has been active and vocal and his droppings and appetite have been good, DeeDee hasn’t been himself lately. He has been extra moody (he’s always been a little moody) and I haven’t liked the way he has been perching: almost ...

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Cockatiel

I was on the phone this morning consoling a woman who had lost her beloved cockatiel earlier in the week. A mutual friend had put me in touch with her because they felt her story was one I should share with you…

Cindy purchased Benji the cocakatiel about 7 years ago from a pet store. She brought him home in a flimsy wire cage that was meant for a parakeet. It wasn’t long before Cindy and Benji became the best of friends and she went online in search of information about ...

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Blue and gold and military macaws

The different parrot families are divided into two broad categories: Old World and New World species. New world parrots, of which there are 148 species, are all parrots that are indiginous to Central and South America and Mexico (The U.S. no longer has a native parrot species.) Some popular New World species are the macaws, the amazons and the conures.

The 181 species of Old World parrots are those that are native to Asia, Africa and Australia. Among Old World species are the ...

pacific parrotlets

A questions that we often hear at Birdtricks is: “what is a good first bird to get?”. It’s a difficult question and one that I answer reluctantly. I will try to offer my opinion…

First, I want to say that I don’t really believe in “starter” birds. It is often said that a smaller bird is more suitable for the first time owner. I don’t entirely agree.

All birds are created equally. There is no one species of parrot that requires less care or commitment than the others. Every single species ...

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cockatiel

I got my first parrot, a precious cockatiel, back in the 80’s. When I left the store with my new pet, I was instructed to keep the cage clean and to feed fresh seed and water daily. I remember walking away thinking about how dull that diet seemed to be.
Not long after, I added a second cockatiel. I became enchanted with their outgoing personalities and found myself studying every move they made. I noticed right away how important it was to them to interact with the family so they ...

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