The cockatiel, also known as the weero/weiro or quarrion, is a medium-sized parrot that is a member of its own branch of the cockatoo family endemic to Australia. They are prized as household pets and companion parrots throughout the world and are relatively easy to breed.
Cockatiels have the opposite life cycle, as many tend to thrive longer in captivity than in the wild. Their domesticated lifespan is higher than a parakeet's, averaging 12-15 years if not more. Parakeets can live a similarly long lifespan if given proper socialization, diet, and the ability to fly.
A well-cared-for cockatiel is a friend that can be around for a very significant chunk of your life. Up to 15 years should be very attainable given there are no genetic defects or unlucky accidents. In fact, even 20 to 25 years and up are not unheard of by any means for captive cockatiels!
With all of the mutation and sadly inbreeding, many cockatiels only live to around 12 years old. The oldest confirmed cockatiel was in his late 30's. It sounds like your guy is going strong so I wouldn't make any major changes. Regarding seed moths, you can freeze the bird food for at least a few days when you buy it.
In your absence, your pet cockatiel will certainly miss you. And once you're back, they will express their joy and excitement through various behaviors such as chirping, whistling, and flying around.
One-person birds are typically companion parrots that are one type of bird that often becomes attached to a single person. Other birds may also develop one-person personalities. These include macaws, Eclectus Parrots, African Gray Parrots, Amazon parrots, and cockatiels.
They are widely available as pets, and most cockatiels in pet stores are hand-fed and hand-reared. This means tame birds are well accustomed to being around humans and handled. Most tame cockatiels enjoy affectionate petting and will allow their keepers to scratch their heads.
A younger bird will have a shorter, more quickly growing beak and nails, while an older bird will have a longer, slower growing beak and nails. Moreover, the beaks of immature cockatiels seem larger as they are not covered by fur yet. The beak also gets more and more scuffed and worn out as a cockatiel grows older.
Another bird in another cage can offer some companionship. But once you cage birds together, they either bond as mates if opposite sex, or they bond closely even if the same sex. In the wild, cockatiels live in flocks, but only have one mate, and the mate is the only bird they have close contact with.
Cockatiels need about 10-12 hours of sleep during the night. In addition to this, however, they will take short naps throughout the day. This is normal for a healthy bird, so you do not have to worry about excessive sleeping.
As the days get longer, cockatiels tend to take afternoon naps. Most people who live with cockatiels can attest to this seasonal behavior. Birds need 10-12 hours of solid, uninterrupted sleep, which might be more than he is getting if you cover him up when you go to bed and wake him up when you get up.
You should not leave a cockatiel or a pair alone for more than 6 to 8 hours. However, if you have a large aviary with many birds, you can stretch this time to a couple of days. Adding a new substitute to check on them can also stress them out.
Like most parrots, cockatiels are also capable of talking.
It is not necessary to cover bird cages at night. Sometimes a bird prefers it, sometimes it is needed to limit daylight when you have a bird who won't stop laying eggs. But for now, there is no need to cover their cage at night. Cockatiels do better with a nightlight, too, because some can be prone to night frights.
They are very affectionate and often like to be petted and held, though they're not necessarily fond of cuddling. Instead, they simply want to be near their owner and will be very happy to see you. You will also find Cockatiels to be playful and active.
Spend about an hour with the bird in the morning and fit in another hour of interaction between the first session and dinner. Spend another hour or two with your cockatiel after dinner. At the very least, cockatiel owners should provide their cockatiels with one-to-one attention for two hours a day.
Cockatiels do not necessarily need to live in pairs. If your new bird is tame and likes to be handled, then you are her companion. At her age, it would not be a good idea to get a male, because you don't want to encourage her to breed.
Birds can get jealous and territorial, but with the right steps, it is possible to ease the tension and counteract your bird's jealously. Small birds can often become jealous of another bird in the household, a family member, or even one of his toys!
Don't ever grab your bird or force him to step up onto your arm. You can ruin a good relationship by making a bird do something he doesn't want to do. In fact, you can actually teach a bird to bite by not paying attention to his body language when he is trying to tell you no.
These particular species have an average life expectancy of around 20 years with quality care. The average life expectancy for a human is around 80 years. So one could say a cockatiel that is 10 years old is actually around 40 years old in "human years." It's true the cockatiel is middle-aged at that point.
It's very simple: you can't punish a cockatiel for bad behavior, whether it's biting, screaming or anything else you may not appreciate. Yelling, prodding, shaking the cage, slapping, taking away food and similar actions simply do not work.
Don't sexually arouse your cockatiel.
For most birds, this means petting them in places other than their heads. In particular, you should avoid stroking the wings or base of the tail, even if your bird seems to enjoy being petted in other areas.
Male cockatiels often beg for petting, then bite when they've had enough or bite to let their owners know that they want to be petted and scratched. Others do not want to be petted at all and will bite if you reach for its head.