Nymphicus hollandicus Cockatiel Review

Cockatiels make wonderful pets. They are intelligent, affectionate, and easy to care for. Each bird has it's own personality ranging from noisy and very out going to more reserved and quiet. They are good around kids and other pets and provide hours of entertainment. They come in a variety of color patterns and will live 15 to 20 years.

 With a little patience they can be taught to talk and whistle and do tricks. I am on my third cockatiel now. Whistles come easy to them and they all learned to talk to one degree or another. My second bird loved to do tricks. "Batman" was his his favorite trick. On his own or on command he would hang upside down in his cage and spread his wings until he got the praise he was looking for.

They like to be around people. In the wild they come in flocks of hundreds to thousands. As pets, we are their flock and they want to be with us. One of my birds liked to groom my mustache and put every hair where he wanted it. Given a chance they will sit on your shoulder just to be close to you.

Because they are so active they need a cage larger than a bird of their size would normally take. Fresh water daily is a must to keep them healthy. A cuttle bone, some grit, and cockatiel food is the rest of their requirements. A calcium block will help them keep their beak in shape and a small mirror will provide hours of entertainment for you and them. One of my birds had a best friend behind his mirror. They would bring each other sunflower seeds and talk to each other for hours. Sometimes they would have a fight and that was so funny but they would soon make up and be best friends again.

They should not be handled by younger kids who don't realize how they might hurt the bird but other than that they are a wonderful pet for the whole family.