TaKoda-Aviary.com
Title
Takoda Aviary
Contact
- SUSAN STONEMAN
-
Description
This is a general information section. It is continually updated with new articles and information. If you have any questions about cockatiels, their behavior, or their care, don't hesitate to ask!
We're not trying to convince anyone to get a bird - quite the contrary, we want everyone who leaves with one of our birds to fully understand and accept the responsibility of owning one of our birds. They are small parrots. That means they will imitate sounds, they will sing, they will make noise. While they aren't chirping 24/7, they can be quite loud at times. Birds are rather messy critters. When they bite into a pellet, some of it zings onto the floor, some zings into the cage, and some zings into their mouth. A cage guard helps a lot with keeping the mess down, but the best thing you can do is to buy deep food dishes. Parrots need to be played with regularly, or else they will become less tame and more apt to bite. I know it's exciting to have a new pet, but don't play with the bird for four hours in one day, and after a week become bored with it, and hardly let it out. Birds like to live on a schedule, so it helps if you play with them about the same amount each day. Cockatiels produce a fine white dander, which is perfectly normal and healthy. It is the sheaths that enclose new feathers, which slowly dissolve and become this powder. A light misting or regular bathtimes will help control the dust. I myself am allergic to about everything found outside, in addition to asthma, and I have no problem with the dust. Birds need fresh water everyday, and it needs to be changed whenever it becomes contaminated (ie, bird poops in bowl).
If you can't afford a bird, then don't own one! This can't be said enough. How many birds are in shelters, or are suffering terribly because someone "didn't have the money" to take it to the avian vet? Emergency vet care can cost $1000 or more. Are you in a financial spot to be able to pay for it? Sometimes things happen, where you become unemployed, or for some reason, have a lot less money. Then you need to think about what's best for the bird. Failure to take an obviously sick or hurt animal to the vet is a crime called neglect.
