The Tweet Life
Written By Christina Frank
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Tiel Trappings
- Depending on their color and whether they were hand-raised, tiels generally cost between $60 and $175.
- Buy the biggest cage you can afford and accommodate. The minimum size for a cockatiel is 18 x 18 x 24, and runs $60 to $100. Put the cage somewhere near the human flock, but where your bird can get 10 to 12 hours of undisturbed sleep, cage covered.
- Tiels will not thrive on seed alone. Their daily diet should also include pellets (a.k.a. birdie kibble), grains such as brown rice, and fresh green vegetables; millet spray is a treat.
- Things poisonous to tiels include avocado, chocolate, and many house plants. Another warning: Don't use nonstick cookware; when heated on the stovetop or in the oven, it releases a fume that is deadly to tiels. Scary, no? (For a list of other substances toxic to tiels, see the book below or exoticpetvet.net.)
- Tiels like to keep busy, so bring on the toys. Most of them love to chew and shred stuff, and there are many bird toys that will satisfy this urge.
- Our family relied heavily on Cockatiels for Dummies, by Diane Grindol, for info on caring for Hazel.
Fun Fact:
When they are content, cockatiels grind their beaks, which sound like a kid crunching hard candy. Once you realize it means they are happy, you come to love the noise.
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