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Wow how beautiful they are never remember seeing one. There Probably is still faint color markings on the bird to tell them apart. Also vets can sex them but it seems like a lot of trouble for a pet bird. I would put a Band-Aid or a string or something around your finger so he’ll wanna pick and play with it to get his head down. You don’t want him to be afraid of your finger. Millet seed they love. I just refresh mine a few kernels of that every now and again it’s supposed to be a treat without a lot of nutritional value, some birds like it more than others and you can use it as a training treat. Mine also like to be sprayed overhead with a spritzer of water they start spreading out their wings and giving themselves a wonderful bath. There are some great quality mixes some have dried fruit in it already in the better bird stores. It’s been almost 30 years since I’ve raised birds, so double check but I would think you could give them freeze dried fruit and you won’t have the messy cleanup. But it again doublecheck on that freeze dried I’m not sure if that’s good or not. What great fun you’re going to half. Oh also I would Google bird tricks You might be able to get a baby ball and have them put it in a basketball hoop
With regular white face cockatiels there is no orange patch. Males have a white head and females don't, with the exception of some white-face Pied and Pearl varieties.
Although it depends on the personality of the bird, Cockatiels are generally easier to train.
They are also calmer, less noisy, more likely to talk, sweeter/more affectionate. However they cost more, require a larger cage and demand a lot of attention.
If you want easy to tame, get a hand fed baby. Another big cost jump, but they come super tame from day 1 and as long as you continue to handle them and work with them remain tame.
Keep in mind, a cockatiel can live 35 years, so it is a lifetime commitment.
I have seen extremely tame parakeets who talk up a storm, but that is very rare.
Hand taming a cockatiel and teaching them "step up" usually takes less than a month. Hand fed babies will generally step onto your finger from day one as long as you reinforce their training immediately and consistently.
Be aware, they will poop on your shoulder and may tear earrings out of pierced ears. They will pick at any moles or other defects on your skin, might pluck out hairs. Some will barf seeds into your nose or mouth. They also may bite you hard enough to draw blood if you **** them off (like by ignoring them or going on vacation). A cockatiel needs attention at least a couple of times a day for a hour or more. Parakeets tend to do better with less attention, but if you want them to stay tame and trained, it requires daily attention.
With either type you will need to keep their wings and nails trimmed. Both to protect you and to protect them.
Learn to clip your own wings. The vet charged a bundle. I was nervous at first but if you look at the diagram of how you will See where you are supposed to trim. A lot of times I would trim not very much at all just enough so they couldn’t fly out of the house or get in trouble when they were out of their cage. And only one side. And come to think of it I think freeze dried fruit would be OK because it is in some birdseed
Learn to clip your own wings. The vet charged a bundle. I was nervous at first but if you look at the diagram of how you will See where you are supposed to trim. A lot of times I would trim not very much at all just enough so they couldn’t fly out of the house or get in trouble when they were out of their cage. And only one side. And come to think of it I think freeze dried fruit would be OK because it is in some birdseed
I don't believe I'll clip it's wings, I've read that flying around gives the bird a lot of good exercise, and to me that gives the birds good mental health as well and healthy outlook...always felt the same way about all my pets, horses and dogs.....they need to run and play and exercise? I guess it totally depends on the individual perspectives and life style?
Unclipped birds in a home are far more vulnerable than in the wild. For instance, ceiling fans, glass windows, hazards in the kitchen, house pets, open doors/windows, small children, etc. Don't forget about them leaving droppings around the house or potentially chewing on electrical cords/furniture.
With a big enough cage, the bird will have enough room to open their wings fully and flap around. For instance, I have a Senegal parrot in a cage large enough for an Amazon parrot or a cockatoo. Buy your bird plenty of toys for hanging in the cage or buy a playpen for them when they are out of their cage. Unclipped birds who can fly freely are an accident waiting to happen IMHO. No problem taking them out for playtime with you but not unwatched.
^^^A nice compromise is to clip off just 1/8-1/4" off of the first 3-4 primaries on each wing (same length removed from each feather, on both sides, of course). That way the bird can flap around a bit in the room, but can't really build up enough speed and lift to fly into serious trouble.
Oh, and OP, if you have Teflon cookware, get rid of it NOW!!! When Teflon overheats, it breaks down and releases a toxic gas that are absolutely deadly to birds. You will also want to give up the use of scented candles and plug-in air fresheners. If you have a self-cleaning oven, use the self-cleaning cycle only in the summer months when you can keep all the windows open, and be very careful with other cleaning products that may generate fumes. Needless to say, if you plan on repainting any rooms, the birds need to be elsewhere until the paint has thoroughly dried and the room has been aired out. Birds are extremely sensitive to fumes of all sorts.
Unclipped birds in a home are far more vulnerable than in the wild. For instance, ceiling fans, glass windows, hazards in the kitchen, house pets, open doors/windows, small children, etc. Don't forget about them leaving droppings around the house or potentially chewing on electrical cords/furniture.
With a big enough cage, the bird will have enough room to open their wings fully and flap around. For instance, I have a Senegal parrot in a cage large enough for an Amazon parrot or a cockatoo. Buy your bird plenty of toys for hanging in the cage or buy a playpen for them when they are out of their cage. Unclipped birds who can fly freely are an accident waiting to happen IMHO. No problem taking them out for playtime with you but not unwatched.
^^^A nice compromise is to clip off just 1/8-1/4" off of the first 3-4 primaries on each wing (same length removed from each feather, on both sides, of course). That way the bird can flap around a bit in the room, but can't really build up enough speed and lift to fly into serious trouble.
Oh, and OP, if you have Teflon cookware, get rid of it NOW!!! When Teflon overheats, it breaks down and releases a toxic gas that are absolutely deadly to birds. You will also want to give up the use of scented candles and plug-in air fresheners. If you have a self-cleaning oven, use the self-cleaning cycle only in the summer months when you can keep all the windows open, and be very careful with other cleaning products that may generate fumes. Needless to say, if you plan on repainting any rooms, the birds need to be elsewhere until the paint has thoroughly dried and the room has been aired out. Birds are extremely sensitive to fumes of all sorts.
Oh, and OP, if you have Teflon cookware, get rid of it NOW!!! When Teflon overheats, it breaks down and releases a toxic gas that are absolutely deadly to birds.
Glad you brought that up. I learned about the hazards of Teflon and birds the hard way in the 1990's. We had an external nursery building for our bird farm that we bought a new space heater to keep warm. At the time, the hazards of Teflon were not well known and we were not aware that many new heaters have the heating coils coated in Teflon. We plugged in the heater in the building with at least a dozen or more baby birds that were all dead within 30 minutes. The manufacturer denied any defect and we did not have the assets to consult an attorney. That was a tough lesson learned.
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