Your Cockatiel’s cage should be large enough to allow him to stand straight, flex his wings, and stretch, without touching any part of his body to the cage. A large Parakeet cage is sufficient if you leave the cage door open and allow him daily flights. However, due to his chewing habits (they like paper, lamp shades, matches and cigarette butts) it will not do him harm to trim his wings and let him stand on top of his cage, or on a play pen. He will vigorously flap his wings, often hanging head down, and in this way get enough exercise to keep him healthy.
A Cockatiel’s feet are larger than a Parakeet’s, and thus when the perches begin wearing down after repeated scrapings, they should be replaced. This not only prevents discomfort, but can eliminate a deformity. It is wise to have perches of various sizes in the cage.
Feed dishes should be large enough to hold a good daily supply of seed. They should be stationary enough so that he cannot knock them over, particularly the water cup. The bathing dish should be large enough for him to stand in and deep enough to cover at least half of his body. Once they get used to bathing, Cockies love their baths, and if at first they seem hesitant, a little lettuce floated on the water increase their interest.
Cockatiels love little toys and will amuse themselves for hours with bells, musical perches, etc. The males especially love mirrors and will talk and whistle incessantly to themselves. The females often become quite devoted and motherly toward the little toys that resemble baby birds.
The cage should be kept in a place where there are no drafts. It should be elevated from the floor. Cockatiels enjoy padding along on a carpet or the floor, but will not stay too long. They are perhaps more aware than we of the drafty condition there.
A cover should be kept completely around the cage at night. Birds do not see well in the dark and often become startled or frightened at strange sounds. They then begin to thrash around in the cage and can injure themselves by catching a wing on the cage bar, or they may spill their water and have to spend the night with dampness permeating the cage, a quick way to catch cold. The cover over the cage acts as an extra measure of security, and the Cockie soon learns that when the cover is on, it is bedtime and he will settle down and remain quiet during the night.
The cage and all seed dishes should be thoroughly cleaned at least once a week. Some dishes may have to be washed daily. A good system of cage cleaning is to put the whole cage in the bathtub, or in a large sink, full of water with a germicide. Care should be taken to get into all the cracks and between the bars of the cage where possible mites may be hidden. It is important that the cage be rinsed and completely dry before putting your bird back into it.
The perches should be scraped weekly. Never put damp perches where the birds have access to them. This can cause arthritis. Many pet shops are now offering “trees” which fit in the cage. These are somewhat difficult to clean with a perch brush, so it is wise to have two trees so that they may be scrubbed on alternate weeks, thus giving them a chance to be completely dry. They may also be alternated with perches.
A good commercial gravel paper should be placed on the bottom of the cage. Plain bird cage paper with gravel sprinkled on it will do nicely also. It is a simple matter to remove this paper as needed, thus preventing an excess of droppings from adhering to the bird‘s feet. Some bird cage papers are available in roll form in a dispensing box. These are very convenient.
