Cockatiels

Cockatiels (Nymphicus hollandicus) are a member of the cockatoo family and are from Australia. They are a medium sized bird of about 13 inches head to tail that come in different colors of yellows, whites and grey tones with little orange, yellow or white cheeks. They are great beginner birds or an experienced bird owner who wants a more mellow type of personality while still having energy to play and socialize. If you have severe allergies to dusts or similar, a cockatiel may not be the bird for you due to them using a powder/dust on their feathers which “waterproofs” them and makes them soft.  See our other species of birds for those that do not have any “feather dust”. Those who must have this species will use an air purifier to help. The average lifespan is about 15 years but have seen anywhere from 10 to over 20 years old

We are registered with the National Cockatiel Society (NCS). All cockatiel babies are closed leg banded. We offer beautiful and sweet hand fed cockatiels for sale in North Texas area.

The cockatiels  go through training and learn to "Step-Up", recall, and sometimes even  giving kisses. This varies on each bird and how quick they learn.  Usually "Step-Up" is my priority before learning other tricks. Each baby  will have their wings clipped for easier training when arriving at  their new homes. This helps keep them out of places they should not be.  The early stages before weaning is the best time to socialize and handle  the babies, and they get one-on-one attention daily to ensure the best  possible new companion. At 8 to 10 weeks old they go to their new homes. 

All our cockatiels have some chewable toys, a swing, concrete or cuttlebone nail trimming perch of about 1/2" inch in width. Cuttle bones or mineral blocks are recommended if the bird is not eating pellets with high calcium, such as Roudybush. Hanging toys with wood or  ropes are a must so they have something to satisfy chewing urges. A larger cage is recommended so they can at least spread their wings  without bumping them into sides of cage, such as an 18" x 18" or 24" x  24" wide cage and larger. Bar spacing should be 1/2" or less. Most cages have slide up doors, unless it's a large parrot cage, so just be  mindful that you're baby may learn to get out so clips can be bought to put on doors if needed. The bigger the cage you can provide, the happier they are. Just make sure the bar spacing is not any bigger than listed above.

These babies will be weaned primarily on Roudybush Adult Maintenance pellets (crumble or mini size) and Higgins Vita Seed Cockatiel seed mix. We will give you a starter bag of pellets. If using a your own or different brand foods, use the one sized for cockatiels. If you can get seed with minimal sunflower or safflower instead, this is preferred to limit high fat content from sunflower seeds. The two can be mixed together with mostly pellets and some seed. The pellets are in mini or crumble sizes. Millet spray treats are their "comfort food" and recommend they have a small piece in their cage daily for first couple days upon arrival to their new home. We also use Nutri-Berries for treats.

Cockatiels also will eat fruits and vegetables such as strawberries, apples, bananas, peeled kiwi, mango, cranberries, oranges, grapes, grapefruit, broccoli, peas, carrots, green beans, kale and many others. Fresh, thawed frozen veggies, and dried are all acceptable. Sprouted seeds are also high in nutritional value. A separate dish just for fresh foods is preferred so it can be removed after a few hours to prevent spoiling of what is left over. Water bottles to hang on the cage are good for always having fresh water. Dishes are also good to have in case your little guy or gal wants to take a bath, too. 

Sometimes the cockatiel's gender can be determined depending on the colors of the parents and if they carry a sex-linked gene will be all female if that particular coloration, such as cinnamon, lutino and pearl. Some of our pairs are set up like this. The ones that are not will have to be DNA'd since at this young of an age it is difficult to distinguish between male or female until they are older. Pied mutations you may not be able to even know when they are older. So DNA testing is included in the price of our babies and is done by sending off a feather or blood sample.

• Normal, Whiteface, Pearl, Whiteface Cinnamon, Emerald, Whiteface Emeralds, Creamface Emerald, Albino (Whiteface Lutino), Lutino, Creamface, Pastelface, Recessive Silver, Whiteface Recessive silver, Dominant yellow cheek, Dominant yellow cheek recessive silver, heavy/clear pieds of all above mutations except DYC & Emeralds 
• $250 - $375 depends on mutation/quality

• Note: We may not get every mutation listed every year.
  (Price Includes DNA Testing to determine male or female)
• Disease testing is additional $55 for Polynoma, PBFD, Avian Borna Virus and chlamydia with 1-2  week wait.