They require a lot of time and attention. They will expect you to interact with them often. Buying a cage and making it a comfortable home for your Cockatiel is a very important issue that needs to be thought through with careful consideration. The cage and accessories you choose will, to a great extent, determine your relationship with your pet and your commitment to care for it. If, for some reason, your feel that your Cockatiel isn't happy in the cage you've Housing: Caging GalCaho cCkoactkiealtoo chosen, do not hesitate to buy a new one. Find a place to keep the cage before you buy it. Cockatiels are flock birds and the best place to keep the cage is in the midst of activity. Keep the cage in a room you and your family spend a lot of time in, but avoid the kitchen. Place the cage at eye level or higher as this will make the bird feel more secure. Ideally, you should buy the cage and other caging gear before bringing home your bird. Make sure that the cage you buy is big enough for your bird. Fully-grown cockatiels are about 13 inches (33 cm) long and cages for Parakeets or Finches won't do. Place the cage in an area out of drafts and sudden temperature changes. The bigger the cage, the better it is for your bird. The minimum requirements for a cage are 18 inches (46 cm) width x 18 inches (46 cm) height x 24 inches (61 cm) length. The bars should be at least 0.6 - 0.7 inch (1.5 - 1.8 cm) apart. If the bars are too far apart, they can get their Cage size GalCaho cCkoactkiealtoo heads stuck between them and will end up injuring themselves. Cages with finer wire and smaller spacing will not cause any problems. Choosing the right material for the cage is also very important. You will find cages made of different materials. Your Cockatiel will chew on the cage, so the material used should be non-toxic and not chewable. This rules out wooden and bamboo cages.Although these may look fancy, your Cockatiel will chew its way out of it. Wire cages may look drab and uninteresting; yet, they are inexpensive and best suited. Make sure you clean the metal cage with vinegar and water to get off excess zinc as it could poison your bird. Nowadays plastic-coated cages are popular and this is another option. Wild Cockatiels feed on the ground and will spend a lot of time on the cage floor. This is another reason why the cage should be wide rather than tall. Square cages are better than the round ones as they like to have corner to hide in. The floor should have a grate to keep them out of their droppings. GalCaho cCkoactkiealtoo You can cover the cage at night. This will not only keep the bird calm but will also give it a sense of security. To keep the bird from getting frightened at night, keep a night lamp of sufficient intensity near the cage and leave the cover slightly higher towards the side of the light. This will help your pet Cockatiel see through a night-fright. Light is the giver of life. And cockatoos are no exception. In the wild, they have open skies and canopies. There they take as much sunlight as they need, and at other times, cool off in the shade. Birds get their vitamin D from the U.V. rays of the sun. This is essential for the metabolism of calcium. In captivity, a full spectrum light serves this purpose. Every cage must have a full spectrum lamp hung at the end of the cage opposite to the nest box. Any time the bird needs to bask in sunlight, it sits under the light feeding or preening itself. No special effort need be made to darken the entrance to the cage box as the Cockatiel is used to living in open terrain. |