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How much would I be looking at to get a cockatiel?

  • 19-01-2013 4:08am
    #1
    BetterThanThou
    Registered Users Posts: 944 ✭✭✭


    I've decided to get a bird, I love animals, and I've got time to take care of one, I remember I had a cockatiel when I was younger, which I really liked, so, I think I'll get one of them.
    To be honest, I don't really want to go and get one from a breeder, how much would they generally cost out of a pet shop?
    I'm not looking for a huge cage, but, adequate size for an average cockatiel, obviously then, there's cage lining, food, food dishes, what would I be looking at on average? And what kind of maintainance costs would a cockatiel have?


Comments

  • #2
    EireIceMan
    Closed Accounts Posts: 419 ✭✭EireIceMan


    Hand tame out of a petshop, around 160e as opposed to about 90-120 from a breeder.
    Hand tame ones in the petshop are often not tame. They are brought in tame from a breeder and put in a cage and left there. At least with a breeder you know they've had contact right up until you take over.
    Untame about 90 from petshop, 40-50 from breeder


  • #3
    pawrick
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,728 ✭✭✭pawrick


    Breeder selling tame pied male Cockatiels 35 euro each currently on Irishparrots.com website - if you price around you will get them for around that price especially if a little older. Ask there and you should be able to pick one up (I am not a breeder btw just a member of the site)

    Always try and get hand tamed birds - I have one hand reared parrot and one "tame" - there is a world of difference between how comfortable they are with people. Also if possible go visit the breeder to see the conditions they are kept in/find out about them if possible. Don't pay money to someone who doesn't care for them properly.

    Also zooplus.de has really good cages a prices petshops here can't match (zooplus has an Irish site too but it's generally pricier)

    2nd hand is also an option on adverts.ie etc.


  • #4
    Sigma Force
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,132 ✭✭✭Sigma Force


    I doubt cockatiels are being sold for that high a price are they? Pet shops are not the way to go OP. Before you get the bird you will have to fork out for a decent cage most of the pet shop cages are too small. You need something that the bird can move about and actually fly from one end to the other in, anything else is too small, avoid round cages. Zooplus has the best offers for cages..takes a while for delivery so best to get the cage set up long before you get any bird. The zooplus cage I got comes with 3 stainless steel bowls, perches (not great but you can replace them as it's important to have cages of various widths), the top can open up and the side so easy to clean and on castors.

    You don't need to fork out for cage lining, unless the bird chews a lot on the cage lining you can use regular newspaper..have done for years.

    Food is cheap but do buy a good quality food probably only cost under a fiver a month for the seed but do check out northernparrots website there's lots of food options on it and it'll give you more detail on diet you don't have to buy from there but they have a large range that you can look through.

    Fresh food isn't dear they are small birds so don't eat much but where you can do buy organic. There's an excellent website called cockatiel cottage which will give you info on safe foods, and recipes as well as general cockatiel care.

    My advise is to get a cage that is on castors so you can move it around the house. If you buy second hand then make sure you disinfect the cage and it's clean and dry before use and don't use second hand chew toys or perches. You can make your own perches with apple branches as long as they haven't been treated with chemicals of any kind.

    General day to day care of a tiel is very cheap the cage is the most expensive output but after that they are cheap to look after.

    Saying that you do need to have access to an avian vet, if you don't have a 24 hour experienced vet in your area then don't get one because if a bird becomes ill they go downhill very quickly. Vet costs aren't usually too pricey but an annual check up is advisable like with any pet, but keep a little by for unexpected vet visits if you can.

    Sometimes tiels are looking for new homes, our cockatiel came from a home where they didn't have the time for him anymore. So worth asking around. Ours isn't fully hand tamed but we just take him for who he is if he wants to come over to us he can.


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