The Bird Cage-Cockatiels New Home

The Bird Cage: Cockatiels New Home

            The bird cage cockatiel’s love are large enough to flap around in.  Cage size is extremely important in the well-being of a cockatiel.  Imagine yourself being locked in a studio apartment-doesn’t sound fun does it?  The ideal cage is the largest cage you can afford, but at the same time meets the minimum space requirements.  If you are planning on housing more than one cockatiel, you definitely need a larger cage.  The bird cage for your cockatiel should have enough room for lots of toys, a bath, food, and flying.  Flying is very important to cockatiels.  A cage large enough to accommodate some flying can prevent respiratory diseases that are all too common.  The reason for this is that without flying the breast muscles are not used and become weak.  Depression can occur when they are not able to fly and can cause illness.  Most cockatiels should be allowed to leave the cage for a couple hours every day.  Some people don’t have time to just hold a bird for hours every day, but you can buy perch stands and let your cockatiel play on those.  This creates confidence and lets them spread their wings and have some fun. 

What’s in a bird cage cockatiel’s love?

Cockatiels love toys and ladders.  They especially love toys that make sounds.  Your cage setup should include food and water dishes and an additional water dish for bathing.  Cockatiel’s love to bathe and actually need to.  Bathing eliminates bird dust and helps clear their respiratory tracts.  Lots of cockatiels get extremely happy and vocal while bathing.  It’s very cute to see a drenched little bird playing around in a huge bowl of water.  Perches are equally important.  Perches should vary in size and diameter.  Often cockatiels that have lived in cages with the same sized perches develop extreme arthritis in their feet.  This can easily be prevented by providing different perch varieties.  A great perch is a bungee type perch that can be molded to fit your cage.  Manzanita branches are another great choice because no two branches are the same.  They are also nearly indestructible.  Manzanita is pricey, but it will last forever.  Other perches that are perfect for cockatiels are nail trimming perches.  These perches have rough surfaces and sand down cockatiel’s nails.  This really helps out with reducing the need for nail trims.  Cockatiel’s also use these rough surfaces to grind their beaks.  Often they will rub their beak right on the surface for some natural grooming.  Obviously, your cockatiel needs food too.  The best food is a pelleted diet.  In addition to that, you should provide another bowl that is just for fresh fruits, veggies, and grains.  Cockatiels love whole wheat toast, lettuce, and apples.  There are tons of other things you can put in your bird cage for cockatiels.  Make sure they aren’t toxic to birds though.  Cockatiels should never have avocado, caffeine, or chocolate.  There are other things that are toxic and you should make sure you know what those are.  The ASPCA poison control center website offers a ton of information on that topic.  Other than that, using common sense is key.  If a veggie is healthy for you, it probably is for your cockatiel too.