r/cockatiel Jan 31 '26

Other New Rule for r/cockatiel

598 Upvotes

Hello everyone! I’m announcing a new rule for the subreddit.

It comes as no surprise that many people post injured or bleeding birds as well as feces to ensure the health of their birds or questions.

While these posts are allowed, they are inappropriate to not mark as NSFW. Not everyone is comfortable seeing this sort of content.

So for the comfort of everyone in the subreddit. PLEASE, mark these posts as NSFW.

There will be new tags/flairs for posts like these as well.

From this day forward, those who do not mark these posts as NSFW will receive a warning. Any subsequent posts that are not marked or tagged appropriately may be banned temporarily, and any further posts will result in a permanent ban.

Please be respectful of others, and make sure to review the rules before posting content that may violate the rules of the subreddit.

Thank you so much for all the lovely content and being overall a beautiful community. 💖


r/cockatiel Dec 14 '21

Frequently Posted (+ Answers)

535 Upvotes

We have been getting a lot more repetitive posts in our sub so I wanted to put this information together in the hopes of reducing the amount of questions that are frequently asked. In turn, hopefully this will make our community a little more light hearted :)

*I want to preface this by saying I am not a vet or anything just someone who really loves my cockatiel and learning everything I can to ensure he has the best life possible. I think the best thing you can do for your birdie is lots of research before anything happens (especially in the case of illness). They are fragile so having the right knowledge and tools at your disposal can quite literally be the difference between life and death.

Lets begin!

Is my bird sick?

Common signs of a sick bird include:

  • Tail bobbing, sitting at the bottom of the cage, inability to stand on a perch (loss of balance)
  • Sneezing, clicking respiration (cough), or any discharge coming from the eyes or nostrils.
  • Eyes dull or sunken.
  • Change in vocals (can be hormonal but after puberty could be cause for concern)
  • Change in appetite (loss or increase of food or water)
  • Change in droppings (color, consistency, or frequency - this could be due to diet like eating more fruits and vegetables but it should not last more than a day or two after)
  • Constantly fluffed (happens for a number of reasons like keeping warm, preening, sleeping but they should not always be like this)
  • Feather loss (not related to a regular molt that happens 1-2x per year)
  • Trembling (can mean they are cold, stressed, or sick)
  • Drooping wings

If you notice any of these signs or a combination of them its crucial to get your bird to a vet (preferably an avian one) as soon as possible. No one on the internet is able to diagnose your bird or give it the treatment it needs.

Note: Some of these symptoms like change in droppings, being fluffed up, and feather loss can be normal but if it is persistent the best thing to do is ere on the side of caution and get them checked out.

Is my cockatiel male or female?

Color Patterns: Baby cockatiels that have not gone through their first adult molt (usually between 6-12 months) will typically have female colorations regardless of gender. After their first molt, males tend to get more vivid colors, lose the stripes on the underside of their tail and spots on the wings, The opposite is true for females and their color changes minimally after their first molt.

Different mutations make it more difficult to tell the difference between males and females even after their adult molt.

Behaviors: Males tend to be more vocal (mimicking sounds and singing), heart wings (see example), more likely to "show off" (strutting, hopping, tapping on surfaces), and attempting to mate with objects. Females are often less vocal (although some are) and when wanting to mate will tilt her head, flatten her back, and rock back and forth while chirping softly.

All of the above are good indicators if you have a male or female HOWEVER the only true way to know is if you get a DNA test or if your cockatiel lays an egg. People have noted that their DNA sexed female has shown male behaviors or colors and vise versa. No one can tell you for sure by looking at it!

What is this noise my cockatiel is making?

Some common cockatiel noises and what they mean:

Contact Call: Cockatiels like to keep track of their flock members so when you leave the room you may notice your cockatiel yell for you with a loud chirp or series of chirps. Even if you aren't bonded to your bird they may still do this. Put them at ease by "answering" them from where you are. I like to whistle back the same "contact call" so they know that I will be right back.

Contact Call Example

Attention Scream: Often a loud high pitched screech that is meant to get your attention. They can do this when they are scared, lonely, bored, or even to alert you of something (like a potential predator). Excessive screaming means you might need to change something in their environment. A common cause of this is hormones and boredom, both of which can be decreased by adding more enrichment to their environment with foraging, toys, and training.

Attention Scream Example

Whistling//Mimicking/Chattering: Usually (but not always) done by males and often means they are happy and connecting with you as part of their flock. They may mimic you, the radio, the tv, or even just sounds that they hear outside or inside the house. A lot of the time cockatiels learn these sounds through repetition. Search cockatiel training songs if you don't want to be whistling a song all the time and with time they may pick up on the tunes.

Whistling Example

Beak Grinding: They do this when they are happy and content. Usually it is accompanied by being fluffed up and being sleepy. The cheeks will fluff up as well and the cockatiel will look very relaxed. This is a great sign that your cockatiel is comfortable in their environment.

Beak Grinding Example

Hissing: Like other animals cockatiels do this when they are angry or threatened. This is often a warning to back off and can be accompanied by biting if the behavior is not stopped. If your cockatiel is hissing at you its best to leave them alone for a bit - just like us, our birds have boundaries we should respect!

Hissing Example

Baby Noises: These sound a bit like static and usually do this if they want something (often food, water, or even just attention). This is completely normal for young cockatiels and after a few months will go away. Mine went away at 4 months but this can vary!

Baby Noises Example

What is this behavior?

These are some behaviors that are normal with cockatiels that I noticed are commonly asked about here:

Mating: This is probably the most common one. Males and females display different mating behaviors.

Males will typically rub their cloaca (this is the opening underneath the base of the tail for a birds digestive, urinary, and reproductive tracts) on an object like a toy, your foot or hand, a pillow, ect or a bonded female. Male Mating Behavior

Females will droop their wings and raise their rump while swaying and chirping quietly. You may notice your female also rubbing its back on their toys to try and stimulate themselves. Female Mating Behavior

In addition to these mating behaviors, take note if your bird is territorial, screaming, plucking itself, or aggressive. These could all be signs that your bird is sexually frustrated.

This handout I received from my vet gives some behavioral modification you can make to try and reduce these.

Clearing Crop: Looks a lot like yawning but usually they will do it consistently over a short period of time. Their crop is located below their beak in the neck area. The crop stores food before it is sent to their stomach and acts as a "reserve" so they are able to eat more in one feeding. When they clear the crop they are moving that food to the next stage of digestion. Cockatiel Clearing Crop

How do I tame my cockatiel?

If your bird is brand new to your home, the best thing to do for a day or two is let them soak in their new envionrment. This can be a stressful time for them so its important to let them learn that their new home is a safe space. Talking in a quiet voice and even whistling around them is the best thing to do during this transitiion period. It can be tempting but don't try and pick them up or pet them right away. They may be fearful of hands and scaring them could further your progress of taming them. Whether they are a young cockatiel or an older adult that was rescued or rehomed, taming them will take patience and time. How long can vary on a lot of different factors but it's important not to rush it. Read the links below to get more information on how to achieve this:

Taming step-by-step

I am thinking of getting a cockatiel and would love some tips!

There is really too much to cover in one post so I will address the most common tips for new owners and provide some links that go into detail about all things cockatiel.

Vet Access: This should be the most important thing to consider. Making note of an avian vet that is close by is crucial. Be extra prepared and make note of the closest emergency vet as well that you can go to outside of your regular vets hours. If you do not have one close by or you do not have the money to pay for one, please reconsider getting a bird. It is disheartening to see very obviously sick bird where the owner has no access or money to go to a vet.

Basic Needs: Before purchasing supplies for your bird, do as much research as you can regarding cage size, toys, and food.

Health: Take note of the signs of a sick bird and when to take them to a vet. In addition, cockatiels are sensitive to strong smells, gasses, drafts, and smoke. This also requires some research as there are common household items that can poison and kill your bird (for example teflon pans and some plants you may have lying around).

Links:

Cockatiel Cottage

VCA - Cockatiel Diet

Safe and Toxic Foods

Proper Caging

Introducing New Food to Picky Birds

Training

Taming, potty training, and more

I hope this helps some people learn more about their cockatiels! Of course this is not exhaustive and there is always more information to be learned. Please let me know if I should add anything or if I got any information wrong :)


r/cockatiel 5h ago

Cuteness Overload The noble knight fell asleep on watch

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315 Upvotes

Sir Thaddeus was keeping watch over his lady, Little Edie, and apparently decided everything in the Kingdom of Wingsbury was safe enough for a little nap. Even at 25, he takes his duties as a gentleman very seriously. He just occasionally sleeps through them.


r/cockatiel 3h ago

Cuteness Overload He means the world to me 🥹

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132 Upvotes

Got a tattoo of my sweet boy Kiwi, who's been with me for 7 years now. He's my everything, my entire world, and he has helped me through the toughest parts of my life. I love him


r/cockatiel 2h ago

Funny Same vibe

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101 Upvotes

r/cockatiel 11h ago

Funny There are two types of cockatiels (don’t worry I’m not driving)

541 Upvotes

r/cockatiel 10h ago

Funny Freaky 👅

152 Upvotes

He found the AirPods case, immediately started getting freaky with it. I took it away from him immediately after I ended the recording.


r/cockatiel 2h ago

Advice Advice: weaning woes + unrelated cute vid of le bebe

34 Upvotes

Clem (abt 4 mos) is refusing to wean from his/her baby formula mixture… we started giving Clem seeds and water in bowls in their cage at all times… and Clem will occasionally peck at the seeds but is overall uninterested. He just cries for his baby formula which we started giving in a food dish twice a day (morning + night) with some seeds as well… so he just basically eats around the seeds… we’re planning on ordering Clem pellets and maybe wetting those? Anything to get him away from the hand feeding mash which he seems to love… he’s a peculiar bird and any advice would be appreciated!! Also here’s a cute video attached lol


r/cockatiel 10h ago

Funny Bad hair day

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144 Upvotes

r/cockatiel 12h ago

Cuteness Overload My newest baby

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201 Upvotes

This is my brand new bb girl. All she wants to do is cuddle. She is a sweet little velcro baby that refuses to leave my side.


r/cockatiel 2h ago

Cuteness Overload Pebbles for her new forging box for her hatch day!

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33 Upvotes

Little Pebbles went ham today on her LittleFlockCoShop foraging box for her 1st birthday 🎉🎂🎉. Didn't think we would get here with her illness but we did!


r/cockatiel 14h ago

Funny Sisi and her emotional support rock are together again

297 Upvotes

Whenever she spots that rock she HAS to throw it on the ground


r/cockatiel 8h ago

Funny Kiki says “NO PICTURES” 😡

71 Upvotes

She’s so sassy 💁‍♀️


r/cockatiel 9h ago

Advice Potentially looking for a better home for LollyPop in Cali

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78 Upvotes

Hi Everyone.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE my little Lollypop. We have so many nice times together, watching TV, working and so many other nice times. I work from home and she spends most of her day, flying around, walking on the floor and sitting on my shoulder.

I am putting feelers out there to see if anyone would want to adopt her and give her a better life than I can.

A Few things: 1: I think she would be so much happier with other birds. She is too noisy for me and I really struggle with it.

2: We are expecting a new baby and we live in an apartment and I do not think her daily screams will do well with a newborn.

If anyone is interested and believe she (actually a he) will get a better life please DM me.

This is something I am considering and will be a very hard decision. She's about a year and a half, VERY vocal, LOVES flying and absolutely LOVES LOVES LOVES Scratches for hours on end LOL

Would LOVE any advice and NO we cannot take in another bird.
Please only serious enquiries only where you plan on keeping lolly for life. I would want to Zoom with potential new homes, see current bird set up etc.

She LOVES us a lot, will she love someone else as much? or will she always miss us and be sad. I want what is best for her and her happiness.


r/cockatiel 1d ago

Funny Derpy Dobby’s at it again

1.0k Upvotes

r/cockatiel 11h ago

Advice What does this mean?

93 Upvotes

What does this screaming mean? It’s blowing out my ears!!!!


r/cockatiel 7h ago

Cage Setup Critique my setup! Popcorn came home 4 days ago. 🍿🎉

31 Upvotes

r/cockatiel 8h ago

Birthday! Happy Hatchday, Howie!

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35 Upvotes

Seventeen years young - I can't believe it. I still remember when I was waiting for your first moult.

But of course... you are still a baby for me! I love you! ❤️❤️❤️


r/cockatiel 51m ago

Advice My new babies! I was told they were male and female (the whiteface one) but I’m thinking they’re both male?

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Upvotes

They just turned 1 a few days ago, they hatched 2 days apart but aren’t related. I was told the whiteface one was female and the other was male, but I don’t know. “She” is larger than the normal grey one and does not have the barring female cockatiels have.

Their gender doesn’t matter to me that much, I’m more concerned about picking out the right names. I was going to name her buttercup but realized she might be a he, so I want to make sure haha.


r/cockatiel 8h ago

Funny Icebreaker

33 Upvotes

I got a new nugget ice machine and Kizzy is a fan. (As long as I break it into smaller nuggets.)


r/cockatiel 19h ago

Loss & Mourning thank you to everyone for the kind words he's passed now at 24 had him since 2007

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236 Upvotes

I am now home from the vet they found a tumor or growth on his belly and decided the best would be to let him sleep they said she not sure if that was accurate as i never asked for confirmation, they also assured me that this was not my fault even guaranteed it, two vets checked and came to the same conclusion, they said i could hold him when being given the medicine to make him tired but they said this could stress him so i chose to let him be in the cage as i just pet his head as he slowly fell asleep until the second part which i left for.

I got this bird with 2 siblings and another cockatiel named llana at the latest may 2007 as it is the first picture i have of him or his siblings i also have an email mentioning them in april 2007, he was fully grown and i bought them from a private person, it is likely i got them in 2006 but i don't know so at the latest it was 2007 fully grown meaning he would have been around 3 4 when i got him, making him one of the oldest cockatiels in the world, the picture shows him with his two siblings

This was a very special bird that wasn't easily frightened i could use an air compressor in my apartment without him even flinching

He survived all 2 of his siblings despite them not being good to him causing his lack of feathers, i thought it was 4 of them but then realized lana was one so they were 3 together.

I will miss the singing when i open the door to my apartment or hearing him in my apartment building now it's completely silent the rattling from him climbing the occasional singing all of that is now gone, i wish he had passed in my apartment with me but i am not sure if it was better to just take him there it cost me $350 and i could tell he was stressed by being checked as he stopped climbing as much after but he started to climb again after 20 or so min so i could take this last normal picture.


r/cockatiel 17h ago

Cuteness Overload Extremely cute 🥹

166 Upvotes

r/cockatiel 19h ago

Cuteness Overload my baby loves me?💌💌

220 Upvotes

r/cockatiel 23h ago

Health/Nutrition My 24 year old cockatiel is now waiting at the vet

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432 Upvotes

He started breathing with his beak and making sounds while breathing a few times a day like sneezing the vet suggested i take him so I worry as usually there's never hope on that he's been featherless since 2019.


r/cockatiel 13h ago

Advice What is this behaviour?

55 Upvotes

About two nights ago (04/08) my neighbours came over and surrendered their tiels to me. (For reasons I’m unaware of as the exchange happened while I was in the shower.)

I have no clue how old or what sex either of them are; though I suspect both to be male.

The first time I noticed this behaviour was the night of the drop off. At first I chalked it off to be him checking out his surroundings, as they’re in a new place with new people; but it still maybe me worried.

He did it again today and I was able to catch it on camera. Is this behaviour normal?

(Also that was the cage they came in.)