cockatiel info HELP!!!

i am getting a cockatiel on sunday(tomarow) from a lady that is sick and can no longer care for the bird. it is a female,all white. she talks. she says "lucy is a pretty bird" and whistles the wal-mart theam song. she is 10 years old. she comes w/ cage and everything.
i have a budgie female. will my budgie get along w/ this bird? the owner said i have to do something w/ her food. w/ the seed hulls. what would that be? how old do cockateils get? how long should i wait till i get her out of the cage,and hold her? i would love any info at all.

thanks,lute<><

Cockatiels are very gentle and doctile birds, so normally, they do get along ok with parakeets, but I can't say the birds will accept each other. That depends on the birds. Its important to remember its best to house them in different cages, but to allow playtime together under supervision. I have no clue what she means by doing something to the seed hulls. :confused: I've never done anything to my tiels' seed hulls. They open the seeds and eat them themselves. :) I believe you should ask the tiel's former mommy this question. Maybe the tiel has a medical problem that she needs help in opening the hulls or something..............I dunno. Let us know what she "meant" by that. Some good websites to look at for information:

www.cockatiel.org

www.cockatiel.com

Good luck and congrats on your new bird! Is she tame? Tame tiels can be the sweetest little things! Let us know how things go. I hope this helps.

The average lifespan of a cockatiel is 15-25 years, but they can live well into their 30s and some have even been known to reach their early 40s (I heard). I wish you many happy years to come with your sweet tiel! If she is tame, it shouldn't take long at all for her to adjust enough so you can hold her. My birds are extremely tame, but they tend to shy out from strangers, so it may take time if the birdie you are getting is shy from people she doesn't know. Check the websites out. You'll get good info from there! :D

thanks!
i will check them out. she is tame. i didn't know they lived that long!i will tell you once i find out w/ it is w/ the hulls.

i found out what the thing was about the seed huuls. i must blow all the seed hulls out throughout the day. Lucy (the bird) will not dig through them to get to the seed.it's kinda confusing.

anyway,the time of when we get her has moved to the next day. we are getting her on monday at 5:30. i can't wait.

she said that Lucy will ride on yer sholder through the house and loves to go outside.
wish me luck!!!

>lute<