I'm getting a tiel, question?

[I Love Brian, Forever <3]

So, I can actually get a tiel!!!!

I have a question, though. Can't non-hand raised tiels make just a good a pet as a hand-raised one? My mom says I can only get a hand-raised one... but that's not the bird I 'fell in love with.' Plus, he's $30 more and I really believe I could teach the non-hand raised one to go on my finger when I held it out.

Do you think I should go with the hand-raised one? Thanks.

[popcornbird]

Popcorn and Muffin were not handfed babies, and you know how very tame they are. I actually know a couple of hand fed babies that aren't nearly as well behaved and obedient as them. As long as the bird's young when you get him/her, and you work with him from the start, there shouldn't be a problem. People usually prefer handfed so they don't have to go through the taming process, but personally, I enjoyed taming my birds, and what a reward I have in return. They are practically NEVER in their cage, and are always riding our shoulders, playing with us, giving us kisses, imitating us when we whistle to them, eat from our hands, so as you can see, they are just as tame and sweet as the best handfed bird would be. They also run after us when we call their names, and if we call them from upstairs and they don't see us, they answer. Its always the right bird who answers (the one who's name we call) so they know their names very well. They NEVER bite. Yes non-handfed birds can easily make as good pets as a handfed.

Just be careful since I know you have a cat, and be sure to keep them seperate. Good luck!

Ps. Popcorn and Muffin were 3 month old babies when I brought them home, so it was VERY easy to tame them. Be sure the bird you are getting is young in case you do not get a handfed one.

[ticosmyham]

I have one cockateil that is was hand raised and one that was not. Bob (the hand raised one) was very nice from day one.(still is!) and Chickie (not hand raised) was not so nice at first. But after a little time learning from Bob and a lot of bitten hands living through the pain (took a little while to get used to! lol), Chickie turned out to be a real sweetie! If you have patience and dedication to the bird, it should turn out just fine!

[tikeyas_mom]

I think you should get a hand raised one.

[I Love Brian, Forever <3]

Thanks, all for responding. Someone at my mom's work just said that if the non-hand raised birds are sold alone, they will be very unhappy birds for the rest of their lives, so they *MUST* be sold in pairs. Does that sound right to you all?

PCB, no worries, I will keep my tiel separate from my cats.
Another thing, PCB...? How can you tell how old the tiel is? AAAAAnd, can you teach them to talk? Thanks.

t_m, you think I should get a hand-raised one? Why? (Not trying to be all sarcastic, I just want your opinion. Thanks.)

[GoldenRetrLuver]

As you know, I have a 5 month old, cockatiel named Piper. I got him at Petco, and they said he was "hand fed". Well, I don't think he was. He was very shy, bit people, and wasn't a happy bird. Slowly, I started training him to be good. He's now perfectly tame, affectionate, and said "hello" a few days ago! Hehe...I love him! Piper also knows his name and looks up, everytime we call him... If you do decide to not get a "hand fed" cockatiel, lots of PATIENCE is required.

Oh, and be sure to get one only a few months old. They say, its easier to tame them.

Good Luck!

[tikeyas_mom]

I think you should get a hand raised one because they are nicer lol

I got Cheeko from a person for Free because she dint like him. he knew how to stand on your finger and whistle variouse tunes.

I wish I could pet and scratch cheekos cheeks and crest, but he wont let me without biting. I have tryed training him, but it was no use. Cheeko is ruffly 15-20 years old, and he has never been really tame (that I know of).

I think it woul be nice just to skip all the training and jump right into the fun petting and loving

I dont think untammed cockatiels should or MUST be sold together, Cheeko was alone for about 3 years befor we adopted Homer into our home, then he loved her and noone eles. When Homer Died A peice of Cheeko went with her . now he is sad and more agressive them befor.

I think you should get one male or female tammed cockatiel. But it is your choice.

[popcornbird]

Originally posted by I Love Brian, Forever <3
Thanks, all for responding. Someone at my mom's work just said that if the non-hand raised birds are sold alone, they will be very unhappy birds for the rest of their lives, so they *MUST* be sold in pairs. Does that sound right to you all?

PCB, no worries, I will keep my tiel separate from my cats.
Another thing, PCB...? How can you tell how old the tiel is? AAAAAnd, can you teach them to talk? Thanks.

Not true. Non hand-fed tiels do NOT need to stay in pairs. Tiels are birds, that when tamed properly, think they're humans and consider their humans as their *flock*. Smaller birds, usually do not stay happy enough as single birdies. They prefer having a friend, however cockatiels and other parrots love being around humans, and if they don't have a birdie friend, they most likely will not be so accepting of other birds. Popcorn and Muffin are 2, but they do NOT accept any other bird other than themselves. They think the only members of their flock are us the humans, and themselves, and whenever I take care of my friends' birds, they let them know that they aren't welcome in the flock. Single tiels are the same way. They usually don't like other birds if they've only lived with humans (which a bird will get used to living with you), although there are exceptions, usually with the less tame ones.

They will normally tell you how old the tiels are when you purchase them. At Petco, they have the hatch dates of every bird they sell. When we got Popcorn and Muffin, we were told they were 3 months old. They were smaller in size, had *baby feathers* which are kind of prickly because they aren't fully grown, and they had a baby voice as well, which matured as they grew up. Those are some of the signs, and most places sell their birds between the ages of 3-8 months, so they are normally young enough to successfully tame very well.

Tikeya's mom, handfed birds are nicer than non hand fed birds the day you bring them home, but they are no different than how a non hand fed bird becomes after proper taming and love. Your Cheeko was well into his adult years when he was given to you, which is why it is hard for him to change, especially when it seems he wasn't given enough love before he came to live with you. That doesn't mean hand fed birds are better than tamed non hand fed birds. When brought young and tamed young, they forget their *baby-hood* and come to think of their humans as their family, just as hand fed ones do from the start. Popcorn and Muffin LOVE getting petted and head scritches, and they are very well tamed and sweet. It took me only 2 weeks of working with them to get them like this, and they are just the sweetest little things now. It all depends on the way they are raised, more than if they were fed by hand during the first few weeks of their life. Popcorn and Muffin eat from our hands every day now anyway, so I guess I can call them *hand-fed*. LOL

Ps. Yes tiels can learn to talk and become very good talkers. The males are more likely to learn to talk or imitate whistles, while females are normally more cuddly.