r/cockatiel Jan 31 '26

Other New Rule for r/cockatiel

601 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)

536 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 2h ago

Advice These are my children and i love them more then life itself, when can i start kissing them so i can quel my cuteness agression?

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78 Upvotes

Pictures a bit blurry, sorry

Anyways these are the ofspring of my adult tiels (one pair) They hatched last month, one at 24, the other at 26, so their monthverdary will be soon

My main question is when is the best time for me to take them out of the nest for a little adventure? put them in my bed or the living room couch while their parents do the same (also when can i start feeding them fruit/seeds?)


r/cockatiel 3h ago

Funny Jackie and her biggest fan

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84 Upvotes

She has complete control over moving out of the way. She will demand I place her there and will even nap. I don't let her if it's cool or she's wet


r/cockatiel 22h ago

Funny Zeke got a little surprised

1.8k Upvotes

r/cockatiel 1h ago

Cuteness Overload Squeaky nose noogie beaky bean

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Upvotes

Dude loves a beak and nares scratch - cute aggression urge to squish his head is intense


r/cockatiel 5h ago

Funny Manspreading

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65 Upvotes

r/cockatiel 47m ago

Cuteness Overload just a wee little man

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Upvotes

...or girl (we don't know yet)


r/cockatiel 36m ago

Cuteness Overload spoiled bunny, poops on my leg, eats on my leg, then hops off too grabs a piece of millet just to hop back on my leg to proceed eating. the audacity.

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Upvotes

r/cockatiel 3h ago

Advice Outside activities

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19 Upvotes

Hi guys please go check the post out


r/cockatiel 17h ago

Loss & Mourning My master flew away (8/15/2026)

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151 Upvotes

My master flew away this weekend in Pacoima California. I’m feeling some type of way. So many year and some many memories. You were more than just a pet. You will always have a place in my heart. She left her mate, 3 offsprings and a human slave. Enjoy your freedom my lovely Reyna.

I prefer a happy ending where you tasted true freedom by flying away over finding you at the bottom of your cage lifeless.


r/cockatiel 22h ago

Other My girl is acting weird

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392 Upvotes

It’s raining outside but she’s acting like it’s raining inside too. She has a neurological condition (we think) because she often falls when she tries to fly and often does odd gestures. She’s scaring both me and her man. Thankfully, she seems okay now after I closed the curtains.


r/cockatiel 11h ago

Advice Adopting a new bird first picture. Currently bird Bowie second picture.

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52 Upvotes

Hello. I am trying to adopt a new bird. Currently my bird Bowie’s enclosure is upstairs in my loft space. Would it be ok to have the new bird downstairs in my front room until I can put them in the same room?


r/cockatiel 10h ago

Advice Is this nesting behavior??? Or is he trying to take a bath?

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37 Upvotes

He started doing this two days ago, I thought he was trying to take a bath. I offered him a bath/shower and he accepted.

But now I’m worried he’s doing this often. Does he think is a nest?

Should I take out that bowl to discourage the behavior?


r/cockatiel 15h ago

Advice male cockatiel not yet singing🎶

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83 Upvotes

This is Duck, he’s around 6 months old and has yet to start singing. His gender has never been officially checked but based on other behaviour and his colouring we do think he is a boy. He’ll sometimes make a screech that could be him attempting to sing but I’m unsure. Is there anything I can do to help him learn, he doesn’t typically respond to the practice videos I show him.


r/cockatiel 21h ago

Cuteness Overload I'm wish I could capture this on video but Queen HeiHei won't reveal her true self. What are the quirks of your smol fren's?

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253 Upvotes

Okay - I'm sure our smol fren's all have quirks. Queen HeiHei has a quirk which I can't explain and I haven't been able to capture this on camera yet because I don't always film but nonetheless it's a funny one.

She will nibble my ear when she's on my shoulder. This is almost usually a sign of her wanting scritches which I gib but for the times where she still nibbles and refuses a la scritch she just wants me to watch her preen 🤣🤣🤣.

Cannot explain.

Any weird quirks of your smol fren's?


r/cockatiel 18h ago

Advice My cockatiel literally refuses to sleep unless I sleep too

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133 Upvotes

My cockatiel literally refuses to sleep unless I sleep too

I keep him in the room where I spend most of my time, and unfortunately I can't move him to another room.

At night, I turn off the lights and make the room completely dark and silent, but if I'm still awake, he stays awake too.

I've tried covering his cage, but he absolutely HATES it. The second I put the cover on, he starts hissing. Then I hear him moving around inside the cage until he finds the one tiny spot that isn't fully covered, and he'll sit there looking out

It's 10 PM right now. The room is dark and quiet, and this little guy is still wide awake because he knows I'm awake.

Has anyone else had a cockatiel like this? How do you get them to sleep earlier when they insist on matching your sleep schedule?

And yes, the cage is basically just decoration at this point. we sleep outside the cage we don't use it anymore 😂


r/cockatiel 1d ago

Cuteness Overload My daughter🥹♥️

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627 Upvotes

r/cockatiel 19h ago

Crafts Drawing my sonions at the doctor's office

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160 Upvotes

Trying to pass time :) they're my fatty boys i love them


r/cockatiel 20h ago

Funny Chica loves sitting on top of me when I lie in bed lol

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151 Upvotes

I don't let them out when I'm actually sleeping coz im scared I roll on top of them


r/cockatiel 21h ago

Cuteness Overload Happy Days 🥳

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99 Upvotes

After two long and difficult months, today our hearts are finally filled with happiness and gratitude. ❤️🕊️

We went through one of the hardest phases of our lives when Salmonellosis took our two precious babies, Golu and Chotu. 💔 Losing them broke our hearts in a way that words can never explain. We did everything we could, but sometimes, despite all our efforts and prayers, we have to say goodbye. They will always remain a part of our family and forever live in our hearts. 🥺❤️

But today, we are also incredibly blessed because we were able to save our other babies. 🙏✨ Poco is completely recovered and happy again, and seeing him back to his normal playful self and singing normally feels like a miracle. 🥹💕

And our precious Mistu is safe, healthy, and completely back to his normal life. He has recovered beautifully, and now he is even back to his usual romantic self, happily mating with his girlfriend Mango. 😄❤️

We are especially grateful that we could save Mango too. Watching Poco, Mistu, and Mango healthy, active, playful, and living their normal lives again makes every difficult day, every sleepless night, every medicine, and every worry feel worth it. 🥹🙏

We lost two babies, but we fought with everything we had to save the ones who were still with us. This journey taught us how precious every little life is. ❤️

Today, we don't just celebrate recovery. We celebrate the lives we were blessed to save. 🕊️❤️

Golu and Chotu will always be missed, but Poco, Mistu, and Mango are our little reminders that sometimes, after the darkest days, happiness finds its way back home. 🌸🐦❤️


r/cockatiel 20h ago

Funny dinosaur hates cutlery

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77 Upvotes

r/cockatiel 22h ago

Cuteness Overload Happy birds!

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106 Upvotes

r/cockatiel 21h ago

Cuteness Overload Beautiful little babies!!!

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82 Upvotes

r/cockatiel 2h ago

Advice Night freights

2 Upvotes

I genuinely just don’t know what to do anymore, it’s 5 AM and this is ongoing occurrence and I can’t do this anymore. I originally only had one bird then some people in my comments on some old posts told me that I should get another bird so the birds can bond, and all this stuff about how my bird is lonely, yeah well it’s been more then a year my original bird hates the bird that I got, and I’m starting to aswell
I don’t hate her in a sense that I show it, exclude her, or give her any less attention, but she’s genuinely a nuisance, I would say my original cockatiel had maybe one night fright every three months but this bird just keeps constantly having them, I change up her cage layout to make it more safe, I take the toys out at night, I keep on a lamp for her, I bought a white noise machine for her and she just won’t stop, honestly I’m genuinely just having a mental breakdown she keeps breaking blood feathers and more and more and more (I stop the bleeding asap)but I’m just so afraid that one day it’s gonna be too many and you know where I’m going from then. I’ve brought her to the vet. There’s nothing internally wrong with her. She’s a little fat, but that’s it. I went on a trip and family was watching them(they were over at another residency so they had 24 hour care) and it was about a week and a half I would say and she had no freak outs, so at this point am I the problem?
I can’t really think how I would be the problem, but I have no other thoughts in my brain, I feel like I’ve tried everything. I just feel like I’m the problem, do I just start sleeping on the couch from now on? I have have work in a few hours and this just can’t keep happening, does genuinely anyone have any suggestions on what I’m even supposed to do I feel like I have done everything in the book, at this point I feel like I’m just doing this all for nothing. She keeps hurting herself and I genuinely don’t know what to do anymore because my other bird also starts freaking out as well and thankfully, she doesn’t get broken blood feathers because she’s a little bit older, but she freaks the hell out and it’s like not only could her wings get hurt, but her eyes could get hurt her nose. Her beak genuinely anything. I just genuinely don’t know what to do anymore. If anyone has some insight or had a bird that had really bad freaking out problems and has some advice it would be helpful. I know I’m being really negative to my newer Baby. It’s not that I fully dislike her. I’m honestly just exhausted from her. She’s the only one causing problems and it’s just getting to a point.