Thursday, June 30, 2011

Newbie's Guide to Cockatiel Food

It's very important that you feed your cockatiel an appropriate diet. Otherwise, you'll open the door to a wide range of health problems for your bird. This article will teach you a few things you need to know about cockatiel food.

Fruits/Veggies

Fruits and vegetables are an important part of your bird's diet. You should feed them on a daily basis. He will enjoy carrots, grapes, apples, spinach, and peas. You can also feed him yams, sweet potatoes, watercress and corn. If you don't have any of these available, then baby food with vegetables and fruit is a suitable alternative.

Seeds


Virtually everyone knows that birds love seeds. So, you should feed your cockatiel seeds too. There are a variety of seeds you can feed him. Some of the most popular choices include white millet, sunflower, sesame, flax, and hemp seeds.

Nuts

Nuts are also suitable cockatiel food. These birds enjoy eating almonds, cashews, walnuts, and pecans. Macadamia and pistachio nuts are also fine. You should be careful not to feed too many nuts because they can be high in fat, which can cause health problems.

Protein

If you want your bird to be completely healthy, you should make sure he has plenty of protein in his diet. Birds that are molting will especially benefit from extra protein. Fish, cottage cheese, chicken, lean meats, and turkey are all good sources of protein. Eggs that have been scrambled or hard-boiled are also good.

Treats

Every good bird deserves a treat every now and then. You can feed him your favorite cereal such as Cornflakes, Rice Krispies, Cheerios, or Froot Loops. Unsalted popcorn also serves as a nice treat. Besides these foods, your local pet shop should have treats that your cockatiel will enjoy.

Cinnamon Cockatiel - Main Characteristics and Free Tips


A cinnamon cockatiel also goes by the tender names as the Cinnamon Tiel and the Isabelle cockatiel. Just like other mutation of cockatiel, they are short of having gray tint that is common in usual grey cockatiels. The warmth of the cinnamon color is enhanced with the yellow tails and heads. Their plumage's color varies from balmy tannish-gray to chocolate brown.

The other exquisite variations of the cinnamon cockatiel are the cinnamon pearl cockatiels and cinnamon pied cockatiel. They are very popular species of parrots. Cockatiels are hardy, they have the capacity to easily breed and it can easily handle changes. Most pet owners prefer them over other birds since they are not as noisy as the other species. They are also even relaxed albeit when you leave them alone in their cage or area
Cinnamon cockatiel as well as other cockatiel breeds, belongs to the parrot family because of their beak's shape. They are also sometimes known as cockatoos with their tiny head crests. Conversely, cockatiels have lengthy tails than cockatoos. These tails make up almost half of their entire length. This quality gives them more resemblance to a parakeet.

Cinnamon cockatiel consumes nuts, veggies, sprouts, fruits, pellets and seeds. They need an airy cage wherein they spend quality time to fly here and there and play with their toys. They have developed as nomadic creatures, enduring diverse and rugged habitations. Cockatiels relentlessly move, changing locations along with the cyclic instability of food and water supply. This kind of habitation and the cockatiel's adaptive approach made them fit as a pet.

The distinctive head crest of a cinnamon cockatiel erects when these birds are thrilled or stimulated. This will be one of the signals that you will notice and sometimes will find very amusing. Also, the crest seems to flatten when they are angry, defensive and meek. It is neither erect nor flat when they are in a normal state. As a pet owner, you should master these so that you can handle it well.

Similar to lutino cockatiel, cinnamon cockatiel is developed from mutations. They are one of the sex-recessive cockatiel mutations. The gene has an effect on their melanin pigment and impedes the gray and the black pigments but the pigment amount is not actually changed, just the coloring. Their brown pigment goes to their eyes, beak, legs, feet and feathers. The existence of yellow color in the chest and feathers is evident in males and female cinnamons.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Cockatiel

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Monday, May 9, 2011

Learn Cockatiel Training Techniques Like a Pro


Now's the time to learn how to provide proper cockatiel training for your feathered pet! You'll be glad you became as good as a pro trainer when you bring this beautiful and highly trainable 'Tiel to live with you and your family. Or maybe you already have a 'rebel bird' on your hands and you're pulling your hair out with exasperation over his screaming, biting and hissing. He's never happy and you certainly aren't! You wonder where is all the anticipated fun of hearing him talk, perform cute tricks and hop gently on your hand? By now, you are convinced that this is one crazy bird and definitely needs professional help!
Don't worry, it's not too late! Pro cockatiel training techniques are easy as well as fun to learn even for beginners. You can see positive results in your 'Tiel literally within a couple of weeks if you learn some basic training techniques.
Good Cockatiel Training (or NOT!)Cockatiels are highly trainable and it's always quite obvious whether or not they have received good training and care. Cockatiels are lovely birds that can make wonderful pets when when trained and cared for correctly. I remember a few years ago when my mother took in a stray, one legged creature that my brother had randomly found hopping in the grass. The attractive cockatiel had unfortunately lost a leg and may have been left to fend for himself or perhaps he had flown away from his home in an attempt to find freedom.
In any case, it was obvious that the 'Tiel had been handled affectionately and trained conscientiously. He was not too much worse for the wear even though having endured for some time outside. He grew to love my mother, who let him fly to her shoulder and perch while she ate spaghetti. She could hand him a long noodle and he would grab it with his beak, then munch the length of it until it disappeared. His whistling and pleasant chatter was also fine company for her.
Soon after his arrival to the family, my dad built him a small perch just above the doorway where Pete enjoyed surveying the household activity. This 'Tiel was a case in point of a well mannered, sweet bird who just needed a little TLC. Needless to say, he endeared himself to everyone...especially my mom.
Adequate Cockatiel Training is Absolutely Necessary
'Tiels can be quite obnoxious and unmanageable if not trained well. On the flip side of this story is the undeniable fact that unhappy, untrained cockatiels can just as easily make for rambunctious, obnoxious parrots that can make an owner regret ever bringing the beauty home! The truth is, however, that most problems with cockatiels originate as a result of poor handling, care and training by their owners.
They are not birds that can tolerate isolation and neglect by their human flock. So, if you have already purchased a cockatiel or are considering it, be sure to be prepared to provide cockatiel training that is necessary to insure your bird's contentment as well as your future enjoyment of your pet.
"Must Do's" for Cockatiel Training
Cockatiels require interaction with humans and lots of exercise time. Also, you should teach him how to sit on your hand or finger, not to bite, spit or hiss and how to obey simple commands. These are beginner cockatiel training requirements.
Fun Rewards of Cockatiel Training
After teaching your 'Tiel the basics of proper manners as well as caring for his health needs, the fun stuff can then be added to the delight of everyone. You can teach your parrot to talk, perform cute tricks and entertain with a plethora of playful antics specific only to cockatiels. Be sure to learn how to provide proper cockatiel training so that you and your pet will have an enjoyable relationship that will last for years!

Cockatiel Tricks - 6 Things You Need To Do To Get Your Parrot To Wave in Less Than 3 Days

Teaching your little feathered friend to do cockatiel tricks is 1 of the most rewarding things you could do. Not only is it hilarious for you to watch, it also build a very strong bond between you and your parrot.
Most parrots are very shy when they are young, or when they are unfamiliar with you. So it may take a while for him to warm to you. If this is the case you must try to be a little patient with him.
You will need to spend quality time talking to him, and rewarding him with his favorite food. Taking such action will start the trust between both of you.
Building a strong bond with your parrot allows him to build a trust with you, when you get his trust it will be a lot easier to teach him tricks. Anyone can teach a dog to sit, stay and come on command, but how many people do you know have a parrot that waves, rolls over and comes when you call him?
Believe it or not cockatiel tricks are extremely easy to teach, most of the basic cockatiel tricks can be taught with-in 72 hours.
Think how funny it will be when your friends witness your parrot waving, or doing simple card tricks. Card tricks are 1 of our specialties and any type of parrot can learn them.
Teaching your parrot to wave is as easy as 6 things.
  • Make time - Make a specific time every day,15 minutes is all you will need.
  • Decide On A command - Pick a particular command you want to use such as,wave or just use a clicker.
  • Take action - Get him to step on your finger and then removing your finger before he gets on.
  • Have patience - Be Patient with him and keep going over the trick till he gets it
  • Give praise - Make sure you praise him every time he gets it right,and try to make a big deal out of it.
  • Give rewards - Reward him with his favorite food when he gets the trick right.
  • Keep Repeating - repeat the same actions over, and over till he knows the trick really well.
So would you like a performing parrot?


How to Groom Your Cockatiel

Your cockatiel has grooming needs. Your cockatiel likes to be clean, so you must ensure that it is able to bathe regularly. Your cockatiel will also need to have its nails and flight feathers trimmed periodically to ensure her safety.
Some say the cockatiel's beak also needs trimming, but I have yet to do mine. If you give your cockatiel enough to chew on, the beak should remain suitably sharpened and trimmed. If however your birds beak does become overgrown, leave it to your veterinarian to take charge, as the beak does have a surprising number of blood vessels that can be severed if you try yourself.
If your cockatiel does have an overgrown beak, it can also indicate that your cockatiel is suffering from liver damage, scaly mites or a virus, all of which will need veterinary care.
As far as bathing goes there are a number of ways to achieve this. One way is to mist your cockatiel lightly with a clean spray bottle filled with warm water. Another way is to allow your cockatiel to bathe in your kitchen sink or bathroom basin under a slow stream of running water or try taking the cockatiel into the shower with you. No soap please, water is normally sufficient. I find my birds enjoy a bird bath in the bottom of their cage on a warm day, and they also love to be sprayed with a mist of water. Bathing is important to enable your cockatiel to keep its feathers clean and healthy.
If you bathe your bird, do so early in the day so that the feathers have a chance to dry out completely before dark. You can also try the hair dryer on a low setting and once your cockatiel gets used to this it will find it most enjoyable.
There is no need to purchase mite products that hang on the bird cage or feather conditioning products that are applied directly to the cockatiels feathers. Well cared for cockatiels won't have these problems, and the products can actually cause more harm than good. Conditioners will just cause your cockatiel to over preen himself in a effort to remove the oil, which can cause feather loss. Fumes from some of these products can also cause respiratory complications.
Your cockatiel will need his nails trimmed periodically to prevent them getting too long and catching on toys or perches. You must only remove tiny portions of the nail, as you don't want to hit the blood supply. I prefer to file them down a little. If the nail does bleed, apply flour and direct pressure to stop the bleeding quickly.
If your cockatiel is tame, you will want to trim its wings as well, as you don't want him to fly away accidentally. Don't trim too much away as you still want your cockatiel to glide and not flop to the floor. Wing clipping is an article on its own, but don't attempt to do this without knowing what to do first, as just snipping away at the feathers can cause damage to the wing tips if you don't know what you are doing.