All about the Wonders of the Pearl Cockatiel
These days the pearl cockatiel is a popular household pet--only Budgies have more fans. This is no doubt because Cockatiels take well to cage living and because of their appearance.
If you are interested in getting one of these great birds, here is what you need to know:
Appearance
Pearl cockatiels have a distinct appearance. They have grey body feathers with long tail feathers that equal the length of their bodies and yellow plumes on their heads that rise up like a spiked Mohawk. They also have bright red circles on their cheeks reminiscent of the blush applied to China dolls. This is actually the male of the species. The females will typically remain gray and their blush will be much weaker than the male's.
Basic Facts
The pearl cockatiel comes from the land down under, where its human Aussie brethren call it the Weiro or the Quarrion. Scientists, as scientists are apt to do, prefer to call it by the Latinate “Nymphicus hollandicus.” The species name “hollandicus” comes from Australia’s colonial name, New Holland. The cockatiel’s beauty lead to the favorable comparison to a little wood “nymph,” which in 1832 became its genus designation. The pearl cockatiel is a type of Cockatoo—the smallest of this kind of bird in that part of world.
The pearl cockatiel lives up to about two decades in ideal conditions.
Choosing a Cockatiel
The most important thing to find out when purchasing a cockatiel is whether it was hand fed or not. Cockatiels that have not been habituated to human contact may have difficulty adapting to you. They may snip at your hand or refuse to perch on your finger. For this reason, it is also important to get young cockatiels that are more likely to habituate to your presence. Cockatiels tend to become very loyal to one human companion. If you wait too long they are less likely to ever get used to you.
Cockatiel Care 101
The first step in taking care of a cockatiel is getting the right cage. Get a square cage that is not as long as it is high, but with enough space so that your cockatiel can spread his wings and take to the air. Avoid metal cages as they may retain small amounts of metallic toxins that could harm your pearl cockatiel.
Be sure to get cockatiel mix and to change it and the water daily. Be careful with the cockatiel mix because the husks look a lot like the seeds, so if you are not familiar with it, it is easy to think that a bowl is full of seeds when its actually just filled with husks.
You should also supplement your cockatiel’s diet with vitamin supplements if you live in a climate that is very cold and thus different from the cockatiel’s native Australia. On the hand, you might also give him plenty of toys and bird cakes to nibble on.
Teaching your Cockatiel to Speak
If you carefully snip his feathers (be sure to have quick stop on hand in case you get a blood feather), you can take him out of his cage and let him perch in your living room, or your shoulder. Cockatiels like this sort of close attention but you do need to be careful to close the windows and to keep an eye on any other pets of the feline or canine variety.
Your cockatiel also has a certain range of ability when it comes to imitating sounds. To teach him you will first have to get them young since cockatiels mostly stop imitating new sounds once they have reached full maturity. You will also have to repeat the same word over and over in a very enthusiastic manner. (My cockatiel for example would always scream out “Mini!” whenever I would raise my voice because this was the name of our cat who was often creating messes.) Cockatiels, however, much prefer to copy non-human sounds like the flushing toilet or your ring tone. So be sure to keep your cockatiel away from any sounds that really bother you.