by Anthony Megna

Created on: May 20, 2008   Last Updated: May 14, 2012

Cockatiels make great pets!

My wife and I have two, a male and a female. Picasso is the male and he is a lutino. That is the strain which is white in the body and yellow on the neck and head. He also has a little bald spot which is common with this breed. He is 8 years old and super intelligent. Since males are the more talkative of this breed, he is forever trying out new words. He also loves to whistle and sing. He is a such a joy to have. He loves music and rhythm and practices drum solos and funk beats. By imitating what he hears on the radio, we are constantly amazed what he comes up with. He is the first bird we got through a breeder in California.

Lola is our female. She is a beauty and is a normal cockatiel. She is a bit larger than Picasso and is gray and yellow in color. Her crest is also larger than his. We got her from a woman who could not take care of her anymore as she works in a nursing home. She had spent most of her time in a cage and when we brought her home she was a tad frightened being out of the cage most of the time. We believe in giving our birds as much freedom as possible, and they only go in the cage at night and only if they want some rest during the day. Otherwise, they spend most of their time out, usually on top of their cage in a large box filled with goodies such as timothy hay, wood chips, and some toys. Picasso loves his box and was a bit reluctant to let Lola in at first, but now she can come and go as she pleases.

A great many people wonder about how messy birds are, and they can be messy! But what we have done to cut down on the mess is position ladders off the cages with newspaper on the floor. When they poop it falls on the paper and makes for easier cleanup at night. They are pretty much trained to go off their ladders. I told you they are smart!

Picasso and Lola get along great, but have not mated. She is 3 years old but we don't think this has anything to do with the fact of them not mating. It is just as well, as we don't really want to breed birds. She will lay eggs however. But these eggs are not fertile, yet she will sit on them as if they are her children. We thought this was odd at first, but our Vet told us this was normal.

Our birds are a never ending source of fascination for us, and I could watch them all day long. They are funny, cute, smart and give love and love to be loved. Frankly, I can't imagine life without them now. If you can dedicate time and love to these birds, they will bring great joy to your life!

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