Buy a 1 month old Cockatiel

[markterby]

Hey guys!
I met today a cockatiel raiser,that has three 1 month old cockatiels,they are not hand fed yet,he told me that the parents are taking care of them.
I am thinking to take one of them and hand feed it in order to build a strong relation with him,and tame him successfully and easy.

1 month is it good to get it?to tame it?

here is a picture of the 3 birds:
I am going take a white one for sure..

hébergeur d image gratuit


Thanks guys!

[Wolf]

At 1month of age these baby cockatiels are getting ready to fledge, this is when they first learn to fly and it can be a hazardous time. Some breeders mistake the preparation time as an indication that the bird is ready to wean but this is not true.
You will be much better of to wait and get a bird that is weaned, you would also be better off with a hand raised bird as opposed to a parent raised bird or at the very least one in which is co parented by the breeder and the birds parents. The reason for this is that you want a bird that has been imprinted on humans or it is going to be very difficult to tame and it may not bond to you at all.
If you are in the US then it is illegal to sell an unweaned bird and for that reason I am thinking that you are not in the US, is this right and if so where are you?

[markterby]

Hello Wolf!
Understood,so a no no for all sides,first it is not handfed,they should be handfed much earlier and second they are still not old enough..
Yeah not in the US I live in Jordan.

Thanks a lot,I will look for a second breeder..

[liz]

I really hate it but I have to say it. I disagree.
Parent raised birds are healthier if the parents were given good food. Way back when I did not know how to control it, my cockatiels had babies. The parents took care of them until they left the nest then the flock fed them. They really can't be considered wild at this point even though parrots still have wild instincts. They are afraid. The little guys just like my adult rescues will calm down and accept their human as part of their flock.
Phoenix, my mutilated cockatiel, has been coming to me while I am changing their feeding tray. I am amazed at this. This little abused bird should never be able to trust humans again.
A parent raised baby is going to be very afraid but he is still going to want his flock. Just like a wild rescue, they know they need someone and will accept you.
When I released a wild rescue it would keep coming back to me until it found a flock to join. I would put Friskies out in the morning and he would join in the back yard flock but came back to me at nights until he had confidence in the flock. He still came back to my window every spring.

But you do need to keep in mind that I am the odd one of the forum. The others have more knowledge. Example: I did not know body language of birds. When Myrtle would put her foot up (to tell me to back off) I didn't get it. When her foot went up, I used a one finger tickle tickle to the bottom of it. She caught on that I would touch her with one finger when she put her foot up and it became a game we played before she even accepted me.

[Wolf]

Actually, Liz, I would agree with you if the breeder is taking the time to interact with these young birds so that they are imprinted on humans. This is what happens with co parenting, the humans lets the parents raise the baby bird and only assist with an additional feeding and interacting with the young birds.
With these birds my main issue is that they are too young to be weaned properly, at one month of age they are just fledging. I think that these birds might work out if the OP can handle them a little, especially if he is close enough to visit them and handle the birds until they are weaned. You have cockatiels and I don't so I would go with your recommendations over mine, but I think the weaning is my biggest issue.

[markterby]

Thanks guys!
for all the advice!

[liz]

The little guys in the picture are terribly scared. If it was me I would take two but then there would be one left alone and I would have to have all three.
Multiples adjust faster because they have another to console when they are scared. A lone child going into a playground stands off to the side until someone comes to be their friend. Two kids together go onto the play ground with more confidence and adjust faster.

[markterby]

wow I love ur example hehe

[Wolf]

All parrots do better when they have a mate or other companion as they are flock animals and gain part of their security from each other and this is more important is species such as cockatiels, who are small and normally very gentle. These birds may well be great birds for you if you are a patient person and are willing to slowly win their trust. But I would wait until they are properly weaned before taking them home ( assuming you take more than one). Even with them weaned properly you will still have to give them soft foods at least twice a day until they are strong enough to eat adult foods all of the time, but you really don't want to have to wean them yourself if you are limited in experience as there are too many things that can go wrong. If you like the birds than perhaps the breeder will take a deposit on the ones that you want and allow you to come and visit them and learn how to handle them.