Cockatiels are such wonderful creatures and if you are smart about the way you set up your aviary/bird area they can be very easy to look after too! It is no secret that if you have a pet bird it can be a real burden to clean up all those feathers, droppings, seeds and dandruff! Luckily for us not only do the benefits of cockatiel ownership far outweigh any negatives but if you follow these 5 easy tips you will discover that keeping a happy and clean cockatiel isn’t as difficult as you may think!
- Have a “cockatiel only” area in your house – Don’t make your life harder than it has to be! If you have multiple areas for your cockatiel throughout your house it is going to be a very time consuming task to clean up after your friend! If you don’t have an outside aviary find an open and easy to reach spot in your house where your cockatiel will spend most of his or her time and set up your cage and bird area there.
- Newspaper is your cage areas best friend – Birds can be messy! It would be lovely if our cockatiels kept their feathers, droppings and lost seed confined to their cage but during daily acrobatics and play the occasional spill over is bound to happen. To help with the cleaning process cover the surrounding cage area with newspapers so that you can easily lay down another sheet and some of your cleaning is done!
- Cockatiels need some entertainment! – Just like humans, cockatiels get bored too. If you sat in the same spot for days on end you would go crazy! Part of owning a cockatiel is ensuring they are happy. Add Toys, Mirrors and some cuttleshell for entertainment and your bird will love you even more!
- Get your cockatiel supplies organized – This is a really simple tip that surprisingly not many bird owners follow! Just like any task it’s much easier to be organized. I keep all of my bird supplies in a small tub just next to my cage, this allows me to replace perches, add seed and clean bits and pieces of the cage with ease. Keep your supplies close by to your cage and well organized and you will be surprised how much easier it is to clean and look after your cockatiel.
- The more cockatiels the merrier – All birds are social and cockatiels are no exception! If you are a busy person who isn’t home too much to entertain your cockatiel your bird may become depressed. The simplest solution to this is to get yourself another bird! A parakeet or cockatiel companion will allow each other to provide entertainment and neither will be bored! If you already have a bird then looking after 2 really isn’t much more work and it’s doubly rewarding.
If you follow these 5 really easy tips you will be surprised how much easier it is to look after (and clean up after) your cockatiel! Back up these tips with some quality time with your cockatiel, some whistling games and hand taming and you will have yourself a really fantastic friend!
