What birds will get along with my cockatiel? Can a budgie eat my 'tiel's food?

Question

I have a cockatiel who is only like 2 months old. I want to buy him a companion, but 'tiels are so expensive! (I am only teenager so EVERYTHING IS EXPENSIVE!!) At my petstore a gray tiel is $50 and mutations like lutinos, pieds, etc are $80. I was wondering what companion I should get it. Budgies are cool because they are only $15, but some people say tiels and budgies hate eachother, while other people say they love eachother!!! (I am quite confused!!) Can you people tell me what would be good with my 'tiel? Lovebirds are believe $30 so that's not quite as bad. I know lovebirds and parrotlets can eat my cockatiel's food (seeds grains etc from store), can a budgie?

Answer 1

Hi! I've been involved breeding and showing birds (canaries through parrots) for over 30 years, and owned a pet shop for 15, so you can trust my advice. Enjoy your little bird by himself, play with him often and he won't be lonely. Another Cockatiel will be fine if they are roughly the same age. If you introduce another Cockatiel later, one may bully the other for a while. Sometimes having two birds together will make them less tame. They bond to each other and heck with you. If they are both tame, and you play with them often, they usually stay tame. Do not mix different species of birds, for many different reasons. Read as many books as you can, and you will understand better. Budgies usually won't hurt a Cockatiel, but sometimes Budgies run around kissing everything and you'll notice the Cockatiel will seem overwhelmed. It is not Cockatiel behavior, so they really don't like it.

Absolutely DO NOT put a Lovebird with your little one. They are notorious for biting off feet, and your Cockatiel will bleed to death! I know there are occasional exceptions to mixing similar sized birds together, but a Cockatiel is too gentle to be put with more aggressive hookbills. To sum up, if Budgies are what you can afford, and you still believe he needs company, get one or two, keep them in their own cage (they won't be as tame as your Cockatiel unless they are tame prior introducing them to your bird). In a home situation, sometimes Budgies get aggressive with Cockatiels, so supervise them when they're out playing. Keep their wings clipped. We kept the Budgies and Cockatiels in a huge playpen in my pet shop, and never had a problem because they were always busy with their own species. Offer Cockatiel seed, mini bird pellets (separate dishes), fruits and veggies. Change the water daily.

Tell mom DO NOT USE TEFLON pots, pans, cookie sheets, wok, iron or anything with a non-stick coating! When Teflon heats, it releases toxic fumes that will kill birds! It doesn't matter how far away the bird is from the source, it will eventually shut down the lungs, and you will find him dead. In the same room as a pan cooking, it will drop a parakeet or canary in as little as half an hour. A few rooms away may take a month or longer, but the damage is still being done. It just takes longer. I apologize for the lecture, but I've been in this business for so many years, you need to trust me on this. Every single time I questioned a heartsick owner of sudden death, Teflon was used in that household. No matter how much I lectured when I sold a bird, there was always someone who didn't heed the warning. They killed their bird by not believing it could happen to them. Heated Teflon kills birds!

My best to you. You will have your Cockatiel for many years. They are delightful, and you made a great choice!

Answer 2

Just don't mix species in the same cage. They can eat the same food. If you get a budgie or lovebird it will need it's own cage or you could have serious injuries. If you want 2 birds, just save up and buy another tiel. Don't forget to get your tiel used to eating a good pelleted food along with some seed mix.

Answer 3

While I do think birds do better and are happier with other birds, It would probably be best if you'd just wait until you can afford another tiel for yours (if you still feel like you want to put something else with it)

You would need to keep any new bird separate from yours for 30 days (a quarantine period). This means another cage. If you can't afford another tiel, I'm sure you can't afford another cage. Two birds = twice the cost of everything. Keep in mind that there are plenty of tiels and budgies out there in rescues.

Also, please make sure you are also feeding your tiel a proper diet.

http://www.rationalparrot.com/ has a lot of helpful bird care information

Answer 4

As a general rule if you ever intend on getting 2 birds that will be together, make sure they're the same species.

A budgie can be a nasty party when it comes to any other species bird & has often been known to kill tiels.

Answer 5

Weiros Birds