HAND RAISED COCKATIELS
Here at Prestidge Aviaries, we are a private breeder of cockatiels, committed to provide healthy, happy, friendly and beautiful baby birds. Each handraised bird is sold only to the right person, making sure that it will go to a home where it is well cared for and has a long and happy life.
I have been breeding & handraising cockatiels for over 10 years, starting just with one baby cockatiel as my pet bird. It all grew from there once I moved to a house that had enough room for a small aviary where I started breeding just one pair of cockatiels.
All my baby birds are handraised with spoon on Passwells Handrearing formula from around 14-20 days of age, being fed 2-3 times a day. From around 5 weeks onwards (or time of fledging), they are introduced to and being weaned onto seeds & vegetables and when they are ready to go to their new homes they are fully independent. From the time I start handraising them to their total independence is around 7-9 weeks. All my birds are very tame and happy to be sitting on shoulders, hands and heads and love to be out of their cage to interact with people. They come from show quality parents, big birds with large clear eyes & and I select my breeding birds that have good temperament to make sure that they produce babies which will become very tame and stay that way even if they end up in an aviary without much handling.
All my birds are fed on a good quality AviGrain Peachface seed mix, fresh vegetables & multigrain bread daily and vitamins.
Whistling & Talking: Most people believe that only male cockatiels whistle, and yes males have a natural ability to whistle when content & as part of their courtship but I have in my time of breeding seen female cockatiels that have whistled close to as good as a male would whistle. Cockatiels can learn to talk but males are usually better at talking and are much easier to understand. A male cockatiel will gladly entertain himself in front of a mirror for hours while whistling or talking. A female cockatiel can also learn to talk & whistle tunes if the proper time has been invested into developing her speech and especially if she was handraised and they tend to be more cuddly & affectionate.
Training: Cockatiels can be taught to perform tricks, such as wave with one foot, turn around, nod their head, or flap their wings. More advanced tricks such as placing coins into a piggybank, or ringing a bell can also be taught, however, more time needs to be invested to yield such results. If you wish to train your cockatiel tricks, find a motivation that he/she is willing to work for such as treats (millet spray or sunflower seeds) or affection (scratch on the neck). Always use positive reinforcement when training and keep sessions short and productive. The tricks your cockatiel can learn are only limited to your imagination and the dedication you put forth.
I hope you enjoy looking at my pages & photos. If you like it, please feel free to leave me a comment on my guestbook page.
Regards & happy birdkeeping,
Judit
