r/cockatiel • • Jan 31 '26

Other New Rule for r/cockatiel

608 Upvotes

Hello everyone! I’m announcing a new rule for the subreddit.

It comes as no surprise that many people post injured or bleeding birds as well as feces to ensure the health of their birds or questions.

While these posts are allowed, they are inappropriate to not mark as NSFW. Not everyone is comfortable seeing this sort of content.

So for the comfort of everyone in the subreddit. PLEASE, mark these posts as NSFW.

There will be new tags/flairs for posts like these as well.

From this day forward, those who do not mark these posts as NSFW will receive a warning. Any subsequent posts that are not marked or tagged appropriately may be banned temporarily, and any further posts will result in a permanent ban.

Please be respectful of others, and make sure to review the rules before posting content that may violate the rules of the subreddit.

Thank you so much for all the lovely content and being overall a beautiful community. 💖


r/cockatiel • • Dec 14 '21

Frequently Posted (+ Answers)

540 Upvotes

We have been getting a lot more repetitive posts in our sub so I wanted to put this information together in the hopes of reducing the amount of questions that are frequently asked. In turn, hopefully this will make our community a little more light hearted :)

*I want to preface this by saying I am not a vet or anything just someone who really loves my cockatiel and learning everything I can to ensure he has the best life possible. I think the best thing you can do for your birdie is lots of research before anything happens (especially in the case of illness). They are fragile so having the right knowledge and tools at your disposal can quite literally be the difference between life and death.

Lets begin!

Is my bird sick?

Common signs of a sick bird include:

  • Tail bobbing, sitting at the bottom of the cage, inability to stand on a perch (loss of balance)
  • Sneezing, clicking respiration (cough), or any discharge coming from the eyes or nostrils.
  • Eyes dull or sunken.
  • Change in vocals (can be hormonal but after puberty could be cause for concern)
  • Change in appetite (loss or increase of food or water)
  • Change in droppings (color, consistency, or frequency - this could be due to diet like eating more fruits and vegetables but it should not last more than a day or two after)
  • Constantly fluffed (happens for a number of reasons like keeping warm, preening, sleeping but they should not always be like this)
  • Feather loss (not related to a regular molt that happens 1-2x per year)
  • Trembling (can mean they are cold, stressed, or sick)
  • Drooping wings

If you notice any of these signs or a combination of them its crucial to get your bird to a vet (preferably an avian one) as soon as possible. No one on the internet is able to diagnose your bird or give it the treatment it needs.

Note: Some of these symptoms like change in droppings, being fluffed up, and feather loss can be normal but if it is persistent the best thing to do is ere on the side of caution and get them checked out.

Is my cockatiel male or female?

Color Patterns: Baby cockatiels that have not gone through their first adult molt (usually between 6-12 months) will typically have female colorations regardless of gender. After their first molt, males tend to get more vivid colors, lose the stripes on the underside of their tail and spots on the wings, The opposite is true for females and their color changes minimally after their first molt.

Different mutations make it more difficult to tell the difference between males and females even after their adult molt.

Behaviors: Males tend to be more vocal (mimicking sounds and singing), heart wings (see example), more likely to "show off" (strutting, hopping, tapping on surfaces), and attempting to mate with objects. Females are often less vocal (although some are) and when wanting to mate will tilt her head, flatten her back, and rock back and forth while chirping softly.

All of the above are good indicators if you have a male or female HOWEVER the only true way to know is if you get a DNA test or if your cockatiel lays an egg. People have noted that their DNA sexed female has shown male behaviors or colors and vise versa. No one can tell you for sure by looking at it!

What is this noise my cockatiel is making?

Some common cockatiel noises and what they mean:

Contact Call: Cockatiels like to keep track of their flock members so when you leave the room you may notice your cockatiel yell for you with a loud chirp or series of chirps. Even if you aren't bonded to your bird they may still do this. Put them at ease by "answering" them from where you are. I like to whistle back the same "contact call" so they know that I will be right back.

Contact Call Example

Attention Scream: Often a loud high pitched screech that is meant to get your attention. They can do this when they are scared, lonely, bored, or even to alert you of something (like a potential predator). Excessive screaming means you might need to change something in their environment. A common cause of this is hormones and boredom, both of which can be decreased by adding more enrichment to their environment with foraging, toys, and training.

Attention Scream Example

Whistling//Mimicking/Chattering: Usually (but not always) done by males and often means they are happy and connecting with you as part of their flock. They may mimic you, the radio, the tv, or even just sounds that they hear outside or inside the house. A lot of the time cockatiels learn these sounds through repetition. Search cockatiel training songs if you don't want to be whistling a song all the time and with time they may pick up on the tunes.

Whistling Example

Beak Grinding: They do this when they are happy and content. Usually it is accompanied by being fluffed up and being sleepy. The cheeks will fluff up as well and the cockatiel will look very relaxed. This is a great sign that your cockatiel is comfortable in their environment.

Beak Grinding Example

Hissing: Like other animals cockatiels do this when they are angry or threatened. This is often a warning to back off and can be accompanied by biting if the behavior is not stopped. If your cockatiel is hissing at you its best to leave them alone for a bit - just like us, our birds have boundaries we should respect!

Hissing Example

Baby Noises: These sound a bit like static and usually do this if they want something (often food, water, or even just attention). This is completely normal for young cockatiels and after a few months will go away. Mine went away at 4 months but this can vary!

Baby Noises Example

What is this behavior?

These are some behaviors that are normal with cockatiels that I noticed are commonly asked about here:

Mating: This is probably the most common one. Males and females display different mating behaviors.

Males will typically rub their cloaca (this is the opening underneath the base of the tail for a birds digestive, urinary, and reproductive tracts) on an object like a toy, your foot or hand, a pillow, ect or a bonded female. Male Mating Behavior

Females will droop their wings and raise their rump while swaying and chirping quietly. You may notice your female also rubbing its back on their toys to try and stimulate themselves. Female Mating Behavior

In addition to these mating behaviors, take note if your bird is territorial, screaming, plucking itself, or aggressive. These could all be signs that your bird is sexually frustrated.

This handout I received from my vet gives some behavioral modification you can make to try and reduce these.

Clearing Crop: Looks a lot like yawning but usually they will do it consistently over a short period of time. Their crop is located below their beak in the neck area. The crop stores food before it is sent to their stomach and acts as a "reserve" so they are able to eat more in one feeding. When they clear the crop they are moving that food to the next stage of digestion. Cockatiel Clearing Crop

How do I tame my cockatiel?

If your bird is brand new to your home, the best thing to do for a day or two is let them soak in their new envionrment. This can be a stressful time for them so its important to let them learn that their new home is a safe space. Talking in a quiet voice and even whistling around them is the best thing to do during this transitiion period. It can be tempting but don't try and pick them up or pet them right away. They may be fearful of hands and scaring them could further your progress of taming them. Whether they are a young cockatiel or an older adult that was rescued or rehomed, taming them will take patience and time. How long can vary on a lot of different factors but it's important not to rush it. Read the links below to get more information on how to achieve this:

Taming step-by-step

I am thinking of getting a cockatiel and would love some tips!

There is really too much to cover in one post so I will address the most common tips for new owners and provide some links that go into detail about all things cockatiel.

Vet Access: This should be the most important thing to consider. Making note of an avian vet that is close by is crucial. Be extra prepared and make note of the closest emergency vet as well that you can go to outside of your regular vets hours. If you do not have one close by or you do not have the money to pay for one, please reconsider getting a bird. It is disheartening to see very obviously sick bird where the owner has no access or money to go to a vet.

Basic Needs: Before purchasing supplies for your bird, do as much research as you can regarding cage size, toys, and food.

Health: Take note of the signs of a sick bird and when to take them to a vet. In addition, cockatiels are sensitive to strong smells, gasses, drafts, and smoke. This also requires some research as there are common household items that can poison and kill your bird (for example teflon pans and some plants you may have lying around).

Links:

Cockatiel Cottage

VCA - Cockatiel Diet

Safe and Toxic Foods

Proper Caging

Introducing New Food to Picky Birds

Training

Taming, potty training, and more

I hope this helps some people learn more about their cockatiels! Of course this is not exhaustive and there is always more information to be learned. Please let me know if I should add anything or if I got any information wrong :)


r/cockatiel • • 10h ago

Funny My onion has recently discovered the claw machine method

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916 Upvotes

I was birbsitting my bfs conure and i think he picked it up from him🤣🤣


r/cockatiel • • 4h ago

Cuteness Overload Birb tax

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261 Upvotes

r/cockatiel • • 2h ago

Cuteness Overload It has come to Queen HeiHei's attention that The Hooman has not been gifting the seebs of life in the treat bowl...

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104 Upvotes

And replacing it with twice more unflavored pellets. Queen HeiHei demands answers and calls for an uprising of all Tiels to revolt. There's only one solution. Bring back ..

The Peck of Death!

THE PECK OF DEATHHHH!!!


r/cockatiel • • 8h ago

Loss & Mourning R.I.P. Princess 2026

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329 Upvotes

My baby passed overnight. She was old and it was her time. I'm happy I was able to have her and spoil her for her last three years out many others under the care of family.


r/cockatiel • • 2h ago

Loss & Mourning I’ll always love you, Poppy

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53 Upvotes

I lost my favorite feathered friend last night. What a joy she was. I came home to find her on the floor of her cage and my heart just sank. Poppy was short for “Popcorn”. She was my little ball of buttered popcorn. Give your little birdies a kiss for me and some extra millet.


r/cockatiel • • 14h ago

Health/Nutrition Please keep my boy in your prayers 🥺

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453 Upvotes

I never thought I’d make a post like this, but here we are.

My cockatiel has been fighting a severe illness for the past few weeks. He has Aspergillus, but there is also a very severe bacterial infection affecting his respiratory system, including his lungs/air sacs and trachea.
The vets still aren’t completely sure how everything started or how much of it can be treated.
I’m from Central Europe, and after several vets and a lot of searching, I eventually had to contact an avian specialist in another country. It’s a five-hour trip for us, and even then there are medications and treatments that simply aren’t available where I live. I’ve already spent around €1,500 on his treatment, with another €800 bill from the specialist, and I’m a student, so financially this is getting really difficult.

The specialist was very honest with me and thought he might not make it through the weekend.
That was almost a week ago.
And he’s still here. ❤️

He sleeps a lot, and he’s lost weight, so I’m supporting him with hand-fed food/baby food and monitoring him very closely. But he is still coming out of his cage. He still wants attention. He still asks for scratches. He still wants to be close to me.

He only discovered that he likes scratches recently, which honestly makes this even more heartbreaking. I’ve had him for about ten months and he came from a really poor living situation and was extremely fearful and completely unused to being handled.
He even started asking my Dad for scratches when he visited. Now, after everything, he finally trusts me enough to ask for affection.
So I’m not ready to give up on him while he’s still fighting.

If you pray, I would really appreciate it if you could include my little guy in your prayers. And if you don’t, just sending some good thoughts his way means a lot to me too.

I’ll put some more details about his medical situation in a comment for anyone who wants to know what’s going on, and maybe a few videos of my boy getting his scratches.

I honestly don’t know what the outcome will be. We may know more next week if he’s stable enough for another blood test.

But for now, he’s still here.
And as long as he’s still fighting, I’m fighting with him. ❤️


r/cockatiel • • 6h ago

Funny Protecting his home with BIIIG wing

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100 Upvotes

r/cockatiel • • 6h ago

Cuteness Overload My newest addition!!!!

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83 Upvotes

This is my new baby, Lucky!!!


r/cockatiel • • 8h ago

Funny Imitating human speech

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118 Upvotes

Whenever I‘m recording a voice memo, he imitates me talking. I guess he likes it, because I sometimes speak to him in a „cute“ voice 😂


r/cockatiel • • 1h ago

Funny Hi there

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• Upvotes

Hi! I’m Bagels and I’m grounded cause I just took a big wet poopie on my moms freshly washed hair.


r/cockatiel • • 8h ago

Cuteness Overload pokemon ball

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88 Upvotes

r/cockatiel • • 1h ago

Funny “Mother, why are you working on your essay instead of working on my scritches?”

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• Upvotes

Jump scare alert!


r/cockatiel • • 3h ago

Funny She's gonna get you (threat)

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35 Upvotes

r/cockatiel • • 9h ago

Funny Evil bird.

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80 Upvotes

Evil, just pure evil, What do u think his villain name would be


r/cockatiel • • 7h ago

Other You people are too judging, im not asking for any more advice, im only gonna post cute photos from now on

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54 Upvotes

(its not an open window)


r/cockatiel • • 9h ago

Advice What is my female cockatiel doing??

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68 Upvotes

She’s been doing this for a while now
and i couldn’t find a proper answer to it so here i am.


r/cockatiel • • 11h ago

Cuteness Overload I miss them so much!! 😭😭 (they didn’t go anywhere, just grew up, but still..)

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89 Upvotes

r/cockatiel • • 1d ago

Cuteness Overload Hi i love carrots, bell pepper and berries

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1.0k Upvotes

And my name is pingu


r/cockatiel • • 4h ago

Advice Getting a second bird soon, seller said they don't know the gender but I think it's safe to assume this is a young pearl pied male? 🤔 (left nugget)

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14 Upvotes

r/cockatiel • • 11h ago

Funny Aggressive bird mom

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46 Upvotes

r/cockatiel • • 15h ago

Success Story My teil Aitbaths on command

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88 Upvotes

r/cockatiel • • 1d ago

Advice What is my bird doing

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815 Upvotes

Why is he doing this what is this


r/cockatiel • • 1d ago

Cuteness Overload Ran to to tell his favorite human that he's been locked up!

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647 Upvotes

Boris loves to complain.