Advice Wanted - Buying a Tiel

[FuzzyLightning]

Hi guys, old member coming back out of the woodwork after a long break from keeping. I've had 4 birds over my younger years (I'm now 20), 3 budgies and a canary. My last bird (Snow) sadly passed away two years ago in a house fire and losing my cages and toys made me take a break for a while.

Lately my little brothers (5yo twins) have expressed their interest in having a family pet, which has made me think about keeping birds again as they are ideal for our sort of family. There are 6 of us but we have different allergies to cats and dogs and reservations about other pets like rabbits, fish and guinea pigs. So I've decided to look for a hand reared Tiel but I would like to ask Tailfeathers for some advice before I buy anything.

1. Is a tiel a suitable pet for having around small kids? They've enjoyed petting and playing with hand reared tiels in pet stores before, and have learnt at a young age to respect small birds from my previous birds.
2. Will the bird mind the noise and enjoy being in the family living room with the kids most of the time? There is a quieter room next door to it (a conservatory) where we used to keep the budgies, but either could accommodate the cage.
3. What type of cage should I be looking at? This will be my first time buying a cage large enough to suit a tiel, but I would preferably like something stand-alone (no table required) with drawbridge style entrances rather than up-down gates (I used to have to tie these down since Snow liked to lift them - she loved the noise ). Sturdiness is also important because of the kids.
4. I would like to buy a play area at the same time. I've seen some cages which include one that opens out of the top, but a separate one might be more convenient for having the bird out of the cage so I can clean it. I am imagining something like a fixed perch over a tray, what type of thing is suitable for a tiel?
5. Is gender among tiels a factor in their friendliness? Should I be looking for male birds like I would with a budgie?
6. What type of diet should give the bird? Should I try to buy a tiel who is already used to pellet food?
7. How dusty are tiels? I don't believe I'm allergic to them but I will have to make sure I'm not before I buy one. I've heard that you have to clean the cage for dust reasonably often, is this true?
8. Is a companion bird recommended or will the bird be happy in my large family? There is nearly always somebody at home. My budgies did have companions for most of their lives though, which is why I ask.

Thanks in advance for any advice you can give.

[Marrie]

1) It can be, as long as the kids understand birds are FRAGILE and are easily spooked, so they have to be gentle with it.

2) My tiel insists on being in the main room, if he isn't he is quite upset on missing out on the fun. So yes family room would be OK, as long as for night time you give him a quiet place to sleep and maybe a place he could escape to for an afternoon nap.

3) I recommend, if it fits, a cage like an HQ flight - lots of room, not that expensive (can get them for about $100ish), has its own stand with a storage area for the food and such. The doors open sideways and latch with a lock, they stay open by themselves and my bird uses them as a perch once they are open.

4) A good project for you and the kids would be to make one, since it is a lot cheaper than store bought playstands. Go to a craft store and get some wooden dowels and PVC pipe and you can make whatever design takes your fancy. For a base, a piece of wood make into a simple box with a little piece of linoluem or some tile would work for easy clean up. Get creative and I am sure the kids would enjoy making it. You can use hot glue, as long as the glue is inside the pipes or holes so that the tiel can't get to it since it's toxic to ingest.

5) Both males and females can be good pets, though males talk more and are less prone to nestiness/hormonal behaviors that can come with a female that wants to lay eggs. But both are fine companions.

6) Pellet or a good quality seed, I prefer a mixture of both. With FRESH foods, veggies, rice, etc. As long as the seed is good quality (volkman is a good seed, as is dr harveys, something without a lot of artificial stuff and not so much sunflower with a good amount of seeds mixed in, not just millet)

7) Tiels are dusty birds. Frequent baths can keep it down and my tiel loves a shower with a spray bottle, he'll also join me in the shower when I take one. I don't notice a dust build up on the cage... but you do want to clean the papers daily, so the bird doesn't have to breath in their own droppings as it dries and gets in the air. That is easy though - newspaper up, newspaper down. If you sit with a tiel on you though, you will notice a "dandruff" like substance on your clothes if they preen on you. If you aren't allergic, it won't bother you, though if you are allergic you will want to find a less dusty species.

8 ) My tiel is solo and quite content, as long as they have proper human interaction they can be fine without a friend. If you do go for a companion bird, I would suggest two males, to avoid the breeding issues (egg binding, babies, eggs, aggression due to protecting the nest, etc).