Cockatiels and Dogs?

[vachick15]

I really like cockatiels and would love to have one. But I have two dogs, I would like to know if cockatiels are OK with dog barking? One of my dogs only barks if the first one does, but they're big dogs and have big barks. What if I kept the cockatiel in my room upstairs? I need to know because I don't want him/her to die of stress, and for as much money a cockatiel costs, I really don't want them to (or that money to be wasted).

Your help is appreciated! And if possible, does anyone know of any breeders (I live near Fredericksburg, VA)?

 

[gpop1]

A young hand feed cockatiel that's brought up around dogs wont pay any attention to a dog barking. That's can be a bad thing as they do not see a dog as dangerous so you will have to supervise all contact between them until you know how your dogs will react.
Try to find a local breeder as you will find it cheaper and you should be able to get a better quality bird. There are different types of breeders so you will have to find one that does hand tame/pet quality. (some breeders will hand finish a chick for you but you will have to wait until the bird is ready).

 

[vachick15]

A young hand feed cockatiel that's brought up around dogs wont pay any attention to a dog barking. That's can be a bad thing as they do not see a dog as dangerous so you will have to supervise all contact between them until you know how your dogs will react.
Try to find a local breeder as you will find it cheaper and you should be able to get a better quality bird. There are different types of breeders so you will have to find one that does hand tame/pet quality. (some breeders will hand finish a chick for you but you will have to wait until the bird is ready).

OK, I have a breeder that's close by in mind... But on the dog topic, I would probably put the dogs upstairs or in the basement when the bird is out (one is a bird dog, so she'll definitely have to be put away). And I'd always supervise the bird with or without the dogs around.

Also, I was wondering, how hardy are cockatiels? I don't mean cold-hardy (I would never put them outside), but how tough? I have lost three parakeets, each when they were very young, and don't want to go through that again. The first we think he fell off his perch, the second we think was the fireplace fumes (we read somewhere that it's not good for birds to breath in) and the third, we accidentally let him drink the dogs water realizing it's toxic for them we'll be really careful with the cockatiel. So, I want to know if cockatiels would be effected by the fumes. And again, what if I put him/her up in my room?

 

[dekel18042]

I really like cockatiels and would love to have one. But I have two dogs, I would like to know if cockatiels are OK with dog barking? One of my dogs only barks if the first one does, but they're big dogs and have big barks. What if I kept the cockatiel in my room upstairs? I need to know because I don't want him/her to die of stress, and for as much money a cockatiel costs, I really don't want them to (or that money to be wasted).

Your help is appreciated! And if possible, does anyone know of any breeders (I live near Fredericksburg, VA)?

We've had two cockatiels. They seem pretty hardy. Both were fine around our cats and dogs and weren't stressed by them, but then they grew up with them as we got them at 8 weeks old.
The first was an amazing talker. He could mimic TV ads. He died at 13 from a tumor between his wing and body.
Our other was a very sweet bird who made noises and chirps but never talked(if you want a talker, get a boy) and she just died recently at 23 years of age.
If you get one I would keep it with the family. (as long as the other pets won't hurt it.) as cockatiels are sociable birds. I am a proponent of clipping wings, though. A bird that can fly can fly into windows and I've heard of some flying into turning fans and one even into a boiling soup pot. I've also heard of birds that soared out an open door. It's better to be safe than sorry.

 

[vachick15]

Quote:

Quote: Yes, I would get them as young as possible. Clipping wings is a must for me. As long as I make sure that the dogs are put away, I don't think the pets would hurt it. We only have two guinea pigs and a gerbil, and fish. So I think the cockatiel will be fine. I'll do some more research on how tough they are. And I ask again, lol, what if I put the cockatiel in my room?

 

[dekel18042]

Cockatiels and other birds in the parrot family are social beings and like being part of the flock. While they might be all right in your room, if they are used to activity and being part of a family they might enjoy being where there is more activity and people they can see and interact with. All our birds including the 28 year old conure we now have live in our family room right off the kitchen which is the hub of activity in our house so he feels like he is part of the family.
A bird put in a room away from others may very well feel lonely.

 

[vachick15]

Loneliness was a concern of mine, that's why I wanted to ask. Maybe I could put the bird in the sunroom, the dogs aren't in there too much and l like to be in there to draw. It's not where everyone is all the time, but it's away from the fireplace fumes. And I think it's the best place, the parakeet who was in there lasted the longest and I feel that if we had been more careful to not let him drink the dogs water he would have lived a lot longer.

Quote: I'm fine with talking and noise, but my mom says no to that. It's a little too loud for her. So I was thinking of a female.

 

[gpop1]

just a couple of basic points you may want to consider

A hand tame tiel costs more because some one invested time and effort in to hand feeding and handling the bird. Most of the time they are taught the basics like stepping up and how to tolerate handling with out biting. This creates a pet that requires attention. Once the bird has learnt to bond with people its not going to be happy being caged with no attention.
With in a few months you will have a semi-tame possibly unstable tiel that will hssss like a snake and could possibly draw blood when handled which will result in a bird that is never handles because it bites. I have taken in rescues that were once hand tame that can not safely be handled any more.

You said you had a bird dog which is good as they have been breed not to hurt a bird. In fact most bird dogs are breed on the conditions of never hurting a bird.
My spaniel is a bird retriever and she's been breed over the generations to have a soft bite so when she grabs a bird she does not damage the skin other breeds are trained to point out the bird and will wait for instructions to flush them. (if you have a rat dog like a terrier then that's could be a major problem as they were breed to kill small moving animals). This is why I suggest close supervisor and if the dogs take a sniff then don't seem interested I wouldn't be to worried. My dogs seem more interested if the bird is out of its cage that there might be some bird goodies to eat at the unguarded cage.

As for clipping wings I agree that a bird should have reduced flight but its a bird so it shouldn't fall like a rock or have to walk everywhere. A breeder should be able to show you how far to trim the flight feathers to achieve a short controlled flight.

I really hope you find a good bird as its will be a great pet that everyone in the home enjoys. if you decide you want a tiel that's going to be caged away from social interactions then I suggest at least 2 older rescues so they can get there social needs from each other company plus lots and lots of toys to keep them busy.

 

[vachick15]

just a couple of basic points you may want to consider

A hand tame tiel costs more because some one invested time and effort in to hand feeding and handling the bird. Most of the time they are taught the basics like stepping up and how to tolerate handling with out biting. This creates a pet that requires attention. Once the bird has learnt to bond with people its not going to be happy being caged with no attention.
With in a few months you will have a semi-tame possibly unstable tiel that will hssss like a snake and could possibly draw blood when handled which will result in a bird that is never handles because it bites. I have taken in rescues that were once hand tame that can not safely be handled any more.

You said you had a bird dog which is good as they have been breed not to hurt a bird. In fact most bird dogs are breed on the conditions of never hurting a bird.
My spaniel is a bird retriever and she's been breed over the generations to have a soft bite so when she grabs a bird she does not damage the skin other breeds are trained to point out the bird and will wait for instructions to flush them. (if you have a rat dog like a terrier then that's could be a major problem as they were breed to kill small moving animals). This is why I suggest close supervisor and if the dogs take a sniff then don't seem interested I wouldn't be to worried. My dogs seem more interested if the bird is out of its cage that there might be some bird goodies to eat at the unguarded cage.

As for clipping wings I agree that a bird should have reduced flight but its a bird so it shouldn't fall like a rock or have to walk everywhere. A breeder should be able to show you how far to trim the flight feathers to achieve a short controlled flight.

I really hope you find a good bird as its will be a great pet that everyone in the home enjoys. if you decide you want a tiel that's going to be caged away from social interactions then I suggest at least 2 older rescues o they can get there social needs from each other company plus lots and lots of toys to keep them busy.

I have a German Shorthaired Pointer. The other is a mix, he probably couldn't care less about the teil, I'm just worried about him stepping on it accidently (he's a pretty big dog). I'd get a hand-tame tiel so I can bond with it.