🦜Cockatiel: gear and buying guides

The cockatiel is a small, gentle-natured cockatoo, deeply attached to its humans, whose crest gives away its mood. Males readily whistle tunes without ever reaching big-parrot volume. Its long tail calls for a roomy cage, and its need for daily contact means real interaction time every day.

Profile : About 30 cm including a long tail, 15 to 20 year lifespan, moderate noise level.

Cockatiel gear, family by family

• 🍖 Food

  A base of small-parakeet pellets topped up with seeds, leafy greens and a little fruit. Cockatiels are prone to weight gain, so keep sunflower seeds for training sessions only.

• 🧴 Care & grooming

  Its plumage produces a natural white powder: regular baths or misting keep it down, and an air purifier can help sensitive households. Clean perches and the cage floor several times a week.

• 🎾 Toys & enrichment

  Soft wood chew toys, bells and rope toys are appreciated, mirrors best avoided, and above all shared whistling and games with you. A lone, under-stimulated cockatiel may start screaming or plucking feathers.

• 🏠 Bedding & habitat

  A cage at least 80 to 100 cm wide with horizontal bars for climbing, budget 100 to 200 euros. Beware of night frights: a soft night light prevents panicked thrashing in the dark.

• 🧳 Travel & safety

  A rigid carrier with a low perch and partly covered sides keeps it calm. During free flight, watch out for window panes and fans.

• 🧰 Accessories

  Cuttlebone, natural wood perches, a bath and a freestanding play gym for out-of-cage time. A kitchen scale lets you track weight, a good health indicator.

Guides to read

• Budgie starter kit: the full budget to get off to a good startAccessories

  Cage, perches, bowls, toys, food: the complete budgie starter kit broken down item by item, with a realistic budget of 180 to 400 €.

• Switching from seeds to pellets: the gentle method that worksFood

  Why and how to switch a budgie, cockatiel or parrot from seeds to pellets: a gradual 4-to-8-week transition, with brands and prices.

• Egg food for birds: when to feed it and which one to choose?Food

  Breeding, moulting, winter: when to give egg food to a canary or budgie, which recipe to choose in 2026 and at what price (4 to 12 €).

• Cuttlebone and mineral blocks: which one does your bird need?Food

  Calcium, iodine, beak wear: what cuttlebone and mineral blocks are for, how to attach them in the cage and which to favour for each species.

• Fruits and vegetables safe for birds: the complete listFood

  Which fruits and vegetables can a budgie, cockatiel or parrot eat safely? The list of safe foods, the toxic ones and the right amounts.

• Play gyms and perch stands: setting up the out-of-cage spaceToys & enrichment

  Perch stand, tabletop play gym, hanging playground: how to set up a safe, stimulating out-of-cage space for a budgie or parrot, from 25 to 250 €.

• Foraging toys for birds: shop-bought or DIY, which to choose?Toys & enrichment

  Foraging toys keep a bird busy for hours by making it work for its food: commercial models (5 to 35 €), DIY ideas and how to build up difficulty.

• Swings, ladders and rings: which gym gear for your bird?Toys & enrichment

  Swings, ladders and rings build balance and keep budgies and parrots busy: safe materials, sizes by species and prices from 4 to 25 €.