Last Updated on February 16, 2023 by Mitch Rezman

Cheri S.  asks:

I would like to try putting my 3 parakeets and cockatiels in the same cage.

What size cage should I use?

 

Also, what is a flight cage compared to a regular cage?

 

Hope you can help.

 

Dear Cheri

 

A flight cage is a cage made large enough for a bird to fly in it.

 

Also referred to as an Aviary.

 

They can range from a small 22″ wide cage for a few finches up to a room-sized cage or larger outside.

 

Flight Cages are found in the Aviary section

 

Mixing species can be fun but not always the easiest to get the right mix.

Fish tanks are a common situation where one tried to mix different fish together, but hope one doesn’t eat the other.

A mixed aviary can be almost as daunting.

No, one bird isn’t likely to eat the other but one can be aggressive to another if they feel threatened by them.

 

If your aviary is large enough it can house both budgies and cockatiels, but not in a small aviary.

 

This commonly used home size aviary can easily house 10 parakeets OR 2 cockatiels.

 

AE 13221 Cage

 

But it is too small for 3 budgies AND 2 cockatiels. Someone will be annoyed.

 

You would need a larger one to house them all together peacefully.

AE6412 Black

 

This one has a middle divider that can be used in place or removed to create one long aviary/flight cage.

 

UNLESS they are already all friends and they do have out of the cage space and they are used to each other in that situation. THEN, you may be able to close them all up into the same roomy aviary for night time.

 

I hope this helps.

Catherine.

 

MitchR chiming in: It’s important to offer multiple food and water stations as well as “escape zones” where a bird can feel safe and be left alone.

 

 

 

Mary K. asks:

When is it ok to introduce baby cockatiels to the other cockatiels in the home?

I have 4 tiels.1 senior, one bonded pair who just had their 1st clutch resulting in 3 live babies, and another young bird nearly a year old.

The babies are 3 and a half weeks old.

 

Mom and Dad are great parents so they are doing the feeding but allowing me to handle and clean up after them. when will it be ok for babies to meet my other two birds?

 

Dear Mary

 

Sounds like a busy household.

 

What are your plans for the babies?

 

Will they be pets or breeders?

 

Are you doing any hand-feeding?

 

If not, be sure to handle the babies as much as you can to keep them tame if you plan to give/sell them as pets so they are good pets.

As far as introducing them to the other birds.

Do so under supervision only. You never know how another bird will react.

 

 

 

Barbara L. writes:

Should I separate my bonded pair of Cockatiels?

 

Have a bonded pair of cockatiels.

 

The male mounts the female side saddle up by her “shoulders”.

 

He never gets the right spot for successful mating.

 

She has laid multiple infertile clutches.

 

She is taking a beating.

 

Give the calcium-fortified h2o and breeder formula pellets.

 

She just keeps laying. 

 

Afraid she will become egg bound from all of the layings.

 

Should I separate them?

 

Took the nest box out, and kept the lighting on for 3 days, and she keeps laying.

 

Any suggestions?

 

Dear Barbara

Are these your only cockatiels? Are you trying to breed them?

Is the male young?

You need to give her a break.

She cannot keep laying without her health starting to deteriorate.

They need to be separated.

They can be in cages next to each other if they call out for each other but if you can separate them where they can’t hear each other, even better.

 

The Light Treatment to help her to stop laying may not help for long if at all if she is continually stimulated by the male (but could be worth the effort).

 

Unfortunately, just his calling to her can be stimulating enough to cause her to keep laying.

 

You can try to treat them for 7 days and nights straight. They will be fine in the light.

 

Please let us know how it goes.

Catherine