In het kort
- Cockatiels need to spend time with their people every day.
- Provide daily flying or plenty of exercise time.
- Rotate toys and add foraging games.
- Keep up a varied diet of pellets, seed, vegetables and greens.
- The fine powder from their feathers is normal; many enjoy regular lukewarm baths or misting.
Adulthood runs from about 1 to 13 years of age. Your cockatiel has its adult plumage, and its personality, whistles and routines become clear. It is a long stage, and a good routine can carry on for years.
What is happening in this stage?
- Adult colors are complete, and moults repeat seasonally.
- Their whistling and sound repertoire develops.
- Breeding behavior may appear (courting, claiming a corner of the cage).
What should you do differently?
- Social life: Time together every day; cockatiels left alone can become bored.
- Flying and exercise: Supervised flying in a safe room and a play stand.
- Enrichment: Rotate toys weekly; add shredding and foraging toys.
- Diet: Quality pellets and seed, fresh vegetables and greens daily; keep harmful foods (such as avocado, chocolate and caffeine) away.
- Sleep: A dark, quiet and regular bedtime.
What should you monitor?
- Weight (weighing at home)
- Droppings and appetite
- Feather condition and feather plucking
- Length of beak and nails
Expected behavior
Whistling, raising and lowering the crest, preening, asking for head scratches, walking on the floor and settling down in the evening are normal at this stage.
Reminders
- Check-ups yearly or as often as your veterinarian recommends
- Weighing every week or two
- Cage and perch cleaning; rotating toys
Next stage
From about 13 years of age your cockatiel enters the senior stage.
De leeftijdsgrenzen zijn bij benadering; verschillen binnen een soort (zoals grootte bij honden) kunnen de overgangen vervroegen of vertragen.
Deze inhoud is algemene informatie en vervangt geen onderzoek of diagnose door een dierenarts. Maak je je zorgen over de gezondheid van je dier, neem dan contact op met je dierenarts.