Animal lovers are known to have more than one kind of pet. As bird lovers, how can anyone expect us to have just one type of bird? You may be wondering what other birds you can add to your collection for those of you who have one or several cockatiels. There are several captive birds to choose from, so we will cover them all in this article.
Can a cockatiel live with other birds? Yes. Cockatiels can live with all kinds of birds, but they CAN’T live in the same cage. If there is one rule you should follow, all the birds live with the same kind of bird. There are reasons for this, which we will get to later.
Why don’t we start with a list of captive birds that would be good options to pair with your cockatiels.
Finches:
Keeping cockatiels and finches is easy, but they must be kept in their own cages. A cockatiel is larger than a finch and, due to its size, the finch may feel intimidated. Cockatiels are sweet and rarely pick fights, but a finch may get aggressive if they think the larger cockatiel is dominating them.
You can introduce them slowly with the following steps. But before you do that, you mustn’t put a new bird in the same room as the bird you’ve already had for a week. You should separate them to avoid the spread of any possible diseases carried by the new bird. Once it is safe, you can introduce your fowl friends.
Step One:
Put their cages in the same room but not next to each other. Now sit back and observe their behavior. If they hiss or act aggressive separate them and try another day again. If they continue to fight, then you know they don’t get along. Don’t fear though, birds who don’t get along will likely just ignore each other.
Step Two:
Begin to move the cages closer together until they are next to each other. If they are curious and kind, then you can repeat step one for a week. At the end of each session, you should put them back in their rooms. At the end of the week, if all goes well, they should have their cages in the same room. If you reach this point, then you’re ready for step two.
Step Three:
Bring both cages to the same room. Take the bird you first had out of their cage and spend some bonding time with her. Let the other bird watch and observe what you are doing. Then put the bird back.
Step Four:
Take the other bird out of its cage and give it the same attention. Then put them back into their cage.
Step Four:
When you feel ready, open the doors of both cages and see what happens. I would not recommend you leave them alone in case of any scuffles. If you see any aggression or hear any squawking, it’s time for a break, and everyone goes back to their cages.
Love Birds and Cockatiels:
This little bird will end up bullying your sweet cockatiel if you let them get away with it, which isn’t unheard of when it comes to Love Birds. Even though they are smaller in stature, they are BIG on personality. And, for the same reasons, we listed for the finches. When you pair a smaller bird with a larger one, the smaller bird can become aggressive to stand their territory.
The easily bullied cockatiel will have a problem. We don’t recommend that you pair cockatiels with love birds. But if you must, they should only be let out of their cages separately if you find that they can’t get along.
Canaries and Cockatiels:
The same rule of thumb applies to canaries as love birds. The canaries like to be alone and are smaller than a cockatiel. Because of the size difference, they may start to bully the cockatiel. So you don’t want to put a canary and a cockatiel in the same cage. You can try to introduce them using the steps we’ve listed above but be aware that the canary might become aggressive. If you find they can’t get along when outside their cages at the same time, then be sure to give them separate out-of-cage experiences.
Parakeets and Cockatiels:
Cockatiels and parakeets tend to get along rather well. This is because they tend to be the same size, so one doesn’t feel dominated by the other. You don’t want to throw them into a cage together. It’s still vital that they have their own cages initially, and you introduce them slowly like you would birds of the same species. If the parakeet is smaller, it may bully the cockatiel, so be aware of possible aggression.
Conure and Cockatiels:
Here, we have a bird that isn’t smaller than the cockatiel, so it shouldn’t feel intimidated. A conure is a small to medium-sized parrot that originates from South America. Their feathers are much more colorful than the cockatiel, and they are obviously from different sides of the world.
Still, the size thing matters when it comes to birds getting along, and these two are almost neck and neck when it comes to height. So you can try to introduce the two using the same steps we illustrated above. You will know within a short amount of time if these two will get along together. Ultimately it depends on each bird and its personality.
Parrotlet and Cockatiels:
This type of bird is NOT a good companion for a cockatiel. Cockatiels are tame and nonaggressive, where the parrotlet is the complete opposite. Being small, this kind of parrot feels intimidated and might nip at your cockatiel.
Quaker and Cockatiels:
The monk parrot, quaker parakeet, or monk parakeet, these birds are around 11 to 12 inches and are parrots, just like a cockatiel. But, there is never a guarantee that two birds of any separate species will get along. Quakers are not particularly aggressive birds, and neither are the cockatiels. If you keep them in separate cages and follow the steps above, then you might find they will become buddies.
Food / Diet differences of Cockatiels and other Birds:
All birds are not created the same. So it makes sense that their dietary needs would be different. The seed you feed your cockatiel might not be suitable for a love bird and vice versa. The best thing to do when it comes to feeding your birds is to get food specifically made for that species.
Pellets are a great way to make sure your bird is getting all the nutrients they need.
Separate Cages / Same Cage / Same Room: When it comes to housing birds of different species, you should always keep birds of individual species in separate cages. It would be ideal to stay mated birds together, and all other birds get their own cells. Birds are territorial, and fights will break out if you try to force one bird into another’s territory.
You can keep them in the same room if they get along, which can be found by using the steps we listed above. If they don’t get along and end up screeching through the night, then you might want to consider keeping them in separate rooms.
The critical thing to remember is that each of these birds will likely bond with you or another person in your home. It’s important that each bird feels loved and gets a fair amount of attention, which could alleviate any possible rivalries.