Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i was considering buying a cockatiel but i have a big question before i do it. my work schedule is a midshift where im there by noon during a few days of the week and opening by 630am on the weekend however, my girlfriend gets home about 3pm.

my question is, do i work a weird enuf schedule that the bird wouldnt get the attention it needs or because my girlfriend comes home it would gravitate more towards her than me since it might see her more often.

I am not sure I understand your schedule.

Its good that there would be two of you to take care of the bird if you are gone a lot.

Would it become more attached to your girlfriend? It could. But if you take time with it too it will most likely be happy with both of you.

They are loud though I will warn you of that.

sorry ill clarify, my work schedule is m,thur,fri-noon to 830pm. my girlfriend is 6am-230pm. we have about a half hour drive for our works that why i say she gets home about 3pm.

but yes my main concern would be that my bird would no longer become my bird anymore lol. but in the morning till like 11 on the weekdays i have plenty of free time for the tiel if i decide to get one. the reason im pressing the issue of finding out if our schedules are compatible is birds are day animals and i dont get home till dark. like i said tho, i have much morning free time.

I’ve read somewhere that pet birds need at least an hour of quality attention a day to stay tame & sane, preferably more. I’m away from home 7 am-7 pm each weekday and with their 9 pm bedtime, my birds get 2 hours then plus a bit of time in the morning. At weekends they get spoilt pretty much all day. They’re totally fine with this although if I come home at 7 and don’t go straight to them I get some angry reminder calls!
From what it sounds like, between you and your girlfriend it will get lots of time & attention. You can’t guarantee who it’ll bond to but if you can be with the tiel in the morning lots I don’t think you need worry about being shunned

thanks for all your info, girl at the petstore said the same thing aswell, plus im the type of person who like to have his pet with them so im sure the feathery one will get lotsa attention. now all i have to do is see if i can find a reputable breeder in my area(omaha,nebraska) cause i really dont want to go to a pet store for my bird.

im replying to myself!! lol just a question cause i went to cockatiels.org, does anyone know how hard it is to find the "dmoninant silver" color morph and if since the color morph is a double morph they have health problems that other tiels dont have?

thanks ray