# have adopted a 9 year old cockatiel



## nicolerichards00 (Oct 7, 2014)

This past Friday, my boyfriend's grandfather passed away. He had a few pets in need of new homes and low and behold we are now the owners of a 9 year old cockatiel! (At least, I believe it to be a cockatiel..parakeet?) Sigh.. I am an animal lover and while I'm so very glad we have a new pet, I know nothing about birds at all! It's disheartening to think I may not be able to give him everything he needs and I know losing his owner is going to be a big change to overcome. I'm not even sure if its a boy or a girl. But some basic questions I have are 1) should I take him to the vet to be sure he (or she) is in good health? 2) what will he eat? (We have a basic seed mix that came with him) 3) is he supposed to be let out of his cage ever? 4) what can I do to make his transition easier? Sny advice would be greatly appreciated! 
Nikki


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## Calvine (Aug 20, 2012)

nicolerichards00 said:


> This past Friday, my boyfriend's grandfather passed away. He had a few pets in need of new homes and low and behold we are now the owners of a 9 year old cockatiel! (At least, I believe it to be a cockatiel..parakeet?) Sigh.. I am an animal lover and while I'm so very glad we have a new pet, I know nothing about birds at all! It's disheartening to think I may not be able to give him everything he needs and I know losing his owner is going to be a big change to overcome. I'm not even sure if its a boy or a girl. But some basic questions I have are 1) should I take him to the vet to be sure he (or she) is in good health? 2) what will he eat? (We have a basic seed mix that came with him) 3) is he supposed to be let out of his cage ever? 4) what can I do to make his transition easier? Sny advice would be greatly appreciated!
> Nikki


If you could post a pic, someone on here will tell you what sort of bird and sound advice on how to care for it/him/her.  Well done on taking him on!


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## Pet Luv 4ever (Oct 29, 2014)

If it's a cockatiel, it will have orange where it's cheeks are and it will have a crest on its head. If it is a parakeet, it will have vibrant colors. You should take it out of its cage because it will be happy, but if you don't, it will be miserable. I don't know if this goes for parakeets, but cockatiels should have 60% of their diet be pellets, and the other 40% be seeds. You should take it to the vet because there's a good chance that it will have a minor bacterial infection. Don't worry, this bacterial infection can be cured easily! Anyways, hope you enjoy your bird! &#128516;


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