Can You Put a Baby Female Cockatiel in the Same Cage With an Adult Male?

Cockatiels are very sociable birds who can benefit from having avian companionship in addition to their human companionship. Adding a new cockatiel to your famiy can be a rewarding experience, but it is not a decision that you should rush into. It will take time to teach your adult cockatiel to accept your new, young cockatiel, and each bird's unique personality will have a key role in determining how well they will get along.

  1. Health

    • Before you even consider introducing two cockatiels to the same cage, you must have each one inspected by your veterinarian and make sure they both have a clean bill of health. If your have just purchased one of the birds, then you should quarantine that bird away from your existing bird for 90 days before you introduce them. You do not want to make your healthy cockatiel sick by bringing a sick bird into his environment.

    Introductions

    • Cockatiels have their own unique personalities that will need to be taken into account when you are deciding whether your birds will be able to coexist in the same cage. Introducing your birds to each other slowly will help avoid unpleasant interactions, because you can let the birds get used to each other on their own terms. Start off by keeping your cockatiels in separate cages within the same room. Let the birds become used to each other gradually while separated. Allow each bird individual time out of the cage. If your loose bird chooses to interact with your caged bird during the time outside the cage, then you should allow them to interact and observe whether they seem friendly towards each other.

    Interacting

    • When you are satisfied that your birds seem to be getting along well while they are separated, you can try allowing them to interact with each other. Start out by allowing both birds out of their cages at the same time. Leave the cage doors open so that your birds can enter each other's cages if they choose to. As long as your birds are not behaving aggressively towards each other when they are together, you can try placing them in the same cage together. Watch out for pecking, hissing, biting or other signs of aggression between the two birds. Separate them if you see signs of trouble.

    Your Young Cockatiel

    • Your young female cockatiel will technically not be considered a fully mature adult until she is 18 months old. Remember that young birds may be less sure of themselves, lack social skills and be bullied more easily by an older adult bird. You also should keep in mind that your adult male cockatiel may mate with your female. If you keep them in the same cage, then you should be prepared to have a nest full of baby cockatiels in your future.