Do Cockatiels Play?

You got a new cockatiel and a colorful arsenal of toys that could fill a preschool's toybox. If your feathered friend is just sitting peacefully on a perch instead of gleefully attacking that multi-tiered pouf of popsicle sticks and shiny beads, you may be wondering if these Australian parrots like to play. You should be in for lots of fun and mischief with this playful, comical bird.

  1. Age and Personality

    • If you bring a young cockatiel home soon after he's been weaned, you'll see the playfulness emerge in your bird as he gets adjusted to his new surroundings and explores his cage. During the teenage years and breeding seasons, your cockatiel will have hormone-driven energy to burn and will love numerous toys to hold his attention. If you adopt an older cockatiel, you may find he's more sedate and not as much into playtime. Males also tend to be more boisterous and vocal, and more likely to play rougher with toys. But ultimately, individual personality strongly influences a cockatiel's penchant for playtime.

    Toys

    • Consider a mix of toys to make the most out of playtime and learn your cockatiel's preferences; dangling toys with colorful links or beads, bells, spiral perches or "boings," foraging toys, paper crinkles and bunches of colored lollipop sticks are good starters. Try tying small toys, shoelaces or ribbons on the ends of natural branch perches to encourage exploratory play. Buy toys that are appropriate for small to medium birds to lower the risk of injury -- you don't want your cockatiel sticking and potentially catching his head inside an opening in a large toy meant for a macaw's beak. Rotate toys in the cage every few weeks to keep boredom at bay. Consider building a cage-top play gym out of rope or wood perches decked out with toys and a snack station.

    Human Interaction

    • You may find that your cockatiel finds the most mundane things to be fascinating playtime adventures, from a lock of your hair to a button on your shirt or the keys on your laptop. Try typing at a computer with a cockatiel on your shoulder and he'll inevitably walk down your arm to explore the colorful images on the screen, the mouse you insist on clicking or the space bar. Playing games with your cockatiel, from peek-a-boo to waving a piece of ribbon for him to catch, not only helps keep a cockatiel tame but builds the bond between bird and owner. Bath time can even be fun if you hold your cockatiel toward a warm spray of water from the shower, letting him flap his wings and playfully splash.

    Bird Pals

    • Some bird owners have cockatiels that play well with other species of birds such as the lineolated parakeet or kakariki. Size isn't the only factor in playmates, though you'd want to consider how a larger bird could physically injure a cockatiel during play. Even small birds such as the parrotlet and lovebird have more aggressive temperaments than your cockatiel and could be a risky match. Closely supervise any bird mixing, separate birds that play too rough with one another or fight and make sure that the play area allows birds to retreat to their own corners if necessary.