22g's Cockatiel Dictionary

30/03/2024

An appreciation from your GURU is no lesser than an achievement 🎉🎊

29/03/2024

Common disease in Cockatiels by the legend - Sadiq Bhaimia Sir

COMMON DISEASES IN BIRDS - COCKATIELS
MITES
EGG BINDING
BACTERIAL INFECTION
GIARDIASIS
RESPIRATORY INFECTION
CONJUNCTIVITIS
PARALYSIS
LIVER DISORDER

13/03/2024

Summer Care to avoid dehydration and heat stroke

SOS for Summer, Dehydration and Heat Stroke

1.How to keep your birds hydrated in summer
Provide grated salad mix as shown in picture minimum 3 times in a week during summer

Ingredients cucumber, beetroot, carrot and broccoli
You can also add watermelon to grated salad and sprinkle coriander leaves on the mix

2. Incase of heat stroke give electrolyte powder water 2-3 drops direct to beak and keep giving 2-3 drops of electrolyte powder water after every 2 hours untill the bird is absolutely fine (max follow for 24hrs)
If you don't have electrolyte powder you can make it at home, recipe shared in post
You can also use tinder coconut water in case of heat stroke

***Spray water/give them bath minimum twice a week during summer
You can keep a big water bowl they will enjoy bathing themselves
***People religiously follow above specially who have outdoor setup

By Hitesh Sharma

25/02/2024

First time owner should I hand raise a Cockatiel?

Many new owners think of taming a chick on their own because of many reasons and they dare to handfeed for the first time just by watching couple of videos and reading some articles however most of them end up having sick chick which dies even before weaning.

Reasons why first time owner plans to tame a chick on his own -
1. Price of tame bird V/s handfeeding chick
Don't just look at the price difference in handfeeding and tame bird because it has lots of efforts involved in it.
Your plan to save some money will cost a chick's life

2. Thinking self tame bird will have good bonding with him/her
It's nothing like that it completely depends on your bonding and how much time you give to your birds

If you still plan to handfeed you should know :
1. Right age of chick which can be handfeed
2. Right accessory where chick can be kept during handfeeding
3. Good handfeeding formula as chick has only 50-55 days to grown not many years so it needs nutritional diet hence good handfeeding formula
4. How to maintain Hygiene - it will keep infections away so chick does not fall sick (wipe chick beak area with tissue paper after handfeeding is done)
5. Right accessory and method to handfeed
6. Schedule and quantity as per age of handfeeding formula
7. MOST IMPORTANT YOU NEED AN EXPERIENCED MENTOR WHO WILL GUIDE YOU PERSONALLY so that there is no scope of mistake.

Some good brands in India for raising a Cockatiel.
A19 and Psittacus Psittacus India

Pic source
Hobbiyst from different parts of India handfeeding thier chicks

By Hitesh Sharma

24/02/2024

Cockatiel as a companion for your kids

Mostly parents buy pets to accompany their kids during school vacations however they need to understand that it's not a toy but a live being which has its own uniqueness, requirement and behaviour.

I would personally advice not to buy a non tame Cockatiel as companion for your kids who are less than 12 years old and tame Cockatiel for kids less than 15 years old because kids need to understand about it's care, health and diet.

The reason is because a Cockatiel/bird/parrot/parakeet is a living thing and it's not for entertainment purposes. The kid should be given a pet only if it is a genuine pet lover not because it's cousin or neighbour kid has a pet too.

A pet needs nutrional diet, care, love and hygiene so it's like having a toddler for next couple of years which will not grow and be same for entire life.

It has emotions too so it may love and also some time bite. It can get hurt if not handled properly.
Re-home should not have any excuse as things need to be analysed before getting one at home.

Many times kids leave the cage door open and bird flies or hits the wall/far and hurts itself.
Dies out of sickness which was not guessed due to lack of experience.
Hence you need to know it's diet, cage size, other accessories, care etc so that it stays fit and healthy.
Also educate your kids about it.

You will have to travel on vacations, your kids will grow, they will have school and other activities, you will have work pressure at office, you have to cook food, etc etc but these things need to be analysed before making the decision to get a pet companion.

Yes Cockatiels do have feather dust issue so it does not come only with beautiful yellow crest but feather dust too.

There are kids who really adore and take good care of their pets and grow along with them happily but not all are same.

So analyse things before getting one.

Pictures taken from Google

Thank you,
Hitesh Sharma

17/02/2024

https://meet.google.com/xjb-qmzu-adk

We will start at 7pm IST

12/02/2024

Hello everyone I have received multiple cases of Sukka problem so i thought to address it on bigger platform and CSI has provided me the opportunity. Please forward the details to your friends who are hobbiyst/breeders so that maximum people can take benifit of this awareness initiative.

I will be sharing the link here in on the page as per schedule so that you guys can participate.

14/01/2024

DM me for more information
Currently open only for Indian Citizens only

26/12/2023

Reasons for all infertile eggs in a clutch or multiple clutches:

1. Age : both male and female should be minimum 18 months old
2. Lack of experience: few males take time to learn to mate properly hence they need to be minimum 18 months old, also you can pair inexperienced partner with experienced partner for better results
3. Accessories : Use round shape perch with minimum 1 inch width for proper grip also the perch and cage mesh should not be too close so that mesh does not cause huddle in mating as birds have long tail
4. Over grown nails : Trim nails of pair of overgrown or else it will not give good grip to pair while mating
5. Vent feathers: trim vent feathers with help of scissors or trimmer so that birds can mate properly
6. Both male and female should not be siblings (direct family)
7. Add vitamin E to diet when you put the birds for breeding (Rex oil or Soaked/Sprouted wheat 🌾)

This is only applicable to - a pair laying all infertile eggs in multiple clutches. This will not apply to DIS or something else.

Pic source Google/ Copyright Suzanne Mam

By Hitesh Sharma 22g

15/10/2023

Medication and Supplementing Avairy Birds

Time to check your first aid kit and supplements store in avairy - small article BIG impact

Birds do not have access to Pharmacy in the wild. They find all the required supplements and antidotes they require in their diet, So it is very important to provide them with an all-round diet.
Over supplementing can lead to toxicity and other heath issues. Use as and when required. Natural supplements are safer than synthetic supplements.
I have seen some crazy hobbyists who have a mini pharmacy setup in their homes. With a time table as to what is to be given and when. But I find that by doing that they did not get any excellent results and some not at all.

15/10/2023

Cockatiel eating it's own p**p - very nice article

WHY DO PARROTS EAT THEIR OWN DROPPINGS

Stress of weaning, changes in environment or diet, and molting are just a few causes for a cockatiel to eat it’s droppings. Stress results in a depletion through excretion (p**p) of most the water soluble (B's, C, choline) nutrients in the system. The body does not mfg. or retain them. Eating of the droppings is a cockatiels way of replentishing (recycling) them back into their system.

The eating of droppings is not a normal daily thing with cockatiels. Cockatiels are one of the few species of parrot type birds that will eat their droppings when their body is lacking in certain nutrients.

The primary nutrient being choline and many of the B vitamins and amino acids , which are by products in the birds droppings. Stress, such as the sale and a new home can cause a bird to excrete in excessive amounts the water soluble family of vitamins and nutrients in his system. This group of nutrients consists of the B vitamins, choline, and vitamin C. Even thought the birds diet may contain these nutrients under stressful situations the body is excreting in excess of the dietary intake. The cockatiel will eat the dropping to compensate for the difference.

Health
One thing that will help your bird is to go to the health food store and get some Brewers Yeast. It is rich the B vitamins, minerals and nutrients, choline, and amino acids. Amino acids enable vitamin and minerals to act properly within the body, and aid in the assimilation and utilization of the other nutrients. Sprinkle a small amount on his seed/food daily for about a week. This will supply what he needs back in his system, and alleviate the need to eat his droppings.

***** IT IS NOT JUST RESTRICTED TO COCKATIELS. BUT APPLIES YO ALL BIRDS.

14/10/2023

Probiotics source

1. From their parent when they are feed by the parent as chicks.
2. Birds in the wild get their probiotics from what they eat specially fruits vegetables and soil.

Fruits rich in probiotics -
Apples, Peaches, Figs, Pomegranates, Bananas and water melons.
Vegetables rich in probiotics - cucumber, carrot, beetroot,, cauliflower and capsicum.
Curd is a very good source along with Olives.

Information source - Sadiq Bhaimia Sir (Avain Files)

Note : Setgut and prozyme are the ones which I have personally used

03/10/2023

Hello Everyone Attention please!!!
It's been noticed that few people are reporting my page

If anyone has any missunderstanding or any issue please feel free to chat on messenger

This group is only for helping needy birds
Members whom this page has really helped please post reviews/ratings so that I can save my page from getting blocked by Facebook

Please post genuine reviews/rating
Do not consider this as a help request and provide your feedback accordingly

Thank you 👍😊

26/09/2023

COCKATIELS and NIGHT FRIGHTS.
Cockatiels are very alert birds. They are alert even in their sleep . So in the night when there is a small disturbance in any form sudden sound, rat running around etc etc, It will frighten the cocakatiel in the middle of the night. it will start screeching and flying around the cage. Make sure the cage is large enough so that it does not injure its self or breaks its wings due to flapping of wings. Do not hang toys near the perch where the bird sleep. Keep the night lamp on.

17/09/2023

Most FAQ - Price???

Prices are different for different states and even cities of same state in India

Price completely depends on buyer and seller and also on their personal expectations

Traders, breeders, pet shops, hobbyist etc have again their own prices

There is no authority who controls prices for cockatiels in India

It's always better to consult someone near to your location to get better idea about prices

17/09/2023

Why Vet's Advice is Best Advice

Usually breeders/hobbiyst will take an advice from experienced breeders/hobbiyst on medication of a sick bird however it should done when a vet is not immediately/easily available.
Such advice is a diluted information which ofcourse originally came from a vet to a breeders/hobbiyst and it may not be 100% accurate as it has not come from direct source but from someone who does not understand it's medical background well so it's better to seek advice from directly from a vet.

Common reasons which keep needy bird away from an Avain vet as per me

1. An avain vet is not easily available- if people will start consulting it will increase opportunity for Avain vets gradually making them available unlike dogs and cats vet.

2. Investing on a sick bird - people think a further investment on a sick bird (treatment charges) will increase loss for that person but if he saves that bird with help of vet then he doesn't have to invest on a new bird. Also it's not ethical to compromise a life for money.

3. Birds even after consulting an Avain vet do not survive - I would say it's a myth and it can happen because you delayed in consultation or already provided incorrect medication.

4. Treating bird with help of online influencers e.g. YouTube - as i already mentioned this information will not be 100% accurate as it doesn't come from an expert.

5. High offline and online consultation charges and medication charges - due to avian vet being not very common it makes them expensive but think it from an investment point to view which will help you to learn about the problem and it's cute so you will become an expert in it just like first time parents of kids become aware of pretty much information on raising a kid.

If you maintain proper hygiene, invest in good quality accessories and give proper diet and care to your birds then it will easily eliminate 40-50% chances of a bird getting sick.

Pic source - Google/also mentioned on pic

By - Hitesh Sharma 22g

13/09/2023

Clear Pied Cockatiel

This word is getting very popular these days due to hobbiyst attraction towards Pied Cockatiels however similar visual mutation are causing confusion specifically Lutino.

Here are few pictures reference by Cockatiel Queen Susanne Russo Mam.
There pictures will definitely help you to understand difference in Lutino and Clear Pied.
I have also uploaded two pics of my home breed clear pied.

Here are few tips -
1.Clear pied means no grey marking on body 100% clear body
2.Clear pied is by birth not after moulting
3.Parents of clear pied should be visual pieds (most probably heavy pieds)
4. Lutino eye looks dark with age hence it starts looking black however use torch technique to identify same
5. Lutino split to pied eye colour causes confusion hence parents history is easy to clear the doubt.

Same logics apply to White face clear pied and White face Lutino (Albino)

One important thing****
Lutino * Pied
or
White face lutino (Albino) * White face Pied
These pairings will not give you visual pied chicks

By Hitesh Sharma - 22g

08/09/2023

In-line breeding

Inbreeding is the breeding of pair that are closely related to each other.
For example father to daughter, mother to son, and brother to sister.

Line breeding is breeding to close relatives, more-distantly related birds in order to lock in desirable traits.

I personally do not promote inbreeding as it has its own drawbacks affecting fertility ratio, chicks health and physical size and appearance.

Mostly inbreeding is done to get desired mutations like pied (symetrical marking), fallows, emralds etc

Mutation will work in same manner if you pair two birds of same family or different.
So if you want to work on obtaining specific Mutation chicks it's better to know Mutation of its parents to get the desired results.

Also in today's time it's not difficult to get a pair from different family which has the visual and split Mutation which a breeder wants to breed specific Mutation chicks.

For me it's not ethical as you are intentionally doing it which will impact chicks health.

Collecting good birds to be paired up, breeding them at minimum required age, obtaining chicks of good quality (crest, length, size) all this requires patience.

Hobby is all about being patient and motivated.

By Hitesh Sharma

Pic source Google

07/09/2023

And my girl "Pearly" has made it again 😍

18/08/2023

Crooked beak or scissor beak

17/08/2023

P**p examination

IMPORTANCE OF MONITORING DROPPINGS
Show me your friends and I will tell you what you are.
Droppings are a very important indicators related to the health of the bird. Changes in the droppings is the first sign of disease in the bird. It is better to consult a Veterinarian in such cases rather than coming to conclusion on your own. When a problem is detected in a early stage it is much easier to treat the disease with a better result.
For better observation and evaluation of droppings place a plain white paper under the cage. Do not use colored or printed paper or any form of materials like wood shaving or crushed corn cobs as it would be difficult to visualize the droppings
A normal dropping consists of three basic parts; 1. f***l portion, 2. white urate 3. urine portion. The f***l portion is usually green in color but may vary depending on what the bird eats. The diet will also affect the texture of droppings. So the texture of the droppings should be correlated with the diet.

17/08/2023

Importance of placing light in correct way near the cages

Hitesh Sharma, Asked a question
People use tubelight and bulbs inside the cage similarly how it's used in fish tank but i personally cannot look at tubelight for even couple of seconds then obviously birds must also have eye problem due to tube/bulb placed very near to cage (not during sickness but generally)

Answer
The heat source (tubelight or bulb) should be placed in the right position. Dangling them right above the cage will stress them or placing them very close to the cage will lead to over heating, Which could lead heatstroke and death. Hence eat source should be placed at a comfortable position 4-5 feet above / away. Light will not affect an adult birds eyes as they will not be staring at them.

Yes I have observed that Albinos and Lutinos when exposed to bright light go blind. Parrot chicks placed in a brooder heated using a bulb emitting bright light open their eyes very late.

Providing bright light is not going to help. Proving too much of heat can be fatal. They nee light close to sunlight, which emits UV light, We will discus it some other day.

17/07/2023

Monsoon care for cockatiels

You must have noticed your bird becoming calm and quiet during rainy season also many birds fall sick, lets discuss what should be done

1. Birds getting calm and quiet is fine if they are not sick
2. Keep birds warm - cover them with warm cloth or put bulb in avairy. I use flex material as it helps keep cage bright, warm and also waterproof
3. Avoid things which are hard to digest as physical movement (exercise) is very less because they remain calm and quiet in monsoon. Digestive system is not that strong like winter
Example black chana, wheat, beans etc
4. Clean left over soft food as soon as possible
5. Clean cages and left over soft food and p**p become moist and promote bacteria and fungus
6. Fruits flies are again big issue during monsoon hence removing soft food left over and hygiene is the key.
Apple cider vinegar also attracts fruit flies
7. Give immunity booster and digestion support herbs like moriga, turmeric powder, cumin seeds, curry leaves etc in soft food
8. Don't stop soft food and keep them on seeds because compramise in nutrition will be compramise in immunity
9. Wash veggies properly before offering to your birds
10. Use best drinking water and if replace it two times in a day

Pic source Google

By Hitesh Sharma 22g

23/12/2022

Reasons for death of chicks in nest

There can be many reasons but i would like to share few as per my knowledge and experience

1. Giving too much soft food especially sprouts
Avoid sprouts for the first week after chick is hatch so that it does not cause digestion/dehydration issues
Later introduce it to the diet and gradually increase the quantity

2. Dehydration - include grated salad mix to avoid dehydration in chicks

3. Bacterial/Fungal infection - remove left over soft food after 3 hours and maintain hygiene in cage

4. Water - replace drinking water two times in a day

5. Nesting material - use soft wood shave because many a times the hard wood shave causes cuts on skin of chicks as they don't have feathers on their body

6. Hygiene - change nesting material 2-3 times in a weak as per the requirement

7. Too much leafy vegetables - avoid this as it will cause watery p**p and messy nest

8. Youngest chick death - elder chicks will dominate the youngest for food so if there are more than 3 chicks you can remove the youngest one for handfeeding or shift to different nest with same age group chicks

9. Use a standard size of nest which is comfortable for 4-5 chicks so that the young ones do not die coz of congestion in the nest

10. Inspecting nest too many times in a day causing parents to panic and stressed

NOTE
***Parents not feeding - a weak chick will not cry for food hence parents will not feed it properly so you might think they are not good parents but it's the sickness of chicks hence take care of chicks properly so that they remain healthy

Pic source Google

10/12/2022

Catch me live at CSI's Webinar session next weekend 😊

19/11/2022

4 easily available herbs for your birds 😊
Also birds enjoy playing with these while eating

Indian Almond leave (immunity)
Neem leaves (deworming)
Curry leaves (digestion)
Tulsi leaves (immunity)

Give once in a month each
Wash properly before you give it to your birds

Pic source Google

13/11/2022

Basic tips on food/care when there are chicks in nest

Many a time question arises what diet can be given to parents so that chicks grown well and what should not be given to avoid death of chicks at their early age

I will share you my personal thoughts based completely on my experience
I have shared different post on diet to be give to cockatiels, you can read same to get better idea about diet

*Give best quality seedmix and pellets (daily)
*Sprouts (all types) should NOT be given from day 1-5 as this is major reason for early death of chicks
*Corn and grains/sprouts half boil will be better when chicks are small - till day 10
*Introduce basic soft food but in limited quantity and increase quantity as per chicks age
*Avoid too much Leafy vegetables especially spinach/palak to avoid watery p**p
*Give variety in diet, don't give same type of soft food daily
*Depending on weather manage ratio of ingredients eg avoid too much mint and coriander leaves during winter
And increase quantity of salad mix during summer
*Give electrolyte powder in drinking water 2-3 times in a week especially during summer and to parents who feed less water to chicks
*Can sprinkle handfeeding formula (dry) on soft food in limited quantity
*Remove left over soft food after 3 hours to avoid bacterial and fungal infection
*Change water 2 times in a day
*Change nesting material 2-3 times in a week
*When chicks nest out increase protein diet (sprouts)
*Suddenly don't cutoff soft food diet once chicks nest out or start to eat self as it will decrease their weight (mostly people stop soft food and start giving seeds only)

Remember parents will feed what you give them as they don't have option to choose hence you have to make better choice for them 😊

Pic source Google

29/10/2022

Thank you Pearly my girl for making me feel proud again 😊😘

27/10/2022

WINTER CARE & DIET

Winter is coming and I am very much sure you all must be worried about diet and care of your birds

Here are few tips that will help keep your birds warm and healthy during winter

1. Cover cage with warm clothes.
I have covered my cage with a flex sheet from all sides except front side which helps keep them warm.
I cover the front side during night time but make sure about ventilation so that birds don't feel suffocating

2. Put 100watt bulbs in avairy (not in cage) during early morning and evening will help to keep your avairy warm

3. Increase quantity of oily and fatty food
Eg sunflower and safflower seeds etc

4. Add food to diet which help keeps body warm
Eg Methi/Fenugreek Leaves, Sprouts, Niger seeds, turmeric powder, giner powder etc

5. Avoid food which is not warm in nature
Eg Coriander leaves, cucumber, Spinach, Mint etc

6. Avoid breeding when it's too cold
Eg During December and January

7. Do not leave a scope for cold breeze to pass in your avairy or cage specially during early morning and late night

19/10/2022

Pied Mutation Part 5 FINAL PART

These are some beautiful pictures found on google which are combination of Pied with other mutations

1. Top Left - Patch Pearl Pied
2. Top Right - White Face Pied
3. Bottom left - Pastel Face Pied
4. Bottom Right - Cream Face Pied