I will be the first to admit that I do not know much about birds in general; however, I have observed the living conditions of one gray 'tiel, and it distressed me to such an extent that I just don't know what to do. It's a gray 'tiel, it lives by itself in a small cage with very little water (I don't know how often the water gets changed), and very little birdseed. Its cage sits directly on the cold (albeit carpeted) floor of an extremely poorly lit room, almost three feet behind the front door of the house (a door which is left open quite often), and its paper doesn't look like it's been changed for a while. The owner bought it for his children a few months ago, but I guess the novelty has worn off because they're selling the poor bird for $50.00 cage and all. As I said, I don't know much about birds, but the state in which I found this one infuriated me. Because of the darkness, I couldn't get a good look at its condition (glossy feathers et al), but I want to buy it to give it a proper home. The only problem is, I don't know how the stress of adjusting to new owners will affect it. Will it be able to adjust, or will I end up killing it in my misguided efforts to help it? Also, I believe that this is the surviving 'tiel of a pair, and I was wondering if the remaining 'tiel would be all right, or does it need another one for company? Any additional advice you could include will be gratefully appreciated.
D.J.Mishra
You must be a guardian angel sent to rescue this bird. I admire your efforts. However, I must warn you ahead of time, the initial $50 you pay for the bird will not be the only expense you incur. In fact, you may spend 2-3 times that amount ensuring that he is healthy. If your wallet is as large as your heart for this bird, then I implore you to purchase him and make his life a better one. No bird deserves this kind of environment, although I have heard of worse. I highly doubt that the stress of adjusting to new owners could be any worse for him than the life he is leading now.
If, after he has adjusted to life with your family, you find that he is not a very friendly bird, you might indeed want to get him a friend. A friend of the opposite sex would be ideal, but you are opening yourself up to eggs and possibly little cockatiel babies. (I find that is how most of us started breeding cockatiels!) And, of course, another bird will mean the need for a larger cage to hold them both.
My advice...buy the bird and take it immediately to the vet for an initial checkup and wing clipping. The avian vet may want to do some gram stains to determine whether the deplorable conditions have caused any bacterial infections. Good luck, and please keep me informed.