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Adopting a rescue cockatiel

Posted by Michelle on 12/19/2025, 4:38 pm

Hello. It's been a while. Sunshine was my baby who left me almost 3 years ago. It was too painful for me to visit cockatiel pages or forums for a long time. But now we are finally ready to welcome a new family member to our household in honor of Sunny. Dakota is 10 years old and happens to be the same mutation as Sunshine though their personalities seem very different. I believe it was fate that he is coming to us. We got a new cage and would like to make it happy and cozy for Dakota's arrival. This cage is bigger than what I am used to so I need advice about setup. I would love to include natural branches. I know most people avoid rope perches due to risks of foot/nails getting stuck. How should we arrange it? I'll send a pic of the cage and send me some ideas and best sites you like to shop at. Also there will be no way to hang toys or a swing from the top as the play stand drawer is the top. I would love to find a perch that has a hanging swing from it! Thanks for all of your help!

Re: Adopting a rescue cockatiel

Posted by Cindy AZ on 12/20/2025, 11:09 am, in reply to "Adopting a rescue cockatiel "

Congrats on your adoption of Dakota! So many of our adoptees have been special-needs birds, it has been years since we set up a normal cage. It will take a while to learn from Dakota what he likes. Then rotate toys etc occasionally. We’ve never had a cockatiel who liked swings. They seemed to find it too unstable. But some do swing! Maybe a play stand separate from his cage, with an optional swing, would work.

Re: Adopting a rescue cockatiel

Posted by Diane on 12/20/2025, 6:57 pm, in reply to "Adopting a rescue cockatiel "

That seems like a great cage. It looks Hugh with the bar space being small. When I got a new cage three years ago I had trouble finding one that was Hugh with smaller spacing between the bars.

Re: Adopting a rescue cockatiel

Posted by Seesthru, TC advisor on 12/20/2025, 8:16 pm, in reply to "Adopting a rescue cockatiel "

Congratulations!!!! Setting up a cage is something I'm not good at. All I know, is put the food and water dishes where no one is gonna poop in them... and then a perch close enough but a bit lower, so they can eat, but not poop on the water or food.

I like a higher perch in the back for sleeping. My birds tend to be close to the part of the cage that's against the wall when they sleep, I think it's comforting.

I usually have a perch with a toy on the side of the perch hanging from the cage so they can perch and play if they want. I have one toy hanging low so if they want to be on the bottom playing, they can reach it.

My cages are shorter and longer which to me is easier for me to set up than a taller cage. With your new cage, and natural perches, you can start a curvy perch in a corner, have it join another one or go to a side of the cage, there are tons of options!

I'd say start with a couple of perches. Put the food and water dishes in, set them up where you can easily reach them to change them out. Set your first perch so that the new birdy can eat and drink easily. then a toy nearby... then work from there and slowly add on.

You'll have to make sure Dakota is comfortable and not too overwhelmed with the new cage, perches and toys, that's why I say start slow. Add on as he gets comfortable.

That's a really nice cage! You'll have to take time nad experiment. But once you get the first part done, the food, water and first perch and toy in, the rest you can work with and change around as you need to.

Welcome to the family, Dakota!

Re: Adopting a rescue cockatiel

Posted by Cathy on 12/22/2025, 2:02 pm, in reply to "Re: Adopting a rescue cockatiel "

Congratulations Michelle! How exciting. I've never had big cages so I wouldn't know where to start. I seem to remember a poster years ago saying something like try to see things from your bird's perspective. I love the name!

Cathy

Re: Adopting a rescue cockatiel

Posted by Cecilia on 12/23/2025, 7:17 pm, in reply to "Adopting a rescue cockatiel "

Congratulations! looking forward to pics of him!
My only advice would be to leave enough room somewhere in the cage for Dakota to spread his wings.

Re: Adopting a rescue cockatiel

Posted by Michelle on 12/30/2025, 8:10 pm, in reply to "Adopting a rescue cockatiel "

New cage is ready and room looks like a baby nursery! We made a memory shadow box for Sunshine to honor him forever. We are picking up Dakota tomorrow afternoon! We were going to pick him up with another rescue cockatiel but we weren't sure how they would get along. They were ignoring each other and not fighting but also not loving each other. I really don't have space for another cage set up. It would have been sweet to get him a friend since we both work monday through Friday.

Re: Adopting a rescue cockatiel

Posted by Diane on 12/31/2025, 10:08 am, in reply to "Re: Adopting a rescue cockatiel "

The cage is wonderful. He's definitely going to have a happy New Year. Congratulations on your new Tiel.

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