molting and expanding

Question
Hi, i have about a 6 to 7 months old cockatiel named Fawks he/she is my
little bundle of joy and is going through it's first moulting process.  I
am planning on adding a member to our flock once i know the sex for
certain because the last thing i want is chicks and the risk of losing my
baby to wild mating instincts. My question is: if have a male and get a
male will i run the risk of still losing my pal and have them goin
through territorial issues or should i not add another friend for my baby
if is a male, due to it's limited vocalness though i am not certain but
i think it might be a female could i run the risk with my question
about the males and i have one more question and will be awaiting for your
response is it true if i do get opposite sex cockatiels that they will
revert to a more wild state.

thanks for your time,
justin

Answer
Hello Justin,

I do like to see birds kept as naturally as possible. Since cockatiels in the wild do live in flocks they most definitely benefit from having a bird friend. There are however several things you do want to consider before adding a new flock member. Adding another bird means and increasing in time needed to care for and train both birds and an increase in costs to provide food, toys, and veterinary care.

Getting birds of the same sex is in no way a guarantee that they will not bond to one another. You will need to be able to dedicate more time to training and maintaining a positive relationship with each bird. Naturally in the wild they do have relationships with several members of the flock. By learning all you can about cockatiel behavior and training you certainly can keep a relationship with each individual bird.

Here are some links to my past answers that will help you.

http://en.allexperts.com/q/Parrots-1638/cage-cockatiel.htm

http://en.allexperts.com/q/Parrots-1638/PLEASE-HELP-2.htm

In addition my website has links to several parrot resources that you will find useful.

Jennifer
www.feathersandscales.com