cockatiel companion

Question
I have a cockatiel,probably a male but not sure. He (she) is very talkative specially when I come home. I think and he looks very happy and healthy with vet checkups. I want to get him another birdie for companionship his cage is nice and roomy. How do I now whether to get a male of female, will they fight a lot? how do I gauge if they get along? how to break in a new roommate?
Thanks

Answer
Betty-

There are no guarantees, but usually cockatiels enjoy the companing of other cockatiels. I fostered a pair of male cockatiels who were 16 years old (they had been together since hatching) :) But, they would occationally argue, but they never actually fought.

Most cockatiels greatly appreciate having the companion of other cockatiels (actually- that is true for any animal... they enjoy having the companionship of other animals, preferable of their own kind). Although we try- we cannot be there for our furred or feathered companions all the time.

Anyways, It will not matter whether your get a male or a female (unless you are planning to breed- but that is a completely different response/answer) :)

Since your bird is pretty vocal, I would assume that your bird is a male. Male cockatiels tend to be louder than females. They are also likely to mimic whistles and sometimes even speak- females are not known for this.

It will be impossible for you to play "match-maker" with your birds, unfortunately. We humans just don't have enough understanding of birds to know which birds will get along and which ones won't (until we introduce them of course).

It is recommended by the Association of Avian Veterinarians to keep any new birds in quarantine for at least 30 to 45 days. This will help insure that your new bird is not ill (most ill birds will not necessarily show signs when they are on edge.... so giving them time to settle in and time for a vet check up, will help insure that your new bird is healthy and won't given anything to your current little boy).

Here is an article on the reasons (and ways) to properly quarantine a new bird:

http://www.mickaboo.com/bathing.html#quarantine  (there is a paragraph on bathing, but the rest of this webpage is on the Importance of Quarantine)

This quarantine time will also give the cockatiels time to talk back and forth, then when the new little bird is out of quarantine, you can put them in the same room, so that they can see each other and talk even more. :)  Then after a few days of that, you can introduce them. It is better to introduce them on "neutral" grounds. (in other words- introduce the birds for the first time away from their cages if possible). Then it is time for them to move intogether! When you first put them in the cage together, watch them over the next hour or so.... just to insure that everything is going well.

I hope this helps.

-Maggie