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Things you should know about us

1. How much do your cockatiels cost?
2. What's so special about your cockatiels?
3. Why are pet stores not the best place to purchase birds?
4. What do you feed them?
5. What is the difference between handfed and parent raised?
6. Why does it take so long to clip their wings?
7. What's banding, and why's that a good thing?
8. What services do you offer?
9. Why do you breed cockatiels?
10. Do you ship your birds?
11. Do you guarantee the sex of the bird?
12. How can I reserve a cockatiel?
13. Do you ever have breeders or older birds for sale?


1. How much do your cockatiels cost?

    That depends upon the quality of the bird, age, and what comes with the bird. I usually charge $70 for a good pet cockatiel with a week's supply of food, millet spray, favorite toy, hatch certificate, and an informational booklet on cockatiel care that includes a personalized section for your new bird. Birds are usually sold at 8 or 9 weeks, fully weaned. Whenever I get a pearl, I charge $75, regardless of quality. Birds are also closed traceable banded.


2. What's so special about your cockatiels?

    All my birds are friendly, handfed, finger trained, and wing clipped. They are also banded for easy identification should your bird become lost. Each bird comes with a health guarantee. I will not sell sick or unfriendly birds. Each recieves hours of TLC each day. Since I don't breed large amounts of birds, I have the time to give each bird plenty of attention and keep them healthy and happy.


3. Why are pet stores not the best place to purchase birds?

    There is an excellent article here which expesses it much more eloquently than I can. Please read it.


4. What do you feed them?

    As babies, they recieve Kaytee Exact ® Handfeeding Formula. As adults, they eat Kaytee Exact ® Pellets, millet, and a variety of fruits and vegetables. They will also eat seed, but this should be fed as a treat and in moderation. You can purchase Kaytee Exact ® at PetsMart.


5. What is the difference between handfed and parent raised?

    Handfed babies are pulled from their parents at two weeks of age, the minimum required to ensure healthy babies, and then fed with a syringe by a person. This enables the babies to identify themselves as people, and not birds, and the result is a friendly, inquisitive bird.


6. Why does it take so long to clip their wings?

    This first wing clip takes a long time, but every other wing clip will take only a few minutes. In the first wing clip, I clip only one feather on both wings at a time, making the bird work a little harder to fly every takeoff. It's also better to do it this way because you want the bird to glide gently down to the floor, not fall like a brick. Some petstores and breeders just hack off all the primary feathers, whether the bird needs it or not. I prefer to only clip the feathers just until the bird has to glide. It usually leaves a few primary feathers (on the wingtip) which is more asthetically appeasing. Sometimes the bird has to have all the primaries cut, but I like to leave one there for looks if possible. The first wing clip takes a couple of days to a week..


7. What's banding, and why's that a good thing?

    Banding is a process done when the chicks are about ten days old. A small closed metal band is slid onto the baby bird's left leg. The leg band contains the breeder's identification code, the number of the baby, the year it was born, and what society (if any) issued the band. Bands are good because they are traceable. That means, if for some reason your bird escaped and got lost (accidents happen!) the bird could be traced back to you, and you have a much better chance of getting your bird back. The bands are also good because then you know how old the bird is. The bands for the next year are issued only a few days before the year starts, so no one can "fool you." Bands are also good for people who show birds. I try to get bands on all my birds, but sometimes the foot is just too big or the band falls off and becomes lost. Leg bands can only be removed by a veterinarian with a bird band cutter.


8. What services do you offer?

   It's best summed up in this table:

	Tiel bought from me	Tiel not bought from me
Wing Clip	$5	$10
Claw Clip	$5	$10
Wing and Claw Clip	$8	$15
Pull Feather	Free	Depends on how many pulled

If you need one of these services, please e-mail (preferred) or call.


9. Why do you breed cockatiels?

   I love animals. Takoda, in fact, is Sioux for "friend to all." I have a Bachelor of Science in Zoology from OSU, with extreme interest in fish. I got hooked on cockatiels a few years ago, and my birds decided they were going to have some babies whether I liked it or not! I did like it, and I am expanding my little flock to add new mutations all the time. I love every single baby I raise, so I'm very concerned about who they are going to! I want each baby to have a happy life full of neck scratches and love.


10.Do you ship your birds?

   No. You must be willing to pick up your bird in Columbus, Ohio. In some cases I will drive halfway to meet you. In those cases I need half the price of the bird(s) beforehand (payable via credit card), and a small gas fee will apply, depending on the distance.


11.Do you guarantee the sex of the bird?

   In some cases, we can determine through genetics the sex of the bird. These are the only birds that we will guarantee the gender. We will make an educated guess on the others, based on noise level, aggression, and interaction with other birds and people. Because there are always exceptions to the rule, we cannot honestly guarantee any specific sex.


12.How can I reserve a cockatiel?

   Just e-mail and we'll work things out. If there are no birds available, with your permission, we will put you on the waiting list for the next available clutch. There is a $20 deposit to reserve a bird (no charge for waiting list), which is non-refundable, but good towards the cost of your bird. 13.Do you ever have breeders or older birds for sale?

   No. Quite frankly, we love all our birds, and we intend to provide them with an excellent life even after they are "retired." We do not sell older birds, because any baby we've kept for whatever reason, we have grown very attached to. For these reasons, only babies are ever available.


  More FAQ are added all the time! Feel free to send me an e-mail with your question(s).