Hi
i dont know if anyone can help but i have a cockatiel who i've had since Aug 2007. Im now thinking of buying another one to keep him company as i feel he gets lonely when im out at work during the day.

Lately he has started to change colour and its not his usual chirpy self. Does anyone know what may be wrong?
He is a natural grey colour but on his chest and wings he has started to turn yellow.

Also if i do buy another cockatiel am i okay to put them together straight away or would i have to have them separate for a while.
Thank you,
Stacey x

Hi there, I take it that your cockatiel was a baby when you got it in august? If so it is highly possible that what you have is actually a pied and not a standard grey. Pieds as youngsters tend to look much like a standard grey until they go through there first proper moult, then they start to show their true colouration. Also, if your cockatiel is going through a moult, that can cause it to be quieter than usual but that is not to say there may be nothing else wrong with your bird only your vet would beable to tell you this. We have always offered our birds a supplement called 'Spark' when they seem to be under the weather or stressed for any reason, we get it from a local petshop, but you can buy it direct from the birdcare company. Before bringing another new bird into the household I would personally wait until your cockatiel is feeling more like his old self. I would then keep the new bird separate to the one you have now until you can be sure that they are quite happy to live together within one cage. It should not take long as cockatiels tend to accept others quite readily. Please make sure that any cage in which you wish to house the two is plenty big enough for them both to live in comfortably. Hope this helps.

Thank you so much for your help. Im not sure how old he was when i got him last Aug but i know he wasnt very old because he has grown since i got him too.
Over the last two weeks his feathers have changed quite dramatically so is possible he may completely turn into a different colour?
This is the first time he has molted too since i have had him, how often are they meant to go through this and how long does it last? He doesnt seem interested in you wanting to touch him at the moment and he doesnt want to come out of the cage...is this normal? Because i hope he perks up soon, im getting worried about him x

My pet shop here doesnt sell much cockatiel stuff so can you recommend a website where i could buy some spark from? Sounds like he may need some supplements. x

Hi there, this is the Birdcare Company's web site.

The Birdcare Company, birdcare, health, nutrition and breeding advice for bird keepers. Budgerigars, canary, canaries, finch, finches, parrot, parrots, parakeet, parakeets, cockatoo, cockatoos, african grey, macaw, conure, pyrrhura, cockatiel, lovebi

They are really knowledgable with their products and are really easy to talk to. I would say that if you are really concerned about your bird then get him off to the vet for a check up. Birds try not to show signs of illness as it would put them in a vulnerable position to predators. Moulting is not usually classed as an illness in itself but can be a symptom of other illnesses. As for how long it lasts, I have found that it seems to depend on the bird. It can be a stressful time for birds so just keep him quiet until he appears to improve. I usually find an improvement within 24 to 48 hours of giving spark. Usually they moult twice a year, just before breeding and just following so you boy sounds like he is going through his moult to come into breeding condition. Hope this helps. Let me know how you get on.

Have no idea what has happened to the link as I posted but just click it, it does work.