SO, now you have decided to bring home a new baby or adult cockatiel...now the work really begins (and gets fun and rewarding)!!! Following are 19 items to help you with your new cockatiel. The first three are very important to understand.

1. FIRST things first, HANDFED DOES NOT NECESSARILY MEAN HANDTAMED. How things progress with your new cockatiel will first depend on how it was raised and interacted with as it grew up. Not only does handfeeding play an important role in socializing a baby cockatiel, but HOW they were handfed also is important. Some tiels and other parrots are assembly-line style handfed or even parent-raised. Neither method produces a handtamed, well-socialized cockatiel. I always made sure that I touched my babies all over and accustomed them to things like travelling around the house, showers, playing with toys and being handled for wing trims and scritches. This takes a huge amount of time and effort to do correctly. There are breeders who don't or won't do this and it does make a difference. However, most all cockatiels can still be tamed (to each ones own individual comfort level) and make wonderful companions, but it will take more time and effort on your part to gain their trust and respect if their first weeks with humans were not done correctly. I will be the first one to say that the work is well worth it. I have made wonderful friends out of several of my cockatiels that were not correctly socialized. They will step up onto a ladder or the hand with special handling.
   
2. SECOND. Wipe every idea out of your mind that you expected your cockatiel to turn out like. Yep, wipe it all out. Let your cockatiel show you what he or she is. You are only setting yourself up for a major disappointment if you are going into this thinking your tiels personality will be a certain way.
   
3. THIRD. Always remember that as your cockatiel grows up and goes through life they can and will change. Just be ready to change your ways and grow along with them. They also have moods, just like you and me, that will vary. They will always be happy to see you and be around you, but maybe not to be handled at that particular moment, especially when they are feeling hormonal.
   
4. I have found that the best way to choose a cockatiel is to let the cockatiel choose you. This is only a problem if more than one has decided that you would be a fun companion for them to play with. Merlin chose me by getting on my shoulder and fighting everyone else off of me. Penelopeep chose me by jumping out of the cage when the door was opened and landing wings outstretched on my chest. Others you can tell just by the look in their eye. They are interested in you and seem to look into you rather than at you.
   
5. Ok, now you can start by getting your cage ready and placing it in a room where there is daily activity like the family room. The cage is best placed at eye level. The floor is not acceptable, as a low spot is not either. It is not "secure" enough and will cause unnecessary anxiety in your tiel. Give the bird a corner out of the way of drafts and heavy traffic, but where he or she can see what is going on. A cockatiel is a highly sociable bird and the more it can do with you, the happier it will be (and the more fun you will have). Never place the cage in the kitchen, where your cockatiel can be exposed to cooking fumes.
   
6. Make sure the tiel gets enough true sunshine and daylight. Do not place the cage by a window where the sun beats directly down on the tiel. You do not want to overheat it and kill it. If you do not have a well-lit room, you will need to get a full spectrum light for the tiel. A couple hours a day with this light on is acceptable, you don't want to over do it.
   
7. If you have a "predatory" animal such as a dog or cat, please don't think it would be cute to see them play together. Dog and cat saliva is deadly to birds and if they should get bitten or scratched, it is a CODE RED emergency and the bird needs avian veterinary attention immediately! It only takes mere seconds for an accident to happen.
   
8. It may take a couple of days or weeks for your tiel to settle in to it's new surroundings. EVERY COCKATIEL IS AN INDIVIDUAL. Some may be fearful, others will act agressive and defensive, while still others will seem to have no problem at all fitting in with your family. It is up to you to watch their body language to tell you when they are getting comfortable. This is not hard if you take the time to learn it.
   
9. Establish a routine for the tiel. Wake up time, playtime, and bedtime at approximately the same time everyday. You don't have to be ridged about it, just try to stay pretty close in your habits. If you keep things too ridged and something comes up to throw your schedule off, your tiel will be stressed out.
   
10. I cover my tiels at night for privacy. They get 10 to 12 hours of undisturbed sleep. I leave a nightlight on for them, too, to discourage night frights (which Petunia is prone to). A night fright is when a tiel gets spooked and flails around in the cage wildly. If you ever hear this happening, go into the room talking quietly and reassuringly to let them know that it is alright. Turn on a light, uncover the front of the cage, and let them get a hold of themselves. They will disoriented and may not seem to recognize you. They will be holding their feathers tightly against the body and making themselves very skinny or holding their wings outstretched from their sides and hissing. Some may even pant. Don't stick your hand in the cage and try to comfort them, this will only cause them to thrash around more. Just talk to them from outside of the cage. Check for broken blood feathers. If you notice blood squirting or pooling, you must get a hold of the avian vet immediately! You may have to pull the feather that is bleeding if it cannot be stopped with flour or styptic powder. This must be done carefully and quickly. Grasp the feather at the base by the skin with tweezers and pull smartly. This will stop the excessive bleeding. A broken blood feather can cause a tiel to bleed to death very quickly. Please consult with your vet for instructions when you first get your cockatiel to understand how to do this. If there was no blood, and they start to relax, you will notice them either stretch, blink and start to look around, or begin to respond to your voice. When they settle down and start moving around, give them time to get back onto their perches before turning the light back out.
    
11. One of the best ways to make friends with your new tiel is to SHARE FOOD! Yes, the good old food method. I am not talking “tricks and treats” here, I am speaking about mealtime. I share my organic foods (not from your mouth, please), noodles, rice, vegetables and just about any other good type of food with them. Give them treats in the cage if you are not wanting them climbing about your plate. The important thing is to make them feel as if they are a part of your mealtimes.
    
12. Signs of a relaxed tiel that is interested in your attention are
    *tail wagging--usually accompanied by stretching or a head bob and lowered crest (a quick wag, not the way that a dog wags); *stretching the wing and leg on one side out to the side, both wings up like a shrug, than the other side out to the side with a leg;
    *displaying by spreading the wings and lowering the head or even hanging upside down while spreading the wings with our without flapping;
    *running from side to side on the perch or cage floor when the bird sees you to get your attention;
    *calling to you;
    *looking at you intently while leaning forward and bobbing the head lightly;
    *looking at you intently while raising both wings slightly away from body and leaning forward as if to say "come and pick me up!";
    *and watching you with the crest in a downward position with body and eyes relaxed (an excited or scared tiel will have it's crest straight up, stiff body and wide eyes) and "following" you around the room. You will notice in their eyes how much they are paying attention to you. Watch the postures, as you can mimic some of them yourself to learn how to tame the more unsocialized tiels later on.
13. Some tiels are wary or shy about you coming near their cage when you first bring them home. Do not put your hand into the cage of a new tiel. It is important to give them a choice at this stage. I have heard people say that they never let their parrots make choices. I always offer my tiels choices. If they do not want to come out and play, than that is fine with me. Forcing them will only break their confidence in you and possibly lead to defensive or aggressive biting behaviors. This make take a few days for a new tiel to want to come closer to you. Let the tiel tell you when it is time to get close and offer for them to come out. Learning their body language is paramount to a good relationship.
14. When the tiel is relaxed with you moving around them, you can open the door and offer for them to come to you. You can say "UPUPUPUPUP!" (I prefer this to just one UP because it tends to keep their attention better) while placing your finger on the belly just above the feet if the tiel is handtamed already and used to contact. Any word or combination thereof is fine, just remember to be consistant with which word you choose. Placing your finger higher than the base of the belly will invite the tiel to nibble on you! Do not back down if the tiel nips, hisses, or runs away. It is important not to chase the tiel, either. What is their body language at this point? Are they cowering in the back of the cage or running around frantically? Stop. Do not push any further. Go back a step. Do not make eye contact. Talk softly and happily. Wait until your cockatiel begins to calm down and their body language reads relaxed. You may have to try again tomorrow. Did your tiel nip and hold it's ground or nip and fly off the cage past you? Slowly, slowly, slowly (can I emphasize this any more??) move to where they are and use your command again. If your cockatiel has made it to the floor or another part of the room, do not chase it. Still do not make eye contact, talk quietly and happily and try again.
15. If at any time during the beginning of handling your young tiel gets uncomfortable or scared, TAKE A STEP BACK in the entire process. Take your time with your tiel. Remember, you are building it’s trust in you.
16. REMEMBER a tiel uses it's beak like we use our hands. It "touches and tests" the object it is about to step up onto. LET IT TOUCH WITH IT'S BEAK. Do not think that this is biting.
17. Once you get to where your cockatiel will step up, you can slowly bring the tiel away from the cage. Some tame cockatiels will run up your arm and sit on the shoulder. This is OK, but sometimes they don't want to come back off. Do not get upset or angry. If your tiel is refusing to step back off of your shoulder, here is a little method I have successfully used on my own. For this demonstration, we will say that the tiel is on the right shoulder. Take your right hand and offer to step up with your chosen word. AT THE SAME TIME, bring your left arm behind your head (the thumb will be down). Now GENTLY touch the tiel on the tail. This will encourage them to step forward and on to your hand. Do not push or bump them. A light touch is all that is needed. Make sure to praise lavishly when they step up.
18. I make sure to scritch and love on my tiels when they are on the hand, not the shoulder. You can move onto the cockatiel scratching method mentioned on Merlin's Page. My cockatiels all run down to my hand for attention. Sometimes they refuse to stay on the shoulder as they want to be loved on (never mind if I am trying to type or clean water bowls).
19. As your tiel settles in more, it will want or even insist to come out with you. Some tiels do best when you let them come out on their own. Other, more confident tiels do best when you let them out and have them step up to come out. ALL COCKATIELS ARE DIFFERENT IN THIS RESPECT. Take the time to learn what your cockatiel needs, you will have a much better relationship for it.