This page would not be complete without sharing some of the mistakes that I have made. I am embarassed to admit them, but hopefully you can learn from my mistakes and save you and your tiel the trouble. Mistake one was really the first mistake that I made. The others are in no specific order.

MISTAKE ONE was to follow the directions in those "be dominant over the parrot" books that were popular back in the 90's. Unfortunately, they are still out there. They just don't work with cockatiels. Covering, placing in a dark room, laddering just don't work well as "punishment". They may be a form of distraction, but so is just putting them in the cage for a time out if they are getting hormonal or removing an object that they may be territorial about. Same result, no trauma. Now I do not mean grabbing them and angrily shoving them back into the cage, but just give them the up command and carry them back, tell them that it is time to "cool out" and shut the door. They do not learn from "punishment" and it will only cause confusion, frustration, fear or aggression in your tiel. Where those first methods may seem to work in the short order, they will not work in the long run. They don't think like we do, nor can they learn to. Period. This you must understand when working with them. Put yourself in their place before you think that you must "dominate" them. Most outbursts are just the tiel trying to communicate with us in a way that they understand. THINK before you act. If you get totally frustrated, leave the room for your own time out. I have had screaming, biting, hormonal, territorial related "problems" in my own tiels. It got better once I changed MY view to see the world as they do.

MISTAKE TWO was in not getting baseline health checks on each and every cockatiel that I brought into the house. Go to an avian vet, preferably certified, and get a grams stain, blood work and a physical check up. Sure, it costs money in the beginning, but it is worth it on a creature who may live 15 to 30 years. I did not do this with all of my tiels when I first got them. I apprenticed with breeders who had "too many birds to take to a vet". They taught me cleanliness and quarantine, but quarantine does not always weed out problems. When I did have an AGY problem in my tiels in 2003, I had nothing to go on for their health history. I had no idea how long they had been ill, who it came in with and if I had passed it on to others that were hiding it. This ended up costing in the neighborhood of around 3000 dollars (yes, three thousand) to treat and clear up. The problem I had was megabacteria, now known as Avian Gastric Yeast. It is a very "unknown" in our companion birds and I did lose one of my best hens, Mommybyrd, despite careful treatment. Mommybyrd was a totally untame tiel when I got her and over the years bonded so closely to me that she would push her mate, Daddybyrd, out of the way to get to me. Luckily, I have her on video tape rushing down the ladder to see me with the camera. Her loss is a great one, as she taught me that a non tame tiel can bond lovingly to a human. I also lost Noogie and the necropsy showed no definite cause of death. Please, if you decide to bring a cockatiel into your life, spend the 100.00 to get a veterinary work up in case you have problems in the future or to show any problems that may come with the bird that need attention. Pick your vet carefully. Visit the office or get referrals from other bird owners. Find one that you are comfortable with and that really cares about the birds. Ask questions if you have to.

MISTAKE THREE was to over clip all of my birds to make it easier for me to work with them. I do not clip my birds for "control" anymore. Now, I am not advocating total free full flighted tiels in the home, either. I clip each tiel based on how much clipping that they need for safety in my home. I have a bird room in my house and I have replaced the normal bedroom door with a wooden screen door (the 25.00 type you can get at a hardware store). I removed the screen from the lowest 1/3 of the door and screwed on a thin piece of wood with stainless screws. I do not leave the birds out unattended. The room is not bird-proof, just safe to play in when supervised. Some of my tiels fly better than others, so I base my clipping on each individual birds needs. Those that are agile and light get a closer clip than those that are heavy and clumsy. I do a "modified baby clip" as my vet calls it. It is more like snipping the tips off the flights when the wing is in the folded position. It is not traumatic to the birds and leaves them with enough flight to get off the floor should they spook and land there. They have to work a bit harder to get into a flight, but that is better than 50mph flight in a 12x12 room. (I will add photos of this clip later). Do not take any bird, clipped or unclipped, outside with no protection. I always take mine out in the carrier. It is surprising just how well these fast little birds can fly when they are spooked. I mean in the blink of an eye, they are off and going. When they spook, they are off in a straight line up and away while letting out a danger call. They don't always look before they go and can slam into walls or windows and really do some damage to themselves. Even with the modified clip, a really spooked tiel can take off amazingly fast. Always be aware of this.