5 Places Where You Can Buy Cockatiels
Cockatiels are beautiful parrots that can make very friendly and intelligent companions when adequately cared for…
But where can you buy one?
This article discusses the 5 primary places you can get a cockatiel.
Quick Navigation:
- 1. Parrot Rescue Centres – #1 Best Place To Adopt Any Parrot
- 2. Pet Stores
- 3. Look For Some Local Bird Breeders
- 4. Visit Online Marketplaces
- 5. Try Reddit Subreddits!
- How Much Do Cockatiels Cost? (ANSWERED)
- Before You Buy A Cockatiel, Read This…
5 Places To Buy Beautiful Cockatiels
1. Parrot Rescue Centres – #1 Best Place To Adopt Any Parrot
If you plan to adopt a cockatiel, there’s no better place to start looking than your local parrot rescue centre. Almost all birds in rescue centres were relinquished by former owners who could no longer care for them.
Unlike pet stores and breeders, parrot rescue centres do not breed birds to be sold for profit, instead, they aim to give existing birds a good home.
I suggest searching the local parrot rescue first for cockatiels before looking elsewhere.
By adopting from a rescue centre, you’re not supporting pet stores or breeders and will also be freeing up space at the rescue for more parrots in need. Since cockatiels are one of the most popular bird species, there will likely be one at a rescue centre near you.
Rescue centres also have a good reputation for keeping their birds healthy and enriched!
2. Pet Stores
Although you can buy a cockatiel from most pet stores, doing so is supporting them, which allows them to continue breeding and selling more birds.
However, pet store birds deserve love as well, despite where they’re being sold.
People will always buy pet store birds, so it may as well be someone willing to give them a good home.
In fact, Arthur, my beautiful cockatiel, was purchased from a pet store for just 25$…
And he has since become a great companion bird.
If you’re going to buy from a pet store, try to find one that actually cares for their birds as there are plenty who do not.
And you don’t want to support stores that neglect their birds.
The pet store that I adopted Arthur from was not the best environment for birds as there were no natural perches (all were dowels), plastic bowls, poop was everywhere, and the enclosure was way too small for the number of birds that were crammed in.
Try to avoid these places and only do business with pet stores that care for their birds.
3. Look For Some Local Bird Breeders
My aim with this article is not to tell you where to get your cockatiel from nor is it to express my views on the ethics of breeding animals for companionship…
My aim is to simply tell you where you can purchase a cockatiel.
And bird breeders typically have baby, juvenile, and sometimes adult cockatiels for sale.
You can find breeders by searching “bird breeders near me” or “cockatiels for sale near me”. You could also ask your local pet store as they get their birds directly from breeders.
Again, try to only do business with breeders who care for their birds as there are plenty who don’t.
4. Visit Local Online Marketplaces
Facebook marketplace, Craigslist, Gumtree, and sometimes even eBay will have people selling their cockatiels online.
In most cases, these are people looking to rehome their birds.
When searching online, be aware that there is always a reason behind the owner choosing to rehome, and sometimes it could be due to a behavioural problem from the bird that you will potentially need to deal with.
So asking why they’re selling the bird is strongly encouraged.
I would also suggest looking for birds listed as “free to a loving home”.
Not because it’s cheaper for you, but because those listings often attract the attention of people looking to get birds just to sell them for profit.
By adopting free birds, you could potentially save them from those kinds of people.
5. Try Reddit Subreddits!
Reddit has lots of subreddits dedicated to a whole range of specific species of pet birds.
Sometimes, but not too often, people turn to the subreddit of their species when trying to rehome their bird.
For example, some people turn to the r/budgie subreddit when trying to rehome a budgie.
If you check the “new” tab in the r/cockatiel subreddit, you might find one user in your area looking for someone to take in their bird. If you can’t find someone, it might be worth making a post saying that you’re looking to buy a cockatiel, and see if anyone reaches out.
You probably won’t get your cockatiel this way, but I thought it was worth mentioning.
How Much Do Cockatiels Cost? (ANSWERED)
The price of a cockatiel is dependent on many factors, such as:
- Age
- Colour mutation
- Whether or not they’re hand-raised
- Where you buy them
My cockatiel cost 25$ from the pet store as he wasn’t hand-raised and had a pretty common colour mutation (pied).
I called 4 of my local pet stores and inquired about the prices of cockatiels, here’s what I found out:
The average price for an aviary cockatiel = $60
The average price for a hand-raised cockatiel = $165
The most expensive price I found for an aviary cockatiel was $80 while the cheapest was $45.
The most expensive price I found for a hand-raised cockatiel was $195 while the cheapest was $140.
They also charged an extra $10 – $20 for rarer cockatiel mutations, such as whiteface and albino, but that can also vary between retailers.
When buying cockatiels directly from breeders or from those looking to rehome their birds, their prices will typically be within those ranges mentioned above.
Despite the above prices, there will still be people who charge more or less for their birds.
Related: Cockatiel Prices: How Much Do They Really Cost?
Before You Buy A Cockatiel, Read This…
As a cockatiel owner myself, I can say that they’re pretty difficult to keep as pets.
They’re a lot of time, effort, and dedication, and you have to know what you’re getting into before buying one.
They’re definitely not the sort of pet to buy on impulse, no bird is.
The reason so many birds are in rescue centres is because the owners didn’t know what it was like to live with one before adoption and had to eventually give them up.
Being rehomed, especially multiple times, is horrible for a cockatiel’s mental health.
My main point is this:
Seriously consider the amount of free time you have and how much effort you’re willing to spend before adopting a high-maintenance cockatiel. You must also be aware of what it’ll be like to have one inside your house.
Spoiler alert: It won’t be a clean house anymore, it’ll be a poop-filled, feathery aviary.
To help you understand what it’s really like to live with parrots, I’ve created these posts:
Both of those posts will help you understand the true reality of cockatiel ownership.
So go check them out if you plan to get a cockatiel!
Thank you for reading 🙂
Read The Ultimate Beginners Guide To Caring For Cockatiels (Cockatiel Care 101)
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