result of an inflammatory process in the intestines.

When buying a cockatiel, remember that a healthy bird should be very mobile, with tight plumage and shiny eyes.

Choice of breeding cockatiels
If you plan to breed cockatiels, do not limit yourself to buying 1 or 2 pairs of birds, as in this case there may be problems with the birds getting used to the new conditions, which will make breeding difficult. This is typical primarily for those cases when lovers acquire birds from a breeder who keeps a large family of parrots. Therefore, if a novice poultry farmer uses only 1 or 2 pairs of producers for breeding, who previously lived in a flock, it will be very difficult for him to get offspring from parrots.

When purchasing birds, try to find out as much as possible from the seller about the methods of keeping and breeding parrots practiced by him.

It is recommended to buy breeding cockatiels from breeders who have good results in breeding birds. Although, it is worth noting that this is not a guarantee that the birds you have acquired will get used to the new environment without any problems and will immediately begin to breed.

You should not buy too massive parrots, as well as birds with a sharp breast.

As for the time of the year suitable for buying breeding parrots, as written in the specialized literature, this does not play a big role for a novice breeder.

However, experienced breeders usually advise beginner breeders to acquire breeding cockatiels in the spring, before the birds begin to molt. It will be very good if the birds can change their plumage in the new conditions before they start the nesting season. In addition, quite often, molting in cockatiels begins when transferred from one room to another.

3. Keeping cockatiels
Parrots are best kept in cages or aviaries. In addition to the cage, you will need auxiliary equipment: perches, containers for food and water, etc. In addition, you need to know how to properly transport a parrot.

Transportation and quarantine of parrots
Often, novice lovers transport a newly purchased parrot in an acquired cage with him. However, it is not recommended to do this: the bird may get scared, fall off the perch and damage the wings, legs and plumage, or catch a cold. It happens that parrots transported in large cages die due to stress.

It is impossible to transport birds in plastic bags, nets, bags and briefcases: parrots can severely wrinkle their plumage or damage their wings, legs and internal organs.

For transportation of cockatiels, special transport cages or portable cages sold in pet stores should be used. In the absence of a special cage, the bird can be placed in a cardboard box or a clean juice or milk bag. At the same time, remember that more holes must be made in the walls of the cardboard box, and a little feed should be poured onto the bottom of the transport container.

The size and design of the transport cage depends on the time of transportation. For long-term transportation (9-12 hours), it is still better to use a special cage 60 × 40 × 40 cm in size, the front wall of which is made of plexiglass with holes 0.5–0.6 cm in diameter or a metal mesh. The rest of the walls can be made of plywood 2-3 mm thick. The sliding door should be in the side wall of the cage. Inside the cage, at a distance of 3–5 cm from the floor, it is advisable to install a wooden perch. For ease of carrying, a handle must be attached to the top of the transport cage.

Place a grain feeder and an auto-drinker with boiled or filtered water in a portable cage. Remember that no more than 2 pairs of parrots can be transported in a cage of the above dimensions.

If it only takes a few hours to transport the parrots, use small portable cages (19 x 8 x 10 cm) made of plywood or thin boards with a retractable grate. In the cold season, be sure to place such a cage in a closed bag.

If parrots (not necessarily cockatiels) already live in your house, the newly purchased bird must be placed in a separate cage and kept in quarantine for 2-3 weeks. The fact is that even if the bird looks completely healthy, it can be infected and contagious to your other pets. In addition, it can become infected during transportation. Therefore, it must be placed separately and inspected daily.

Travel can be stressful
In during quarantine, monitor the health of the parrot daily. cockatiel health status следует определять по следующим показателям:

› general development;

› food and water intake (failure to feed, good or poor appetite, severe malnutrition or obesity);

› mobility (normal or insufficient);

› plumage (with shine, without shine, broken feathers, damage to plumage by parasites);

› condition of exposed skin (fungus, lesions, scabies, etc.);

› condition of the cere and nasal openings (contaminated wax, sticking of the nasal openings);

› bones, joints, ligaments (thickening, swelling, weakening of motor functions);

› breathing (normal, strained, wheezing);

› beak, eyelids, eyes (pupil shape, iris color);

› oral cavity (presence of films);

› area of ​​the cloaca (contamination with droppings, reddened skin);

› litter (consistency, color).

Record the results of your observations in a special diary so that you can later compare them.

When purchasing a parrot, pay attention to the conditions of its maintenance. Only in comfortable conditions will the bird be healthy and cheerful.

It is important to ensure that the Corella is comfortable and comfortable in the new cage. Under adverse conditions of detention, you may encounter such a serious problem as the growth of claws and beak.

This occurs in parrots kept in a cramped cage or indoor aviary. The reasons for this phenomenon may be an unbalanced diet or a small cage, where the birds do not get the opportunity to grind their claws and beak. To prevent the growth of claws and beak, tree branches should be placed in a cage.

There are cases when the beak grows despite the fact that there are branches in the cage, and the food is fairly balanced. In this case, the owner will have to take the bird to the veterinarian, who will be forced to trim the beak to normal size.

At home, it is not recommended to do such an operation on your own. Only a specialist will be able to correctly trim the beak without hitting the blood vessels located close to the tip of the beak.

In the event that it is not possible to cut the beak with scissors (the horny substance of the beak crumbles), it is best to use a needle file or a manicure file.

Necessary note that the regrown beak is not only a cosmetic defect. It also prevents the bird from eating properly.

Overgrown claws also bring a lot of inconvenience to parrots. They also need a haircut. This must be done very carefully so as not to hurt the blood vessels.

In the event that the vessel is still injured, a swab dipped in a solution of hydrogen peroxide should be applied to the wound to stop the bleeding.

Cells
Corell should be kept in a cage with stainless steel or polymer coated bars. When buying cages with a polymer coating, you need to keep in mind that only expensive branded cages have a durable coating.

Cells, каркас которых изготовлен из дерева, использовать не recommended. In-первых, cockatiels легко портят деревянный каркас клювом, а, во-вторых, в щелях такой клетки могут поселиться паразиты.

For keeping 1 pair of birds, a cage of 100 × 40 × 50 cm is quite enough. A larger cage is also perfect: 150 × 50 × 60 cm, cockatiels will feel more free in it.

When buying a cage, it is not advisable to rely only on your own taste and opt for the house you like for your pet. From the variety of cells available for sale, you must choose square or rectangular.

Of course, round cages look very nice, but they are inconvenient to use. In addition, the parrot will not feel comfortable in a round cage. In a stressful situation or fear, the cockatiel hides in a corner, and in a round cage he will not have such an opportunity, and the bird may even die after experiencing severe stress.

When choosing a cage for your pet, pay attention to the presence of a sufficiently high metal tray or walls made of glass or transparent plastic to prevent grain from scattering along the bottom of the cage.

Cage for cockatiels
The cage tray is best covered with sand, which must be sieved periodically. The sand must be clean, pre-sifted, washed and calcined in the oven. If you do not have the opportunity to prepare sand yourself, you can purchase it or special gravel for cockatiels at a pet store.

The most suitable place for a cage or aviary is the wall of the room opposite the window or closest to it.

Do not cover the cage tray with newspapers. Printing ink is poisonous, and cockatiels are very fond of tearing the paper placed at the bottom of the cage, often swallowing pieces.

You can put a large lump of dried clay or a piece of lime plaster on the pallet, which the cockatiels will happily gnaw. And so that the birds can grind off their beak and claws, place fresh tree branches in the cage.

Cells для пары или группы попугаев лучше всего оборудовать несколькими дверками, одна из которых должна служить для крепления к ней дуплянки.

The cage should have a reliable lock, and the door of the "house" should open from above, which will eliminate the danger of its spontaneous opening.

The color of the bars of the cage is also important, although it