Owning a pet always means more cleaning. When you feed or play with your pet, it takes some time to clean the place. So before I bought my cockatiel, I wasn’t wondering if they were messy. But with time, I understood I had to be cleaning after the cockatiel daily.
So if you ask me, are cockatiels messy? The answer will be Yes. Moreover, cockatiels are known as the messiest pet birds. So getting a cockatiel, you will be cleaning more.
Today let’s see how messy cockatiels are and how you can deal with extra cleaning more efficiently.
How Messy Are Cockatiels?
Let’s face it; cockatiels are pretty messy pets.
When you buy one of them, you’ll be dealing with feathers, poo (droppings), and bird dust next to their cage and inside the cage. The good news is that today cages are designed the way most of the dirt stays inside.
However, if you give your cockatiels lots of out-of-cage time, be ready to clean a lot.
Plus, it would help if you watched out for them to eat electrical cords. Their beaks are strong enough to damage wooden furniture around the house.
Are Cockatiels Messy Eaters?
The short answer is yes. Cockatiels won’t sit calmly when they eat; they drop seeds, shells, and foods pieces around the cage or place where they eat.
Usually, they are eating like this is their last meal, so cleaning after them will be an everyday task for the owner.
Cockatiels are picky eaters, so their diet should be balanced and contain fresh fruits, veggies, and seed pellets. It would be best if you cleaned the cage and the bowls with seeds and water every day. This should be done for aesthetic reasons and simple hygiene reasons. Bacteria builds up in the seeds and fruits’ leftovers. Highly unlikely your pet bird will eat spoiled fruits and seeds.
You can also buy specific bowls and accessories to reduce the mess in places where cockatiel eats. One of them is called a skirt. This is a piece of elastic material to wrap up the cage sides and prevent food spills.
Another option is to buy a special cage that is designed to prevent seeds leftovers from creating a mess all around.
Can Cockatiels Eat Cashews? Cockatiel Dinning Secrets
What is Bird Dust?
Bird dust is a white powder that covers the parrot’s body and small feathers. It is found in the feathers closest to the skin and makes feathers waterproof. The only issue is that it does not stay only on a parrot but spreads throughout the house and furniture.
A thin layer of bird dust may cause allergies in cockatiel. Plus, people living in the house may be allergic to it.
So it is worth considering this point before you buy a cockatiel. So bird dust is not only messy.
If you have a parrot in your home, be ready to vacuum carpets and dust surfaces at least twice a week.
Alternatively, you can use a filtration system like HEPA, for example. The filtration system catches the dust right before it covers your furniture.
A good idea will be to keep your cockatiel only in one room. Furnish this room with easy-to-clean furniture, and you are good to go. Don’t use carpets or cushions in the “bird’s room,” and the cleaning will be easier to perform.
Where Do Cockatiels Do the Toilet?
As cockatiels eat a lot, they will poop a lot too. When they go to the toilet inside their cage, poop falls on the bottom of their cage, and it’s easy to clean.
Some owners like to use a piece of paper to cover the bottom of the cage. Every few days, you can take off the top paper sheet, so the cage stays clean. But note that cockatiels like to shred paper sheets, so they may do that with the sheet you lay on the bottom of their cage. Another option is to use waxed paper.
Please note that their bowl with water and seeds is better placed somewhere away from their perch, so the food stays clean from droppings.
Cockatiels don’t go to the toilet in one specific place, like dogs or cats. Usually, they poop every 15-20 minutes wherever they are. So I would not recommend wearing an expensive T-shirt when you hold your cockatiel.
Luckily you can potty train your parrot. For example, you can train the pet to poop on the specific perch inside the cage. Cockatiels are intelligent birds, so it’s possible to train them to poop in a designed area with a protective paper layer on it. This will reduce cleaning up their cage to once a week.
Also, young cockatiels are even messier compared to adult ones. So you should be ready to clean up the nest area at least once a day.
How to Stop Your Cockatiel Making a Mess?
There is hardly something to stop cockatiels from creating mess around them. However, using a special cage and cage skirt may help you reduce the amount of cleaning that goes along with having a cockatiel at home.
Cage skirts and specific bowls for water and seeds can minimize the number of seed shells and bird dust that your cockatiel spreads around.
Also, sparing one room solely for a cockatiel is another life hack to keep your house tidy and clean.
Regular cleaning once a day is also a way out, but this may seem like lots of time for some parrot owners.
However, having a cockatiel that lives 20-30 years in your house is a serious commitment.
Can Cockatiels Eat Cauliflower? (Feeding Rules+Foods To Avoid)
Conclusion
To wrap up, not only cockatiels are messy birds. African Greys and cockatoos also create a mess in the owner’s house. Lots of feathers, bird dust, and chewed leftovers can seem like a problem for those who don’t want to spend time cleaning after the bird.
But when you are ready to equip the parrot’s place with a few special tools that prevent mess, you can minimize the amount of cleaning. And then you can enjoy spending time with your pet.
