PressStart_ asks:  Yoooo.. alright, so I saw this from a friend, and you might not be able to answer this, but context: Okay so, I'm getting cockatiels in 2 months (mom doesn't like budgies). I just wanna know these basics, yknow, how much play time they need, and the best diet? I hope you can answer this, if not, that's totally radical man. owo

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I honestly was gonna get cockatiels before I got my budgies, I was fascinated by how intelligent they are. The first step to owning them is knowing that they can live to be 10-14 years old with the basic care, and up to 20 if you raise them correctly. They are a very big commitment and you will be with them for years to come. Starting with playtime, for the first week of getting them, you shouldn't take them out and play with them as they'll be stressed with their new surroundings, the best thing to do is to put a blanket or towel around the back of the cage to only let them see out of the front, this simulates leaves being above head and while they might not know what trees or leaves are the instinct is still there all the same. Saying hello to them every time they see you and goodbye every time you leave their sight in a gentle baby voice is a good way to get them used to your face and voice. Again they are very smart and like most animals have facial and voice recognition. Placing your hands gently on the outside of the cage will get them used to your hands. When they finally get settled in, you should interact with them at least an hour a day, more is recommended but an hour is the bare minimum. My lovebirds favourite bonding activity is me letting them climb on my shoulders in front of the bathroom mirror (as they love their reflection) and peek-a-boo, but other good bonding activities can be hand feeding, having conversations and ripping something up together like a newspaper or tissue. (My budgies are particularly a fan of this) the bottom line is that cockatiels are very social and most of them once they know they can trust you will demand constant attention so if you can't be home often or can't handle this need, this pet isn't for you and you shouldn't get it.

Moving on to diet. Their food dish should be refilled every day, I've personally trained my birds to rock their food dish when it's nearing empty so I know to refill it. The main part of their diet will be seeds, but to make the diet the healthiest for your birds chopping up leafy greens like spinach is highly recommend, it has a lot of fibre and iron in it, all my birds absolutely love spinach, however it's a thing only to give them every other day. Fresh or dried fruit with nothing else on it such as bananas, apples, or melons are not only tasty but very good for your birds. Like I always do if you want to feed your animal something, research it first and make sure several sites say it's alright for the animal to consume. DON'T feed your bird anything spicy, acidic or citrus, and due note to make sure not to over feed your bird, they can become obese quite easily. Above all be sure that they always have fresh clean water, you'll likely have to change it twice a day as birds love throwing stuff in their water.

Other basic care things include not placing the cage in or near the kitchen (as they have sensitive smell) or near vents or windows (exposure to sunlight with no shade can cause them to have heatstroke whole vents can cause them extreme stress from both the noise and the temperature changes) be sure to place it up somewhere high as birds like being high up to feel safe. For other Heath related things, be sure to provide them with iodine blocks, cuttlebones, different sized and different sized perches to keep their feet healthy, as well as many toys to keep them entertained. I hope this helps!