We're not trying to convince anyone to get a bird - quite the contrary, we want everyone who leaves with one of our birds to fully understand and accept the responsibility of owning one of our birds. They are small parrots. That means they will imitate sounds, they will sing, they will make noise. While they aren't chirping 24/7, they can be quite loud at times. Birds are rather messy critters. When they bite into a pellet, some of it zings onto the floor, some zings into the cage, and some zings into their mouth. A cage guard helps a lot with keeping the mess down, but the best thing you can do is to buy deep food dishes. Parrots need to be played with regularly, or else they will become less tame and more apt to bite. I know it's exciting to have a new pet, but don't play with the bird for four hours in one day, and after a week become bored with it, and hardly let it out. Birds like to live on a schedule, so it helps if you play with them about the same amount each day. Cockatiels produce a fine white dander, which is perfectly normal and healthy. It is the sheaths that enclose new feathers, which slowly dissolve and become this powder. A light misting or regular bathtimes will help control the dust. I myself am allergic to about everything found outside, in addition to asthma, and I have no problem with the dust. Birds need fresh water everyday, and it needs to be changed whenever it becomes contaminated (ie, bird poops in bowl).
  If you can't afford a bird, then don't own one! This can't be said enough. How many birds are in shelters, or are suffering terribly because someone "didn't have the money" to take it to the avian vet? Emergency vet care can cost $1000 or more. Are you in a financial spot to be able to pay for it? Sometimes things happen, where you become unemployed, or for some reason, have a lot less money. Then you need to think about what's best for the bird. Failure to take an obviously sick or hurt animal to the vet is a crime called neglect.

That said, please use the links below to gain information about parrots:

Your First Cockatiel What you should know before purchasing a cockatiel Your First Baby Males vs Females Cages and Cage Accessories Names for Your Bird	Health Cockatiel Nutrition: Vitamins Feeding, nutrition, and cleaning Bird Health Maintenance Dangerous and Toxic Plants Dangerous and Toxic Fumes Bird Bath!
Behavior Egg Laying in Singly Kept Hens Laddering Your Parrot video included Potty Training Your Bird The Screaming Parrot Vocalizations and Screaming	Misc. Cockatiel Genetics Made Easy Sexing a Cockatiel Myths vs Facts Other Pets and Your Cockatiel Breeding Costs Candling Eggs Wing Clipping: How-to
Recipes Takoda Aviary's Better Feather Birdie Bread Tropical Birdie Bread Biscuits Etcetera Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies Seed Treats	Products We Use and Recommend Cages Food Recommended Reading
Video Clips A Group of 2-3 Week Old Babies Preening 8.8MB Baby Pop Tart Walking and Yawning (2 weeks) 3.5MB Baby Pop Tart Preening (2 weeks) 3.6MB	Other Bird Information Cage Dimensions for All Companion Birds Caresheet: Budgies Caresheet: Cockatiels Caresheet: Plum Headed Parakeet NEW!! Caresheet: Quaker Parakeets NEW!!

Coming soon.... The Biting Parrot, and more Companion bird Caresheets.

You can also obtain information from the North American Cockatiel Society, the National Cockatiel Society, and the American Cockatiel Society.