This Complete Care Made Easy title offers first-time cockatiel owners insight into every aspect of selecting, caring for, and maintaining well-behaved happy pet birds. Angela Davids and her flock of bird experts have put together an ideal introductory pet guide, with chapters on the characteristics and history of the charming cocktail, selection of a healthy, typical cockatiel, housing and care, feeding, training, and keeping the bird healthy. The selection chapter offers potential owners excellent advice about owner suitability, selection of the color and sex of the bird, and also addresses legal and health issues about which all pet bird owners should be aware. In the chapter on housing and care, the author discusses selection of the right cage, citing of the cage, accessories, toys, playgyms, and more. A bird's diet is critical to its ongoing health, and the chapter "Feeding Your Cockatiel" gives the reader all the info he or she needs about choosing the best possible diet, the different types of seeds, fruits, veggies, as well as human foods to avoid.
The final two chapters of the book will be useful for bird fanciers interested in learning more about the breeding of cockatiels and the basic color variations and genetics of this handsome tropical bird. The book concludes with an appendix of bird societies, a glossary of terms, and a complete index.

Photographs by: Carolyn McKeone