How Much Does a Cockatiel Cost? 2026 Prices, Cage, Vet and Lifetime Costs

A cockatiel costs from about $75 to $100 at a bird rescue to $399.99 at a national pet chain, and breeders set their own prices. On October 31, 2026, PetSmart listed its “Assorted Cockatiel” at $399.99 (in stores only), Connecticut Parrot Rescue listed cockatiel adoption from $75, and Florida Parrot Rescue charged $100. The bird is rarely the biggest cost. A cage that meets the Merck Veterinary Manual’s minimum listed at $229.99 at the same chain, an avian wellness exam costs roughly $90 to $115 at the clinic fee lists we found, and cockatiels can live up to 20 years. They are flock birds, so many rescues will only place one with a companion, which doubles most of these numbers.

Creatures has no cockatiel listings or listed cockatiel breeders today, so the most useful step is a free cockatiel listing alert that emails you when one is posted. Care notes, color mutations and owner profiles live on the Creatures cockatiel page. The sections below show where each number comes from.

How much does a cockatiel cost to buy?

The cockatiel (Nymphicus hollandicus) is a small Australian member of the cockatoo family, and nearly all pet birds are captive bred. The price depends far more on where you buy than on the bird. Nobody publishes a cockatiel price index, so the only exact figures here are a national chain’s list price and two rescues’ published fees. Everything else is described as a range or left to the seller.

Pet stores

On October 31, 2026, PetSmart’s website listed an “Assorted Cockatiel” at $399.99, sold in stores only. Store birds come with little history: you usually will not know the parents, the hatch date or how the bird was raised. That does not make them poor pets, but it does mean the first vet visit is important.

Rescues and adoption

Rescues are the cheapest way in and often the best way to find an adult whose personality you can see. On October 31, 2026, Connecticut Parrot Rescue listed cockatiel adoption “from $75,” with single, pair and trio options, and Florida Parrot Rescue listed cockatiels at $100, noting that a bird’s own cage is included in the fee when it has one. Florida Parrot Rescue also sets minimum cage sizes for adopters (27 inches wide by 24 deep for cockatiels), which is larger than many cages sold for the species.

Expect screening. Mickaboo Companion Bird Rescue in California, for example, will only adopt a single cockatiel to a household that already has one, and otherwise places cockatiels in groups of two or more, because they live in large flocks in the wild. Our guide to where to buy a parrot covers rescues, breeders and stores for parrot-family birds in general.

Breeders and color mutations

Breeders set their own prices, and hand-raised babies, birds with known parents and less common color mutations generally cost more than store birds. Common mutations include lutino, pied, whiteface and pearl; the Creatures pastelface cockatiel page covers one of them. The Merck Veterinary Manual’s table of popular pet birds adds a caution worth weighing before paying extra for color: rarer color mutations might be more fragile. Ask a breeder for the hatch date, the parents, whether the bird is weaned and eating on its own, and what health checks it has had.

Setup cost: the cage comes first

The Merck Veterinary Manual’s overview of pet birds gives a minimum cage of 20 by 20 by 30 inches (length, width, height) for budgerigars, cockatiels, lovebirds and parrotlets, with bar spacing of 0.5 inch, and advises buying the largest cage space and budget allow. The RSPCA’s guidance on housing pet birds adds that a cage should be big and uncluttered enough for wing flapping, at least twice the bird’s wingspan in height, width and depth if the bird spends most of its time inside.

Here is what that meant at PetSmart’s website on October 31, 2026:

• A flight cage that clears the minimum. A Prevue wrought iron flight cage, 31 inches long by 20.5 wide by 53 high including its rolling stand, with half-inch wire spacing, listed at $229.99. It comes with three wood perches and four cups. It meets Merck’s footprint, though not Florida Parrot Rescue’s stricter 24-inch depth for adopters, and the 53-inch height includes the stand, so check the height of the cage body itself.
• Cages that look right but fall short. A “tall” cockatiel cage at 18 by 18 by 36 inches listed at $79.99, and a small-bird cage at 18 by 14 by 22.8 inches listed at $49.99. Both are narrower than Merck’s 20-inch minimum. A cheap cage that is too small usually gets replaced, so it is rarely a saving.

A cage is only the shell. The RSPCA asks for plenty of natural wooden perches of different sizes and thicknesses fixed at different angles, foraging toys with food in them, toys rotated from time to time, and a cage that is not cluttered. Merck’s overview also calls for multiple perches of different sizes and textures. Mickaboo’s cage guidance warns against painted or dip-galvanized cages and secondhand cages with old paint, because of lead and zinc poisoning risk. Budget for a few natural perches, chew and foraging toys, extra dishes and a cage cover; prices vary too much by brand to quote one figure, so price them at your own store.

Ongoing monthly and yearly costs

Food

Merck’s guidance on managing pet birds recommends a diet of 40 to 50 percent pellets and 30 to 40 percent seed mix for budgerigars, cockatiels and lovebirds, and names pure seed or seed-based diets as one of the two most common causes of malnutrition. On October 31, 2026, PetSmart listed a 2.5-pound bag of ZuPreem Natural pellets for medium birds, including cockatiels, at $15.99, and a 3-pound bag of Higgins Sunburst cockatiel seed mix at $14.99. Add fresh vegetables. How long a bag lasts depends on the number of birds and how much they scatter, so track it for the first month rather than relying on a formula.

Veterinary care

The Merck Veterinary Manual’s owner guidance on the importance of veterinary care in pet birds says it is best to have a new bird checked by a vet before bringing it home, and that a yearly checkup is a good idea, because birds hide illness. Exam fees from published clinic fee lists, checked October 31, 2026:

• The Exotic Pet Vets, an avian and exotic practice: wellness exam $90 in Arizona and $115 in Colorado; medical (sick) exam $100 and $135.
• Erlanger Veterinary Hospital in Kentucky: avian and reptile wellness exam $97.50, sick exam $101.40, each plus a $7.30 medical waste fee.

Tests are extra. Merck notes that blood tests during checkups can sometimes find disease before a bird shows serious signs, so ask the clinic for a quote on a new-bird exam with any tests it recommends. Find an avian vet before you need one; our guide on how to find an avian vet explains what to look for.

The costs that define ownership

Company. Cockatiels are social. The RSPCA lists them among colony-breeding species that live in social groups, and Mickaboo will not place a lone cockatiel in a home without another. A second bird means a second purchase or adoption fee, a second exam and more food, and usually a larger cage. Keeping one bird is possible if you can give it substantial daily attention, but that is a cost in hours rather than dollars.

Time out of the cage. RSPCA guidance says pet birds need at least six hours outside their cage every day. That means a safe, bird-proofed room, and attention to household hazards like open water and other pets.

Health and hygiene. Merck’s chapter on reproductive diseases of pet birds says chronic egg laying is common in small birds, especially cockatiels, and that egg binding occurs most notably in cockatiels, budgerigars and lovebirds, which can mean unplanned vet visits for hens. The CDC’s psittacosis overview notes that the human infection is most commonly associated with pet birds like parrots and cockatiels and spreads mainly through dust from dried droppings, so clean the cage carefully and choose a seller who can talk about the birds’ health.

Records. Keeping each bird’s hatch date, source, vet visits and weights in one place makes those exams more useful. On Creatures you can keep health and medical records for each bird and set reminders for upcoming care, such as the annual checkup.

What a cockatiel really costs over its life

Merck gives cockatiels a lifespan of up to 20 years. Using only the dated figures above, and before toys, perches, vegetables, illness or replacing the cage:

• Getting started, one pet-store bird: $399.99 for the bird, $229.99 for the flight cage, about $31 for a first bag each of pellets and seed, and $90 to $115 for a first wellness exam, roughly $751 to $776.
• Getting started, two rescue birds, minimum-size cage: two adoptions at $75 to $100 each, the same $229.99 cage, food and two exams, roughly $591 to $691, less if a cage comes with the birds. That cage is sized to Merck’s minimum for a single cage, not for a pair, so treat this as a floor: a larger cage for two birds raises the total. Check bar spacing when you go bigger. A 25.2 by 21.1 by 31.9 inch medium-bird cage at the same store listed at $159.99 but has 5/8-inch spacing, wider than Merck’s half inch, and the roomier cages we saw there were built for larger parrots with wider spacing still.
• Wellness exams over 20 years: $90 to $115 a year comes to $1,800 to $2,300 per bird at today’s fees, before tests or sick visits.

The two startup totals count only the first bag of each food. Refills are an ongoing cost on top, and how fast they go depends on your birds, so note how long the first bags last and budget from there.

Over a 20-year life, the purchase price is a small share of the total. A rescue cockatiel with a known history can be the better value, and the cage and vet fees are what to plan around.

How this guide differs from our general bird price guide

Our broader guide, How Much Is a Bird?, compares typical prices across many species, from finches to macaws, to help you choose a kind of bird. Its cockatiel range is a general estimate across sellers. The national-chain store price we found on October 31, 2026 ($399.99) sits above that range and the rescue fees ($75 to $100) sit at or below it, which is why this page lists each source separately with its date. This page is only about cockatiels, with dated, attributed prices for one bird, its cage, its food and its vet care, and with the companionship and lifespan costs specific to the species. If you are still deciding between a cockatiel and a smaller bird, compare it with our guide to what a budgie costs; budgies are cheaper to buy and shorter lived, and the budgie colors guide shows how color names work in that species.

Frequently asked questions

How much is a cockatiel at PetSmart?

On October 31, 2026, PetSmart’s website listed an Assorted Cockatiel at $399.99, available in stores only. Prices change, so check your store.

Is it cheaper to adopt a cockatiel?

Usually. Connecticut Parrot Rescue listed cockatiel adoption from $75 and Florida Parrot Rescue charged $100 when we checked. Expect an application and home check.

Should I get one cockatiel or two?

Cockatiels are flock birds, and some rescues will not place a single bird in a home without another cockatiel. Two birds cost more but usually suit the species better, unless you can give one bird a lot of daily company.

What size cage does a cockatiel need?

Merck gives a minimum of 20 by 20 by 30 inches with half-inch bar spacing and says to buy the largest cage you can. Wider is better than taller for a bird that flies.

How long do cockatiels live?

Merck lists up to 20 years, which is why vet care and housing add up to far more than the purchase price.

Do this next on Creatures

• Hear about cockatiels for sale. Save a cockatiel search and get an email when one is listed. No account needed to start. See saving searches and using your watchlist.
• Check current listings. See cockatiel listings on the marketplace; there may be none today, which is what the alert is for. If you find one, read making an offer on a listing.
• Find a breeder to contact. Browse breeder profiles. A profile is a lead to investigate, not a guarantee of stock or health.
• Start your bird’s profile. Add a cockatiel, no account needed to start. Need a name? Try the cockatiel name generator. Read adding an animal.
• Keep vet visits and weights. Add a record for an exam, a weight or a health note. The form opens for visitors; a free account saves it.
• Breed or rescue cockatiels? Create an aviary or rescue profile so people looking for birds can find you, no account needed to start.