Check out bird’s legs to gauge its age

My aunt just passed away and I was left her cockatiel that is supposed to be more than 20 years old. I put him in the same cage with my 4-year-old cockatiel and they get along just fine. How can I tell if the bird is really that old and how long do they live?

The oldest living cockatiel on record was 32 years old, and I own several that are in their mid-20s. There is no color change in the feathers of an older bird kept in optimal conditions.

One thing I have noticed about these birds is that their toes and legs seem to get skinny as they age, and they lose the ability to regrow feathers on the lower part of their legs. Compare the legs of your two birds. If your late aunt’s bird’s legs look like the legs on my older birds, then most likely it is indeed as old as it is claimed to be.

A narrow canal runs behind my house, and we enjoy watching all the geese, ducks and swans that live there. However, the Canada geese have adopted our yard as a sanctuary, and I do not need to tell you what a mess our yard is. The obvious solution would be to put up a fence, but we like our unobstructed view. People have told us to sprinkle grape Kool-Aid crystals on the grass to keep the birds off. Will this work?

I don’t think the crystals will do any good, but you can buy a concentrated grape extract from bird control companies. The geese do not like to eat the sprayed grass and will not to feed on it. However, the geese still may use your lawn to relax on, and there is nothing you can do to prevent this apart from putting up a fence or some other barrier such as a thick hedge of privet or rugosa roses.