Cockatiels are amazing. My Cha-cha is 6 months old now. We got her at about 4 1/2 months. She was NOT hand-fed/raised. She bit (not beaked) my husband when we brought her home from the pet store and took her out of the carrier. She was terrified. We were patient with her and she warmed up to us and she does EVERYTHING you read about concerning affectionate parrots. She eats dinner with us at the table. She thinks we’re part of her flock. They say girl tiels don’t generally learn to talk, but my little girl is learning!! She can say ‘hi cha-cha’ and she imitates a helicoptor, and she has started whistling a favorite song. It’s all about the time and attention they get. They are loving and are completely bonded to us. She’s mainly out of the cage all day until she goes to bed. We’re considering a 2nd tiel (if i stop working from home) so that she won’t be lonely, but she’s so spoiled, we’re not sure if she’d appreciate sharing our attention.