How I spent 50 euros on a bird bowl (and other fails)
10/6/2026
Translation: Elicia Payne
Pictures: Anika Schulz
Rio, the cockatiel, has expensive taste. Pebbles hammers away. Finni sings. Cookie has a clear out. And me? I’m kind of here, too.
I live with four cockatiels. No, I don’t «have» four cockatiels. I belong to them. They decide the daily routine; I’m just a spectator. And yet, a surprising number of… questionable things happen. To paint the picture for you, here are five moments with Rio, Cookie, Finni, and Pebbles that reveal their colourful characters.
Rio doesn’t swim, but he can drink 50 euros worth
It’s summer. I bought a bird pool for my four cockatiels – handcrafted, made of stainless steel, with perches all around. I named the project Rio Beach because Rio likes water. So I thought.
The four birds looked at the pool. They eyed it suspiciously and approached with tiny steps. And have used it as a water bowl ever since. No one’s even gone swimming yet.
Essentially I’ve bought an XL water bowl for 50 euros. Great.
Pebbles is the noisy eater
Some skills are acquired unconsciously. I’m now at the point where I can tell which one of my cockatiels is eating.
Pebbles is a gentle and calm lady cockatiel. Until food comes into play. Then she gets stuck in like a combine harvester. She tends to peck the bottom of the bowl with astonishing force.
Clonk!
Clonk!
CLONK!
Then one day, I was sat in the next room, heard that sound, and thought, «Ah, Pebbles’ eating her breakfast.» And I was right.
By the way, from my experience this stainless steel bowl is particularly sturdy:
Finni and his little foot
Finni likes to sing. There’s nothing special about that. Many male cockatiels sing. Finni, however, often lifts his little left foot when he does that. He looks at it – eyes wide, full of love. Then he continues singing.
For ages, I’ve been trying to figure out what’s going on there. By now, I think Finni is singing his little foot a lullaby. I can’t think of any other explanation. Finni probably can’t either.
Cookie clears out the digging box
You know that feeling when you’ve completely zoned in on your work and don’t notice a thing? That’s what happened to me. When I peeked into the living room a few hours later, the digging box was empty. Instead, the contents were scattered throughout the living room. Everywhere. The four responsible seemed pleased with themselves. «Look, mum. We’ve redecorated.»
It was Cookie who started it all. Of all things, the bird that usually has the willpower of an officer. Unless he can scatter little pieces of wood on the sofa and start his little craft enterprise.
This digging box is for rabbits. But you can also use them for small parrots and fill them with wooden toys or grass.
Everyone waits for mum
When I came home late one evening, the cockatiels were already asleep. Four fluffy balls sat puffed up on the aviary. Until I turned on the light.
Then four heads awoke. Suddenly, everyone was up and about for a moment. I greeted the gang, changed their water and food. After that, the birds went into the aviary on their own. Usually, getting them into their cockatiel crib in the evening is a bit of a struggle. But not this time. Maybe it was just a coincidence. Maybe not.
Huh, sigh.
Otherwise, I’m glad there wasn’t much more to report on this, as life with my cockatiel companions can be a bit full-on sometimes:
Header image: Anika Schulz
Anika Schulz
Teamleader Editorial
Anika.Schulz@galaxus.deAs a child, I was socialised with Mario Kart on SNES before ending up in journalism after graduating from high school. As a team leader at Galaxus, I'm responsible for news. I'm also a trekkie and an engineer.
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