Had 2 pet cockatiels (a pair) while growing up, not sure I would again. We allowed ours nearly free access to fly wherever they wanted in the house (and it was

Had 2 pet cockatiels (a pair) while growing up, not sure I would again. We allowed ours nearly free access to fly wherever they wanted in the house (and it was a decent sized house with several lofted ceiling areas) and we also had a small dog they interacted with (we were also a family of 4). While they seemed happy, were incredibly funny, friendly and made great pets, they were also incredibly demanding. While it was fantastic that they'd sit on the couch with the family while we watched TV, or with one of us while doing homework, it was less awesome when they'd perch outside our bedrooms to wake us up to play with them. Thankfully they can't see for shit at night, so they went into the cage on their own when it got dark.