One of my cockatiels will be 15 years old in October. Never had a problem except for a bad molt a few years ago. He looked pretty ragged, but the vet said he was OK.
(For anyone looking for an inexpensive member of the parrot family as a pet, I highly recommend cockatiels. Sweet, funny, and affectionate. But folks have to devote time to them, since hand-raised birds are bonded to humans. They’re not meant to just look pretty in a cage, like finches.)
I heartily second that recommendation!
Sweet, funny and affectionate. Surely you can’t be talking about cockatiels. Our is evil personified. He bites, squawks and is just plain mean.