Human interaction is key to teaching a cockatiel to talk. While some people believe you can teach a bird to talk and tame it at the same time, this is a false belief. Instead, you need to bond with the bird and get it used to its home before talking training. If you need some help taming a bird, your local veterinarian or pet store owner can help you, or an experienced friend can too. Make sure your bird has enough food and water, as well as enough space in its cage. Also make sure that your bird is in good physical health by taking it for veterinary checkups on a regular basis. If your cockatiel is feeling under the weather, it is less likely to want to chat with you. Give it lots of attention and mental stimulation. Teaching the cockatiel to talk is part of that attention, but you also want to give it toys to play with and praise and affection whether it is talking or not. A cockatiel's brain needs to be stimulated in order for it to be happy. Also make sure that the bird is in an environment that it likes. That way the bird will feel more comfortable when learning words.

Summary: Bond with the bird first. Make sure your cockatiel is healthy. Make sure your cockatiel is happy.

Examine not only the value of current sales in the neighbourhood, but trends over time. Purchasing a home for resale in an area where the value of real estate purchases have been steadily increasing is a good idea. Purchasing a home in an area where the value of real estate has seen wild fluctuations or downward trends is risky. The National Association of Realtors maintains extensive statistics and other data on home sales in the United States. Visit their website, http://www.realtor.org/, to conduct research on real estate transactions in the area where you are considering buying a home.. Many potential home buyers will value on access to good educational institutions, healthcare services, and recreational opportunities. The condition and proximity of everything from parks to doctor's offices to sporting facilities will potentially have an impact on the resale value of a home. Easy access to major roads and highways, as well as public transportation options, can increase the asking price of a home. But keep in mind that a home located too close to noisy rail-lines, freeways, and high-traffic areas will not fetch top dollar. Accessible transportation links are desirable; direct adjacency to noisy transportation infrastructure is not. As people around the world rely less on automobiles, buyers will increasingly value walkability and public transit. Try entering the address of a home you are considering into WalkScore.com, an online service that rates neighborhoods based on access to public transit, and proximity to services and amenities. A home facing a parking lot or a strip mall will sell for less than a home facing a river or a park. However, keep in mind that not everyone is willing to pay for a view. In other words, don't count on a "good" view bringing in top dollar when reselling a property. But keep in mind that a "bad" view will create resale limitations. Before purchasing a property, research whether there are any planned developments that might impact a home's view in the near future. If a home backs onto a forest or field, ask if the space is protected, and if it might be developed into a new housing development, highway, or something worse.

Summary: Research the value of local real estate transactions. Evaluate the quality of local schools and medical clinics, as well as community amenities. Assess local transportation linkages. Consider the view.

If you're really familiar with snakes, and you know that what you've caught is a garter snake or another nonvenomous snake, you might be able to get away with touching it. But if you're at all unsure what type of snake you've caught, don't take the chance. Wild snakes don't much like to be handled, anyway. Gently carry the entire trap to your vehicle and put it in the trunk or another enclosed area so you can transport it. Don't shake the trap or poke at the snake. Handle it with care. You might want to keep small children and pets away from the trap while you're handling it, just to be on the safe side. If you let the snake go too close to your house, it will find its way back to its home territory. Release the snake at least a mile from your home if you want to make sure it doesn't come back. However, if you trapped the snake in your house and you don't mind if it lives outdoors in the yard, you can just walk outside to release it there. The snake will have the best chance at surviving without disturbing other people if you release it in a natural area. Go to a state park or another area without a lot of people living close by to release the snake. This way it won't end up in someone else's garden. Freeing a snake is not usually dangerous; in most cases, the snake will be happy to slither away and leave you alone. But just in case, wear long pants and gloves when you're freeing the snake. Watch the snake carefully and be ready to move out of the way if it decides to strike. Depending on which kind of trap you used, there are two different ways to free a snake: If you used a reusable glue trap, unlatch the lid of the box and open it up. Pour vegetable oil over the snake's body, making sure to cover the entire are that's attached to the glue. The trap is designed so that the snake will be able to wiggle free from the glue once the oil gets between the snake's skin and the bottom of the trap. By this time you should be standing a fair distance from the trap so you aren't blocking the snake as it leaves the scene. If you're using a minnow trap, put on a pair of heavy gloves, since you'll have to get a bit closer to the snake (though you still won't have to touch it). Carefully open the two sides of the trap to separate them at the middle. Leave just enough space for the snake to crawl out. Move away so you aren't in the snake's path when it crawls out. All snakes, even venomous snakes, play an important role in their ecosystems and should be released if possible. But if the snake is venomous and you're concerned that someone could get harmed by it, you killing it might be the answer. If you used a cardboard glue trap, you can just put the whole thing in a garbage bag and seal it up. If you use a minnow trap, you can place the entire trap underwater for a few hours before opening it.
Summary: Don't attempt to touch the snake. Drive at least a mile from your house. Go to a natural area without many residences nearby. Free the snake. Kill the snake only as a last resort.