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What is
needed for a breeding pair of cockatiels when nesting?
A cockatiel nesting box. I attached mine to the
back a seperate cage for just the two parent at the time
they were breeding. I put shavings in the bottom of the
nestbox to the depth of about 3 inches. The cockatiel
then hollowed out an area in the shavings.
What is the best nesting material to use?
We used pine shavings (always untreated).
How do you deal with fighting in a mating colony?
I usually provide a separate area for nesting
but removing a non-breeding pair from the mating colony
should be done, as it would be hard for the parents to
concentrate on sitting on the eggs properly.
Does breeding come easy to cockatiels?
I suppose it would depend on the personality of
the birds. I have been lucky, mine all get along minus a
few nips when fighting over who gets to me first. I keep
them together in a cage and they pair up.
How long does the incubation process take?
Every other day the female will lay an egg and
usually in 21 days that egg will hatch.
I have a female cockatiel that is laying eggs but has no
mate--are they fertile?
No! It is normal for hens to lay eggs. We had
one that surprised us this way back in the early 1990's,
as one day an egg appeared in the bottom of her cage. We
gave her calcium to replace what she lost laying the egg.
After she laid the egg and no others, we removed it.
The egg is grayish but it's well past 21 days incubation
time what do I do?
I'd suggest you leave it alone if the parents
are still sitting on it. Many times eggs will be pushed
aside by the parents if they have given up on them. This
happened with our birds. One night their were 4 eggs
grouped together in the nesting box and the next day
there were only three. The birds parents had pushed the
other egg to the back off the cage. It never did hatch.
Why did only a few eggs hatch?
The eggs that haven't hatched are not be fertile.
Look at the eggs, the fertile ones are usually a darker.
The color should be a grayish, instead of the pink or
clear of a non-fertile egg.
How do I take care of a baby cockatiel?
The best way to do this is by observing it when
it is still with the parents, noting how much they are
still feeding it and how much it is eating on its own.
Once you take it away just keep a check on how much seed
it is eating and what condition it appear to be in, does
it look healthy or sickly?
What will my birds feed their chick, will the parents
adandon the chicks?
I suppose it depends on their personalities and
how many chicks they are raising. I had a strange
experience the first time I placed a pair in the nesting
box. The female laid nine eggs, six off which hatched.
Feeding soon became very taxing and seemed to be a bore
to the female. She actually would leave the box for hours
at the time. The male bird was great. He was trying to
feed all of them and also feed the female but it was
really wearing him down. So, I stepped in and did some
hand rearing. I tried a hand rearing mix for awhile and
then graduated to soft foods
How do you sex a cockatiel?.
I think sexing can be difficult in a baby. In a
mature bird look at the underside of its tail. Young
birds and females retain the barring. As males age their
cheek patched usually will be a bright orange, than that
of the female.
Why is my bird pulling out his feathers?
Feather plucking is quite a difficult habit to
break. Diet, stress, lack of attention can be a cause
sometimes feather plucking. A good-quality cockatiel mix
is essential in any bird's diet. If the cockatiel seems
bored add some toys to his cage or a mirror this is one
way you may be able to help is to give the bird something
else to do. To ensure there are no underlying health
problems visit an avian vet to see what may be causing
the plucking.
Do cockatiels like being sprayed with water?
My birds all love to be sprayed but some more
than other. I use a spray bottle with a mister on it. I
keep it in the same cupboard and when the birds see me
going to get out they already start flapping their wings.
However, I know some cockatiel owners who tells me their
bird do not like it.
Do cockatiels like taking a bath like my songbirds do?
It's my experience that some do and some don't.
You can always supply a shallow dish filled with a little
water and see if your cockatiels will be willing. I have
a few bird that have me trained, if they want a bath, as
I approach the cage they start acting as if they are
taking a bath in their water cup. This precipitated me
getting out their shallow dish and they are happy to get
it in and play just like the robins in the backyard do.
Wow, my bird nails are piercing, how do I trim them?
I suggested you watch a vet or an old pro do it
first. Holding your bird in a
comfortable position look for the vein that runs along
the claw. Trim the very tip. Do not get up into the vein
or it will bleed. Make sure and have some styptic powder
handy just in case.
Which bird will tak, male or female?
Males are more likely to talk. I have nver had a
female say much other than one word. Many of my males
mimic each other in whistling and phrases they say. The
females however are good whistlers and terribly loud when
it comes to mating.
Can I tame a cockatiel that more than a year old?
I find it is easiest to tame a bird when under 3
months. I'm sure it's possible to tame them when older
but it would take a-lot of patience and really the amount
of taming would depend on the personality. I have had
some luck with birds I have adopted as once they are out
of their cage and on the floor they will now walk over to
me to get back on my finger so I can give them a lift to
the caged. I guess you could say they tamed me.
Can you
teach a cockatiel tricks?
Yes, cockatiels can be trained to do tricks.
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