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Nestbox and Cockatiels

Birds101

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I have two cockatiels that like to stay together. My female seems to want to mate but the male hasn't been interested much. They have a bond, they do groom each other, they are never far apart from each other. Recently I put a nestbox in with them. I do not wish to continuously let them breed if they do start. I have nesting material but neither one of them have taken much of an interest in the box and my male doesn't seem to want to mate while my female may be willing. Is there any thing that could help with this?
 

expressmailtome

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You should let them go at their own pace. There is not much that can be done to make them want to use the box if they are not ready.
 

Lady Jane

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If you do not want them to breed and lay fertile eggs why did you provide the nesting material. This is a stimulus for them to breed and raise a family.
 

JLcribber

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I do not wish to continuously let them breed if they do start.
They will start. Take out the nestbox so they are not encouraged to breed because you don't know what you're doing and breeding anything takes a lot of experience, knowledge and skill. The odds are they won't look after them very well and you do not know how to intervene when things go wrong. Replace any eggs they may lay with fakes and let them mate as much as they want. You don't need to have babies in order to have sex. Please heed this advice.

Get your fakes here.
DummyEggs.com, Dummy Eggs Help Stop Egg Laying in Pet Birds! Fake Eggs, Solid Plastic Eggs in all sizes.
 

SandraK

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Birds are just like people, just because you've have a girl and a boy in one room it doesn't mean anything will happen. If they're (a) not old enough to be interested in doing anything or (b) just are not "into each other" they'll form a bond but won't necessarily mate though they will be devoted to each other.

Are you trying to breed your cockatiels or are you asking about behaviour? Keep in mind too that even if they do mate and eggs are laid, not all eggs are fertile.
 

Birds101

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My female was tame once but I got a male hoping they get along, the male was supposed to be handraised but ended up being unable to hold him. My female didn't get along much with other Weiros so was hoping they got along. They now won't leave each other and I can't hold her without her flying away to go see the male.
 

SandraK

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I'll also add from experience that if tiels are going to nest, they'll do so with or without a nestbox. They will improvise their own "nest" - my tiels Theo and Peeps did just that - in a brown paper bag under one of the cages that I had shreddable finger traps stashed in. I have photos of it and I ended up moving the entire paper bag into a spare cage though I was originally afraid that it would upset them and cause them to abandon the nest. Wasn't happening. They hatched and raised their little ones in the bag inside the cage ....
 

rocky'smom

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right now Sweet Pea my little hen is in cardboard box with 4 eggs. I have tried paper bags, leaving the eggs on the floor, putting them in flat dish. this box is the first time she has nested and stayed with the eggs.
 
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