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Noob Need help with new pair

NHenglish

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danny
Hi I got two cockatiels one is a Perl and other Latino I think my question is i am not sure how old they are if there male or female from what I researched one is deftly a male as it sings and make sounds the other never makes a sound other when its mad at me I rescued them from a neighbor so i am trying to be a a good owner I got them the biggest cage I can find toys the correct food and I made a breeding box but now the box is in they started to enter the box chew the sides and drag paper in and out all the time and the gray one is making some kind of sound when in the box there both together all the time rub heads but I thought both was males as on the gray one they is no barbed on the tail can any one help or would pictures be better for a guess I got them to a point where they take food off y hand so in the part of hand taming them I want them to be happy as they can and be treated well not like my next door neighbor did any help will be thanks .
 

Anne & Gang

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I would definitely get that breeding box out of there. don't have them breeding as you say you rescued them..I would give them a break from that. (even if they were not breeding)..even a bird in prime condition is taxed physically by breeding..so get it out of there. if one is going to lay eggs then they can lay on a piece of paper towel on the bottom of the grate..you can boil the eggs after and replace them on the nest..make sure you leave them for at least 25-30 days until she appears to abandon all eggs must be round hard white and same size or the female is lacking in calcium...give her a readily accessible cuttlebone and mineral block and feed calci rich foods if you can..like broccoli and kale.
 

NHenglish

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so do you think one is a female as they never layed eggs before and none at moment i thought both was males so very confused :cautious:
 

Anne & Gang

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regardless of whether one is female or not..you say you rescued them..encouraging them to lay eggs by putting a nest box in is NOT a good idea..even if they are both male they will display nesting behavior as males often do that. If they are ripping up papers etc and going in that nestbox they are getting ready for something..and believe me, you don't want babies..
 

Laurul Feather Cat

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I think the term you are looking for is Lutino (not latino) meaning the bird is either white or yellow or some combination of the two. Do you have any idea how old they are? Even a Lutino hen will have very faint yellowish or brownish lines on two of the under-tail feathers. After the age of four to six months, the males loose the lined feathers and regrow only solid colored ones. Pearl marked birds who are cocks will lose their pearl markings slowly as they age, usually losing all pearl markings by the age of four years.

So, to determine if your birds are cocks or hens, if they are over four or five months old, the birds should have all solid colored tail feathers if they are cocks or if they are hens, they will have two tail feathers which are yellow and have black of brown bars on them. Cockatiels are dimorphic birds, but you have to wait for four to six months for them to get their permanent feather colors. All young birds initially grow the yellow colored and barred tail feathers. Very often the first thing that tells a breeder they have a cock is the young cock will begin singing or whistling at three months old while the hens tend to only have a one note call and never sing. There are exceptions to this rule; there are some hens who will sing and also talk English; we have one here on the Avenue whom we refer to as the Queen of the Universe and her name is Samantha: her owner is Anne who lives in Ontario and Anne greeted you above in a note.

I would definitely remove the breeding box and rearrange the cage to indicate the birds do not need to worry about breeding. Right now, you need to concentrate on making friends with each of them; first by talking to them and giving them treats, and later by getting them used to being handled. If they were strictly breeders, they may not be used to being handled and may nip or bite when you try to pick them up or teach them to step up. You can teach them to step up by holding a six or eight inch of perch in your one hand and placing it lightly next to their lower abdomen, above their feet, while holding a treat on the side of the perch nearest you. When they reach out to take the treat, GENTLY push the perch against their tummy and say "step up" and once they place both feet on the perch, let them have a bite of the treat. Once they step up on the perch, you can use a finger and get them to step up on your finger/hand when you say "step up". There are just starting ideas.

Do your birds come out of the cage yet? If so, do they step up so you can put them in the cage or do you have to chase them? Teaching them to step up on command really makes it easy to put them back in the cage.

Anything else you want to discuss?
 

NHenglish

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Thanks for help every one i took breed box out and i spent two hours the step up command so they come to me now fine i thought it took longer but there smart still not sure if boy or girls i just keep them happy no matter what they are never thought i would like them but i fallen in love happy
 

Laurul Feather Cat

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Shorten your training sessions to fifteen minutes to a half hour, and that will help them keep interested in the training. I am very happy to hear you have them stepping up already. Are they eating well? Do they like any veggies or fruits. Most cockatiels aren't real interested in fruit. They come from an area with grasslands and eat at least fifty percent seeds in the wild.
 

NHenglish

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not thought about fruit tbh or veg what do you recommend its all new but damit its a lot of fun with them they keep my going all day just reading whats best for them
 

sunnysmom

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My tiel loves broccoli, cooked sweet potatoes, snap peas, romaine lettuce, etc. If your tiels are not used to eating vegetables it might take them a little while to catch on. My tiel is rehomed and previously had an all seed diet. It took a couple months before I could get him to start eating vegetables. Just keep trying. :)
 

Anne & Gang

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they sure are pretty..very difficult to tell the sex of the lutino without dna sexing...(or unless the bird lays an egg) but the grey is definitely a boy...gorgeous birds. they look fine..a wellness check from a vet would be a great idea.
 
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