Cockatiel only sitting on one egg

[Atomicor]

Hey! I have pair of cockatiels I’ve had since they were babies, and the female started laying eggs! I’m super excited but also worried. She laid one egg about three days ago and today I found another one. I go in to check on her and one of the eggs get moved out from under her and she will only sit on the one that stayed under her. She attacks my male if he tries to go in the nest box and she won’t let me check the eggs either. I want to check the eggs and make sure they’re fertile but I also don’t want to stress her out very much. Any advice?

 

[Ember-Tiel]

It's normal for her not to trust you looking at the eggs, they usually let their mates sit on them as well. Is the male cockatiel her mate, or did they just mate? Sometimes they take breaks sitting on the eggs briefly to eat some food, maybe then you can sneak in and take a look at them, but remember to be careful not to touch the eggs with your bare hands or she might abandon them if they have a human scent. Its also important to make sure she is eating cuttle bone and iodine blocks to prevent eggs getting stuck inside her.

 

[Ember-Tiel]

It's normal for her not to trust you looking at the eggs, they usually let their mates sit on them as well. Is the male cockatiel her mate, or did they just mate? Sometimes they take breaks sitting on the eggs briefly to eat some food, maybe then you can sneak in and take a look at them, but remember to be careful not to touch the eggs with your bare hands or she might abandon them if they have a human scent. Its also important to make sure she is eating cuttle bone and iodine blocks to prevent eggs getting stuck inside her.

She might have abandoned the other egg if it doesn't seem fertile, or if it has been touch by another bird or human.

 

[Atomicor]

She might have abandoned the other egg if it doesn't seem fertile, or if it has been touch by another bird or human.

They’ve been together for over a year and they’ve been mating. But if the male gets by the entrance she starts attacking him and chasing him away. And idk if you know or not but the human scent thing has been proven false many times over.

 

[Ali]

Ok, I would like to know where you got this from. Any sources you could show us? Just because if a bird, or any vulnerable animal species gets the scent of another, especially larger animal that has either been near on on their territory/nest/home they will feel threatened and abandon it in search of a safe place to go.

Can you show me where you have see this?

And idk if you know or not but the human scent thing has been proven false many times over.

 

[Ember-Tiel]

They’ve been together for over a year and they’ve been mating. But if the male gets by the entrance she starts attacking him and chasing him away. And idk if you know or not but the human scent thing has been proven false many times over.

Well I guess I haven't heard then. It has happened with my budgies when they laid eggs a few years ago, but my cockatiels weren't comfortable with humans which is why I must have believed it would be the same for others. Sorry for the confusion.

 

[Ember-Tiel]

Ok, I would like to know where you got this from. Any sources you could show us? Just because if a bird, or any vulnerable animal species gets the scent of another, especially larger animal that has either been near on on their territory/nest/home they will feel threatened and abandon it in search of a safe place to go.

Can you show me where you have see this?

I wrote something right here.

 

[Atomicor]

Myth Buster: Mother Birds Won't Reject Their Babies If You Touch Them , Fact or Fiction?: Birds (and Other Critters) Abandon Their Young at the Slightest Human Touch , Ask a Wildlife Biologist, Alaska Department of Fish and Game , Do Birds Really Abandon Their Chicks If Humans Touch Them? , If I Handle A Baby Bird Will Its Mother Reject It? | Bird Spot

I can find many more if need be.

 

[Ali]

Myth Buster: Mother Birds Won't Reject Their Babies If You Touch Them , Fact or Fiction?: Birds (and Other Critters) Abandon Their Young at the Slightest Human Touch , Ask a Wildlife Biologist, Alaska Department of Fish and Game , Do Birds Really Abandon Their Chicks If Humans Touch Them? , If I Handle A Baby Bird Will Its Mother Reject It? | Bird Spot

I can find many more if need be.

Fair enough. In my (practical) experience that is not what I have seen across multiple species

 

[Ember-Tiel]

I get it now, I just got this idea from a really weird experience I had a few years ago in where these really strange budgies I had who lost their eggs after they where touched by my parents. Their eggs where broken up, and by what I told it was just assumed they were abandoned or attacked by other birds (I saw the eggs, but I was young enough not to think too much about it). I get it now, I already admitted I thought this was true by mistake. I just wanted to give you some advice regarding egg laying, since I noticed no one else had replied to your forum yet. But you could also get answers from other websites.