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Will a happy hut cause mating?
- Thread starter Holly O
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- Matthew
Welcome! Putting a hut in their cage would stimulate them to breed. Even if they are both females, it will stimulate them to lay eggs. Also, it does not matter if they are siblings, they can still mate and produce chicks.
It does not matter whether you put a hut in the cage or not, eventually your birds are going to evidence sexual behavior; hens will lay eggs, whether fertile or not, and cocks will proposition the hens for sex. If you want them to have a hut to play or sleep in, give it to them.
The purpose of all life is to reproduce, to create replacements for themselves to carry on the species after they are gone. It is why hens and cocks are different, why birds grow up and become adults and start acting sexual. It is the fact that life comes from life and is self perpetuating, so it is IMPOSSIBLE to avoid. All we can do is allow the birds their lives, allow them to go through the cycles of their lives and control their population as best as we can.
My birds pair off, mate, produce eggs and then I abort the fertile eggs by refrigerating them. In twenty years I have limited my cockatiels, lovebird and budgie populations in this manner and it has worked rather well. Quit obsessing about if something will set your birds off laying eggs or mating; the hormones WILL develop and the birds will act out their cycles of mating and brooding, despite everything you try. Roll with the punches and allow your birds to be happy.
The purpose of all life is to reproduce, to create replacements for themselves to carry on the species after they are gone. It is why hens and cocks are different, why birds grow up and become adults and start acting sexual. It is the fact that life comes from life and is self perpetuating, so it is IMPOSSIBLE to avoid. All we can do is allow the birds their lives, allow them to go through the cycles of their lives and control their population as best as we can.
My birds pair off, mate, produce eggs and then I abort the fertile eggs by refrigerating them. In twenty years I have limited my cockatiels, lovebird and budgie populations in this manner and it has worked rather well. Quit obsessing about if something will set your birds off laying eggs or mating; the hormones WILL develop and the birds will act out their cycles of mating and brooding, despite everything you try. Roll with the punches and allow your birds to be happy.
Holly O
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Great, thank you. I'm new to keeping two birds, and I wasn't sure if mating in captivity was something that was bound to occur naturally if it was meant to be, or if it was something brought on environmentally or otherwise. I just don't waNt to do the wrong thing, you know?
Holly O, the maturation of your birds is inevitable and I feel it is cruel to not allow captive birds to follow their hormonal instincts to mate, lay eggs and brood the eggs. Since I am not independently wealthy, I cannot allow my birds to reproduce indiscriminately, so I use egg abortion as population control. As long as you do this humanely, you are doing things right. You have to decide how you want your parrots to live. I find it much more harmonious for them to breed as they wish and use birth control to control their numbers.
Your choice. Yes, you can influence their behavior, but you CANNOT ultimately control it.
Your choice. Yes, you can influence their behavior, but you CANNOT ultimately control it.
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- Christina
Be careful with the chewing of the happy hut. Check it daily. I came home to a lovebird hanging by her neck outside of it because she chewed a hole while I was at work. Luckily I didn't work late that day or I would have had a dead lovie. 
After that incident none of my birds have happy huts. I know it was a freak accident, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. 
After that incident none of my birds have happy huts. I know it was a freak accident, but I'd rather be safe than sorry.
Holly O
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Thank you, will inspect it often!Be careful with the chewing of the happy hut. Check it daily. I came home to a lovebird hanging by her neck outside of it because she chewed a hole while I was at work. Luckily I didn't work late that day or I would have had a dead lovie.
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- Courtney Lou Hoo
if they are chewing it you need to remove it. they could die from impaction of the fibers. It's happened to birds many many times, unfortunately. One of my avian vets was just talking about how much he has seen it.Well, I put the hut in. And it is being used purely as a chew toy. The only time they go in it is to get better footing for the purposes of chewing
If they are just chewing it and not sleeping in it, I would take it out. You may be -- with best intentions -- imposing your ideas of comfort and how they should sleep on them but if they don't agree, who is the hut for really? They will be just as happy, and safer, without it.
Holly O
Meeting neighbors
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I removed the hut!! It was only there to give them something to do now that I have the bigger cage. I don't need any disasters. They did like climbing on it though. Does anyone use flat platforms in their cages for something different than perches to play on?
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- Courtney Lou Hoo
mine LOVE their platforms. each bird has two in their cage at all times and I see them on them all the time.Bird on the rocks has really cool rock ones that are easy to clean and keep nails trim, Things for wings has a ton of cute wooden ones, oliver's garden, i think tweety pies has some... check our vendor list for sure.
