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Young cockatiels mating... HELP!

Snuggle

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Help! I’ve had two cockatiels for around two months. I have no idea how old they are but considering they are from the pet store I’m assuming they are way too young to be breeding. They are bonded so I really don’t want to separate them as even taking them out of the cage without the them being within eye sight of each other stresses them both out and they start to freak out.


i have never had this issue before and I don’t know what to expect. I’ve tried to tone down their hormones but nothing seems to help. But this morning I woke up to them actually mating, which was totally out of the blue and freaked me out a little. They don’t have a breeding box or anything but I’m afraid that my female will lay on the bottom of the cage and I don’t have the heart to boil/refrigerate the eggs (as I’ve seen on a few of these posts). Does the mating automatically mean I’m going to be dealing with eggs?
I definitely know that with how young they both probably are this is likely to be very dangerous for my poor girl and I do have an emergency avian vet on speed dial if I need it. But I don’t know the first thing about having mating birds or eggs or a clutch for that matter and I’m freaking out worried for my poor feathered friends. Any advice here is appreciated but please don’t suggest aborting the eggs by boiling/refrigerating as I just don’t have the stomach for that.
 
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Pockets

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Firstly - welcome to the forum! Lots of good info here and I hope you stick around.

I think it is tough to ask for advice and in the same post dismiss the advice that you know you will be given. If you do not have the ability to devote 24/7 care to potential cockatiel chicks, and don't want to separate the birds, and don't want to destroy/swap the eggs, and don't want the birds to breed, and don't want the bird to suffer complications of egg laying.....what advice are you expecting? The solutions are obvious and it seems like you know them, but you just don't want to employ them. I don't mean to sound harsh or negative, I just really want to understand what advice you think you might receive that would be different from other similar posts.

Separate the birds if you want a surefire way to prevent breeding. Swap dummy eggs or boil eggs if you don't want chicks. The birdos can be in the same room in separate cages, and I imagine could also have supervised flight/play time together!

Have you had them DNA tested? Maybe you're lucky and they're both males or females, which would eliminate some of the issue!
 

Mizzely

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If you're not sure about the genders, a DNA test would help.

If you do have a male and a female, your options are to separate them, boil the eggs (any other method is not guaranteed), or be prepared to raise babies.

No, there is no guarantee that they will lay fertile eggs but you need to be prepared if she does.
 
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Zara

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I will not boil or crush an egg that has life living in it. For me that is not an option, so I make sure I get to those eggs as soon as I can so that I can switch them out before life starts to form.
I have never had any accidents or mistakes (surprise chicks) . I check the cage regularly.

I will say this, if you have a male female pair, I find it much more cruel to separate the bonded pair than to remove eggs that don't even have life in them... And even crueler to attempt to breed without doing serious research, finding a mentor and having homes for all the chicks.

Just my thoughts.
 

keirieski17

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I understand where you’re coming from, but if you get to the eggs before the hen starts incubating there is no baby in them. It’s less “aborting” and more like emergency contraceptive. The egg is fertile but has not developed into anything resembling life. It’s really no different to a chicken egg.
 

finchly

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I understand where you’re coming from, but if you get to the eggs before the hen starts incubating there is no baby in them. It’s less “aborting” and more like emergency contraceptive. The egg is fertile but has not developed into anything resembling life. It’s really no different to a chicken egg.
Exactly. So she has to incubate them a few days before they are viable, and she doesn't start sitting until there are a few eggs, and she only lays one every other day. So you have some time.

If you don't want to boil the eggs you can buy dummy eggs and swap each one out as she lays it.
If you do not have the ability to devote 24/7 care to potential cockatiel chicks, and don't want to separate the birds, and don't want to destroy/swap the eggs, and don't want the birds to breed, and don't want the bird to suffer complications of egg laying.....what advice are you expecting? The solutions are obvious and it seems like you know them, but you just don't want to employ them.
Good post.

In re-reading what you wrote, @Snuggle I would say your best option is to separate them. Put them where they can't see each other and if you can, where they can't hear each other. YES it is stressful but so is raising babies, it can be very hard on them especially since they've not been with you long so you don't know their level of vitamins, nutrition, etcx. from before. So they may not be physically up to the challenge.

I know you said you don't have the heart to dispose of eggs but do you have the heart to take care of your birds that you have now? To me, giving them the best care sometimes requires blocking their ability to have babies. Including tossing eggs before they are fully formed.

In the future/moving forward, you can lower their daylight exposure to about 10-11 hours, cover them at night to be sure they get 12 hours' sleep, and perhaps back off on protein-rich foods to help reduce the hormones. This may help, and it may not. I have a cockatiel that has laid 15 eggs this year, despite many MANY things we've tried. (No male here but it's still hard on her)

Let us know after you think it over, and we'll try to help you with whatever you decide to do.
 
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