I have had my male and female cockatiel together for a couple months. He will sing and dance to her- and she responds correctly in mating position. He keeps singing, facing her, but does not go any further. They do have little fights most of the time, but get along well and he follows her everywhere.
He is 2 yrs and has not bred before.
The closest thing I can come up with is that she just wants the sex, and he wants a relationship, lol. Previous experience- my female will mate with everything and everyone she comes into contact with. I honestly do not know if he knows how to.
Any experience with this or suggestions??
2007-02-09 08:31:37 · 3 answers · asked by D 7 in Pets ➔ Birds
He was hand raised...but so was she- both tame. She thinks I am her mate (definately flew into too many walls) and has laid eggs for me (and my friends, actually). She was a constant egg layer until I got the male. The she stopped.
Perchs- varying sizes all medium to large width from cotton rope to a thermoperch to some knotty stick thing.
They get veggies etc. He is afraid of the nest box and she completely ignores it. Their cage is big....2 1/2 ft by 20 in and 2 1/2-3ft high.
2007-02-09 14:56:48 · update #1
I am assuming these are pets? If he was hand raised, he may never have seen "it" done and does not know how. Male and female birds typically do have their squabbles, especially cockatiels. They are harmless.
Check your perches. Make sure they are steady and do not rock/move. Are they too big around? Are they too small around? Try putting in a natural wood perch/branch -- one that is a bird safe wood. (look it up on the web or ask your vet) Don't use manzanita, it is too slippery.
Make sure they are getting about 12 hours of daylight each day and that you are giving them adequate food -- pellets, veggies, bird breads, etc. Lots of dark, leafy greens (calcium).
They will have to have a nest box. Cockatiels prefer nestboxes that are about 10x10 to about 12x12. Any bigger or smaller and they may not breed for you.
You didn't say where you keep them, but make sure they are not where there is a lot of disturbing traffic -- neighborhood kids running in & out, wild animals that can scare them, etc.
Chances are, they have done the deed, but you haven't seen it. Usually, from the time they actually connect, it takes about 2 weeks for the hen to lay her first egg.
Good luck. Keep trying. First time parents often lay clear/infertile clutches the first time around.
2007-02-09 09:08:09 · answer #1 · answered by parrot.crazy 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
the mating ritual is not instict...that is a myth. They live in flocks and learn a lot from their elders. He may have been hand raised, and doesn't "get it" quite yet...but the most probable thing is that he is not yet at breeding age. Tiels are generaly sexually mature after 2 years, however, some are late bloomers. My female has a new boy toy who mates like crazy and is very upset that there are no eggs...the reason, my girls are 22yrs and 13yrs old. Some tiels learn to control their cycles better than others... some can turn it off, reabsorbing the egg before it forms, and before fertilization can occur. My girls have figured that out....now they just enjoy being little hos! They do this, because like humans they don't just mate for reproduction they do it for pleasure and bonding.
Sometimes sex is just sex. Some birds like to breed others enjoy a booty call. Let them go at their own pace, you can't really force them to breed...so just enjoy the singing, because the constant mating gets annoying and old. the worst is when they masturbate...and they do...which is gross.
just turn on the song Roxanne, light a mood candle and let them be.
Ahhh...that's amore!
2007-02-09 18:43:26 · answer #2 · answered by Tanya N (thesingingbeaner) 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It's instinctual for a bird to know how to mate, so I dought he knows how. Maybe he just doesn't feel ready or something. :-P
2007-02-09 18:13:33 · answer #3 · answered by Arya Dröttning 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋