Parakeets mating??

Question

How will I know if my parakeets are mating? It may be a silly question, but is there anything out of the ordinary that they do? I don't have a nesting box. They have been on the bottom of the cage and one on top of the other. It's quite a show. Also, if they are mating and become pregnant, how long does it take?

Answer 1

Yes, they probably are mating if the male appears to be standing on the females rump area and the female has her tail raised up so that the male can sort of twist his lower body under her tail area. They usually will do this on the perch but perhaps they are young and inexperienced. That doesn't mean that they were unable to get the deed done so, you may be seeing eggs in the next week of so, depending on how long they have been at it.

I don't know what size cage they are in but a budgie nestbox is rather large for most regular sized budgie cages - but I certainly wouldn't change their cage at this time. The hen may very well feel comfortable enough to go ahead and lay her eggs on the cage floor (even if there is a metal grate) and it is possible for her to incubate and hatch them out. Depending on the cage you have, you may have to cut some of the bars of the cage to get a proper sized nestbox attached and you may need to prop up the box with a piece of wood or something so that it doesn't tip your cage over. Cut the bars if you have to because, unless you are planning to keep all of the chicks yourself, you will be needing to buy a new and larger cage anyway.

Once the hen begins laying, you should expect to see a new egg every other day as it takes about that long for a new egg to form inside the hen. She may not begin incubating (sitting on) the eggs immediately, but wait until 2 or 3 eggs have been laid. About this time, she will begin incubating in earnest, usually only leaving the eggs (whether they are on the floor or in a nest) to relieve herself. Because the eggs are laid every other day, they usually will hatch at the same every other day interval. Therefore the size difference between the first and last hatched egg is going to be amazing and sometimes the younger ones end up get trampled by their larger siblings. This won't usually happen though if the hen lays only 4-6 eggs.

During incubation, if things are going right, the male will begin eating a lot more himself, bringing food to her and feeding her by regurgitating the food he has eaten. He will continue doing this once the eggs hatch also and the hen will, in turn, regurgitate the further digested food into the crops (throats) of the chicks.

Also, sometimes new parents don't quite know what to do with the first chick or two when they first hatch and its not unusual for that first one or two to die, so don't feel bad if this happens. Instincts will usually kick in for one or the other of the parent birds and they will raise the rest to weaning.

By the way, the "batch" of eggs that the other respondent, tedybear, mentions is actually called a CLUTCH, and is usually comprised of anywhere from 4-10 eggs with 6 being the normal number. A "batch" of eggs is what you whip up for your family for Sunday breakfast! Because of answers like that, I would highly suggest that you purchase a book on budgie breeding or borrow one from your local library.

There is so much more that you should learn, please don't count on the people in this Question and Answer forum to teach you all you need to know. I would be happy to answer more questions in more detail for you if you would like to send an email directly to me. Just click on my picture and it should give you the link to send me an email if you care to.

Answer 2

if they are mating or seems like mating in the bottom of the cage then that is unusual..the female should be in the bottom and sticking her bottom half up and the male should have his feet on top of her for stability..it takes around 3 wks and the eggs hatch around 18 days after being layed..they would hatch in the order that they are layed..it can be a one or two day difference of hatching...they lay around six eggs...it can be more or less..get a nesting box if you want them to lay the eggs..make sure the mother has alot of calcium..cuttlebone..egg treats and that you give her supplements that enhance the fertilization of an egg..if you dont do the following the female parakeet can get eggbind and most likely die

Answer 3

They are for sure mating and I suggest that you get a nestbox because that's the safest way for the parakeet to lay eggs in because that way the eggs will stay together. The first egg might come in 10-14 days. She will lay eggs every other day.
Good Luck:)

Answer 4

THEY ARE PROBABLY MATING. YOU SHOULD GET A NESTING BOX TOO,CUZ IF THEY ARENT MATING THEY ARE READY. THE FEMALE LAYS EGGS 10-14 DAYS LATER. SHE LAYS EVERY 2-3 DAYS,3-8 EGGS. 14-21 DAYS LATER THE EGGS HATCH IN THE ORDER THEY WERE LAID.

Answer 5

uhhh if you want babies i suggest you get a nesting box
i heard they normally do it early in the morning but i dunno

if they are mating.. it can be 10 - 14 days before the first egg
i dont think theres any sure way to tell unless you catch them at it lol