My 1 year approx cockateil has just laid a egg, not subjected to a male. That’s how I found out the sex. I really wanted a males as easier to get to talk. If I get a males maybe keep in separate cage for a while but in the same room , will the male still have a good chance of talking
Hi,
It is never a good idea to get a bird because you want one that will talk. Any parrot is capable of talking, but that doesn’t mean it will. With cockatiels, most never talk, or at most might learn one or two words. They prefer whistling and mimicking sounds. The males are more likely to talk, but again, most never do. Talking is also something that can get old, very fast. When he learns a word, you make a big deal about it and reward him with attention and maybe treats. When he says that word 100 times a day, you get to the point that you would do anything to get him to stop. And what about the female? It’s wrong to set a bird aside in favor of one that might talk for you. You also need to address the egg laying problem. And if you get a male, even if they are kept apart, just having a male around can cause the female to lay eggs. What if you get another young bird, and it turns out to be a female? There is no way to guarantee gender with a young cockatiel. They will display female markings for 6-8 months, and usually a DNA test will come back as female if the bird is young. You should think about your options and work on discouraging the female from laying more eggs.
Keep in mind that to lay eggs, she needs longer daylight, warmer weather, abundant food, and a quiet, private environment. The goal is to reverse these conditions.
Limit her light to 8-10 hours by covering the cage early each evening
Do not give her anything to use as a nest – no bird huts or tents, no box, bowl, etc. If she decides to sit in a food bowl, remove it and replace with smaller cups.
Do not give her anything to shred such as paper or cardboard.
Rearrange the toys in the cage frequently.
Move the cage to a different place in the room. Move the cage about once a week, or whenever she shows signs of nesting – settling on the cage floor for example. This disrupts her idea of having a stable place to lay eggs and raise chicks.
If you feed a lot of fresh foods, stop offering any for a couple of weeks, and then only offer them in small amounts about 2 or 3 times a week. You can resume normal feeding later when the birds aren’t being hormonal.
If she is let out of the cage, do not let her get in any dark cozy places and don’t give her free roam.
When you handle her, limit any petting to only the head and neck – do not pet a bird on the body. Only a bonded mate is allowed to groom the body. We can’t be a mate, so touching the body is off limits.
If there is no metal floor grate, then do not use any bedding or paper in the cage tray – leave it bare and clean it daily.
If she won’t stop laying eggs, you will end up having to take her to an Avian Vet to discuss hormone treatments.
Thank you for asking Lafeber,
Brenda
