Hello,
I have a pair of cockatiels and the female recently had 3 eggs. The problem is, the male does not incubate them and she only sits on them during the day, at night she abandons them and, instead, sleeps next to her mate. Should I remove them or put them in an incubator?
Hi,
Unfortunately, the eggs aren’t going to be any good since she has kept them warm, and then let them cool off. The male usually takes a turn sitting – one parent sits all day and the other sits all night. If this is a new pair, it’s normal for them to make mistakes. Both birds should be 2 years or older. If they are younger, they should not be set up for breeding yet. Younger birds are much more likely to make mistakes or develop bad habits that will ruin them as breeders. If these birds are older than 2, then just leave them alone and let them practice with this clutch. Once they abandon the eggs, remove the nest box and rest the pair for 6 months before letting them try again. You should do this after every clutch whether the eggs hatch or not, to give the hen time to rest and rebuild her resources she lost while forming and laying eggs. Some pairs never make good breeders. So let them try one or two more times, and if the male still fails to do his part, you should not try to breed the pair again. I don’t recommend putting cockatiel eggs in an incubator. They are almost impossible to hand raise from day 1 and they aren’t a rare bird.
Thank you for asking Lafeber,
Brenda
