Hello I have a 41 y/o male and a 12 y/o female. Female came into season and male didn’t even bat a eye at her. They have been together for about 5 mths now and they are not in a cage but get along well with each other. Just don’t know why male does not want to breed with female even though she lifted her tail feathers when in season. pls advise
Hi,
You didn’t say what species these are? At 40, most parrot species are too old to breed, or at best, winding down their breeding years. And at 12, a female is just becoming fully mature depending on the species. So you have a senior male with a young female that is just beginning her breeding years. Birds do not go into heat or season like mammals. There are hormone triggers that signal when it’s time to breed. In the wild, this will be one specific time of year, for a limited amount of time. In captivity, we provide an ideal environment year round, so most species will react to hormone triggers at any time of year. Parrots choose their own mate in the wild, and often are not interested in the mate we choose for them. They might get along as companions, but that doesn’t mean they have a strong enough bond to be a breeding pair. If one bird doesn’t like the other as a mate, nothing can be done to change that. They either bond as mates or they do not. It’s very difficult to breed parrots, and some pairs are together for years before they decide to breed. A receptive female has no effect on a male that doesn’t have a mate bond with her. Maybe over time they will bond, but more likely these two birds aren’t going to be a breeding pair. Since it has only been 5 months, you can give them more time. But if nothing has happened after a year or two, then probably nothing ever will. Also, you mentioned they are not in a cage. A breeding pair needs privacy, with little human contact. If this is a tame male, then he’s not likely to settle down and want to breed if people are still handling him. They need to be in a large breeding cage, without being handled. They need to be birds and not seek human companionship.
Thank you for asking Lafeber,
Brenda
