We have one male and one female cockatiel, both are almost 3 years old. The are housed in the same cage. The male has bonded with the female but she has bonded with me! She shows him no affection, however they mate and but neither of them are interested in sitting on the egg. I feel very sorry for the male because he wants affection from her. He will occasionally let me stroke him if she is nearby but really he just wants her.
Hi Aileen,
Many bird owners inadvertently confuse their birds by creating this type situation. While cockatiels and other parrots live in flocks, the flock members are mainly around to be potential mates and for protection from predators. Once an adult cockatiel has a mate, they really don’t have physical contact with flock members. We are flock members, and should always maintain this type bond versus a mate bond. This means we need to avoid hormone triggers – the main one being you should limit any petting to only the head and neck. When you have a pet bird, the point is that you are the bird’s companion. When you get another bird and put it in the same cage, even if it is the same sex, the birds will tend to form a pair bond and stop wanting human contact. But in some cases, one of the pair continues the bond with the owner, and this creates a confusing situation for the mate and for the bird that remains a pet. At some point, the female may choose one of you, and typically a bird chooses another bird over a person. You can try to continue this “triangle” and see how things go. The male might start getting aggressive with the female at some point, or she might get aggressive with him. Or you can let them be a pair and cut off contact with both birds. If you wanted them to breed, you have to cut off contact or the hen will not focus on her mate. There is no right solution here other than maybe separating them and if he doesn’t want a human companion, get him another female and hope they bond, while you have the current female as a pet.
Thank you for asking Lafeber,
Brenda
