Ask Lafeber

Cockatiel in food bowl

My atleast 4 year old cockatiel is sitting in his food bowl, and is happy as a clam. He doesnt make any sounds other than that beak ‘greaking’ sound. He will walk on it, and poop in it as well. Send sos

Hi Bob,

Single male cockatiels will exhibit nesting behavior which is what is going on here. They can get obsessed with the nest, however, and become aggressive. They also are not being active when they nest all the time. If the food bowl can be moved somewhere else in the cage, try that to see if it stops him from sitting in it. Otherwise, remove it and replace it with some smaller food cups that he can’t sit in.

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda