August 19, 2020
Cockatiel phantom egg laying
Single female Cockatiel sits in box and wont come out protecting her eggs but there are no eggs
Question:
Answer:
Hi Mignon,
If this bird is alone and there is no male, then she should not have a nest box. Please take the best box away. Adult birds do not need a nest box unless they have a bonded mate, and then they should only have the nest box during breeding season. In the wild, birds do not sleep in a nest or use a nest other than to lay eggs and raise chicks. The nest is then abandoned until breeding season the next year.
Single cockatiels are notorious for becoming chronic egg layers, to the point that they eventually die from laying too many eggs if the owner and sometimes the Vet do not intervene. You should never give a single bird a nest, box or anything she can use as a nest. And nothing she can shred or use for nesting material. These things can trigger her hormones and there is no need for her to go through the strain of laying eggs without having a mate. We recently hosted two webinars on pet birds and hormones that you should watch, so you can learn how to prevent this type of nesting behavior.
Webinar: “Spring Is In the Air: How To Deal With Your Pet Bird’s Hormonal Behavior!”
Thank you for asking Lafeber,
Brenda
