Ask Lafeber

Question:

September 13, 2022

Cocktiel breeding box


Hello,I have two pair of cockatiels.they have a breeding box in their cage so,can I put rice husks for their comfortable and thier eggs


Answer:

Hi Anuga,

You should only have one pair of birds in a cage, so if both pairs are in the same cage, you should not give them a nest box until you remove one of the pairs. The birds should also be at least 2 years old before allowing them to breed, so do not give them a nest box until they are 2 years old.  It’s not a good idea to have more than one pair because they end up fighting and most of the time they will raid each other’s boxes and destroy any eggs, or even kill the chicks. And often, one male becomes dominant and mates with both females. This is not good because both the male and female take turns sitting on the eggs, so one male cannot care for two females and two nest boxes. Once you remove a pair and give each pair a nest box in their own cage, you can put natural aspen shavings if you want, but they will likely remove most of it. Do not use rice husks. Other types of shaving have too much dust or have toxic oils or fumes. Cockatiels really do not use nesting material. Sometimes the parents will use some of their own feathers.

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda

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