Ask Lafeber

Female Cockatiel

I have put a deposit on a male and female cockatiel about the same age. One will be ready in a week and one will be ready mid December. How difficult is it to prevent the female from laying eggs?

Hi,

If these birds are to be pets that you handle, you should not put them in the same cage. When birds share a cage, they usually end up bonding and losing interest in being pets. They have each other as companions so they do not need a human companion. If you are not interested in breeding, then you really should only get the male. Or you can get two males, but again, if you want them to be birds you can handle, each needs his own cage. A female should never be caged with a male until she is at least 2 years old. But once caged together, she will almost certainly lay eggs at some point.

How old are these birds? Unless they are close to a year old, there is no way to know if they are male or female. Even DNA testing will often show a young cockatiel as a female. They are intended to look like a female until they are close to a year old and have their first adult molt. This muted coloring protects them in the wild. Some breeders go by how the bird acts, but this is not a guarantee of the sex. You should give it more thought before you get two birds like this. If they are for pets, you might be better off just getting the bird that you get along with best.

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda