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I think, my Cockatiel is pregnant

Hello, my name is Rezi and I have a 2 year-old female cockatiel. She has laid an egg a year ago and I think she’s going for another one. So here are the symptoms: she is on the bottom of her cage and sometimes lifting her tail upwards. She’s still active and eat well, but sometimes she goes into the food bowl and makes some weird noises. She also poops rapidly, liquidy poop. She also drinks more water than usual, I think. She also moves left and right directions on the bottom of the cage. Is this normal? Are these the symptoms of pregnancy? Please answer ??

Hi Rezi,

Birds do not get pregnant because they lay eggs. Each egg is formed in about 48 hours, and then she lays it and the next one starts forming. It does sound like she might be getting ready to lay an egg, but it’s hard to know. Just watch for any signs of her straining, pumping her tail up and down and puffing up. This can be egg binding and she needs to be taken to a vet immediately. As long as she is eating well and active, then she should be OK.

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda