Ask Lafeber

Question:

June 15, 2020

Male cockatiel


Hello

I had a question a weeks ago and thank you for your help. My new question is. Why does my Male cocktail prefer his food bowl to pleasure him self?? The two are getting along way better then in the beginning, sitting next one another with out pecking. He seems to be “getting it on” more often with his bowl then with her. He did it twice in 15min and by the third time I interrupted him scared he gets an infection or something. Just weird that he has the “real thing” but prefers the bowl. Your help will be much appreciated.


Answer:

Hi Megan,

This has been a confusing time for your male, having had a companion mate and then trading that one for a true mate. While they are getting along well, he still doesn’t have that mate bond with her and she may not be ready for a mate. It doesn’t hurt him to use his bowl that way, but he needs to drop that obsession and focus on her. Is it possible to change the bowl for a different one or move the bowl somewhere else? Otherwise, distracting him is good  – hopefully it will help break his bond with his bowl and let him focus on the female and realize he has a real mate this time. LOL

Thanks for the update,

Brenda

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