Ask Lafeber

Pearly conure mating issue

I have a pearly conure pair and the male got seriously I’ll but by the grace of Allah I cared for him gave him different medications and he went through. He then went into molting and has completed it. He is unable to fly properly means cannot fly long he just flies from one area to another. Also the female continuously tries to mate with him but he gives no response.
Although he maintains authority in thee cage but he is not mating.
Shall I give him vitamins and calcium and breeding formulas to get things going.
Kindly guide.

Hi,

A bird needs to be in the best health and condition to breed. Unfortunately, it sounds like your male has not recovered from his illness. Sometimes a bird might get better with a medication, but if it wasn’t exactly what he needed, he may suddenly get very sick again. Right now your focus needs to be helping him get back to full health. Breeding is stressful and takes a toll on both the male and female. You should remove the nest box and take away the pressure of breeding. He can’t be a breeder if he is weak, and he is weak if he can’t fly properly. He may fully recover one day, or he may never be healthy enough to breed again. But if he does manage to mate and fertilize eggs in his weak condition, he is very likely to die from the stress of trying to care for his mate and eggs. If you remove the nest box, hopefully the hen will stop pressuring him to mate. If she keeps trying to make him mate, you may need to separate them. He won’t be any good if he dies, so focus on getting him healthy again, and hold off on trying to make him breed.

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda