May 19, 2020
Why does my cockatiel do this?
I have a male cockatiel and he seems to be mateing with this seed bowl and sqwacks as well as sits in his bowl all the time and makes noises is this normal?
Question:
Answer:
Hi Britney,
This is hormonal and nesting behavior. It can be triggered by a lot of things – warmer weather, abundant food, stable environment and the presence of a mate. When you pet him, you need to limit it to head scratches because petting him on his body can trigger hormonal behavior. You can try rearranging things in the cage, give him a new toy or some new treats. Maybe even move the cage somewhere else in the room. The behavior isn’t hard on him as with a hen when she lays eggs, but still it can lead to aggression so it’s best to try to discourage this and distract him to other things.
I would encourage you to watch the recordings of two recent webinars we have presented on hormonal behavior with pet birds. These can help explain the behaviors and what to do about it.
Webinar: “Spring Is In the Air: How To Deal With Your Pet Bird’s Hormonal Behavior!”
Thank you for asking Lafeber,
Brenda
