Could they be trying to make a nest?

[tstmard]

So Akoya(pearl female previously unnamed) has been spending a lot of time on the bottom of the cage chewing on the paper. I think I'll have to clean up the other cage for sure today and move them. But I was wondering do you think she might be trying to make a nest? Chatters is also down there doing it too.:confused:

[sweetrsue]

Yes! That's highly likely. Are they putting it in a little pile? Like in a corner?

[tstmard]

No not yet. However she's been spending some time in the one corner. I so don't want her to lay eggs though. At least she is munching on the mineral block.

[sweetrsue]

She may be preparing to lay on her own schedule. If you want to slow her down you could try shortening the period of light she gets in a day to less than 12. They are Photosensitive (their hormones are effected by the length of the day). Sometimes it takes a while to have an effect and she may be laying before you can make a change in her hormone levels.

[tielfan]

Paper shredding sounds like nesting behavior, especially if they're doing it in the corner. Cockatiels don't really build a nest, but they will 'remodel' a tree hole to some extent by chewing on the wood, and paper-shredding is a substitute for this.

As Sue mentioned, you can manipulate the photoperiod to help get the birds out of breeding mode. My experience is that this works very well, but it takes about a week to have any noticeable effect on the birds' behavior. Right now the days are naturally less than 12 hours long so Mother Nature is working with you - you can just follow the natural daylight cycle if the birds are in a room where the light from human activities in the evening won't reach them.

[tstmard]

I do have dark curtians in the room they are in. But it's also my computer room so I usually turn the lights off around 10 and then am back in here before 8 but I don't usually turn the light on. So I'll just have to try doing the light thing. So far what I've been doing with my budgies has worked. Which they are covered from 10-9.

[Cannuck2007]

It could be nesting behavior but that being said, Mr. Maggie is my very own paper shredder. If it is paper he will shred it. His favorite toy is the roll of paper towel, or the school permission forms, or once I had to chase after him with a $20 in his beak, lol!

[Jiggers Mommy]

once I had to chase after him with a $20 in his beak, lol!

:wacko:

I always knew he was a freak!!!..LMAO...

[atvchick95]

mine tear up the paper just because they can and like too

most of the time they don't even give me time to get the paper put in and laid down flat, they're nibbling all over it and shredding it before i'm even done

[sweetrsue]

I recently read about a bird that chronically laid in the bottom of the cage. All they did was remove the paper sub straight and the behavior stopped. If you have a grate for the bottom of the cage replacing it so they can't get to the paper might just put a stop to it.