# Letting a budgie incubate a cockatiel egg.



## awman86 (Jan 27, 2012)

I wanted to rest my breeding pair but they had other ideas and my hen laid an egg in the food bowl, I've replaced it with an infertile egg and replaced seed with nestbox litter wasn't expecting another egg not only because I removed the nestbox but because I just moved as well. I placed the egg under a budgie who is sitting on it just fine as well as her infertile clutch I will remove the baby cockatiel for handfeeding but was not sure if a budgie can successfully incubate an egg espescially seeing as she has 6 of her own. I guess I ill find out.


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

If the budgie's eggs are infertile, you can remove some (birds can't count) so that she can incubate the tiel on properly. And yes, a budgie can incubate a tiel egg.


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

You might want to remove one or two of the infertile eggs to make sure the budgie hen has enough body space available to cover the cockatiel egg. 

It seems to me that I've seen a discussion about this before, but I can't locate it now.


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## awman86 (Jan 27, 2012)

Thanks left 2 budgie eggs and the cockatiel egg and she is doing a wonderful job incubating the cockatiels have no interest in the infertile egg. fingers cross she doesn't lay more.


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## awman86 (Jan 27, 2012)

She has laid two more, one off the perch and it broke the other in the dish but she isn't sitting on them.


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## meaggiedear (Nov 20, 2011)

keep us updated.


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## awman86 (Jan 27, 2012)

I have the budgie sitting on two eggs, one fertile and the other is too early to tell. I seperated my tiels yesterday and moved my hen into another cage hoping that would stop her from laying she laid another egg off the perch today and it broke. She has no interest in the fake eggs and seems to be happy and not in distress. I am hoping she doesn't lay more and I will keep her seperated.


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

You can try using hormone control techniques on the cockatiel, see http://talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=32330 It might not be too effective since she's already in full breeding mode but there's no harm in trying. Most of her eggs are getting broken anyway, and apparently she isn't even trying to accumulate a clutch.


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## awman86 (Jan 27, 2012)

I'm trying :blush:


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## awman86 (Jan 27, 2012)

She laid another one today off the perch  No interest in the infertile eggs. I'm not sure if i should put the nestbox back and let her sit on the clutch if that would be healthy for her. If she's not sitting on the eggs in the cage. I don't want to encourage her but if she keeps laying and they keep breaking maybe she's going to just keep replacing so if I put the nestbox up let her lay maybe she will sit on them???


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## meaggiedear (Nov 20, 2011)

Does she show any interest in the eggs at all? If not, I don't think the breeding box will help much.


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

She's aborting them...birds will do this on purpose when they know the eggs are infertile. So even if you give her a box, she may still lay them off the perch and ignore the others.


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## awman86 (Jan 27, 2012)

Both surviving eggs are fertile, I got the budgie incubating them. She has no interest in the infertile eggs at all and seems happy she sits on my hand if i put it in the cage and lets me scratch her which she won't do usually when she has eggs. Not sure what else to do but hope she stops laying.

Also she laid what could have been fertile eggs off the perch and I'm thinking the surviving eggs could have been laid off the perch and landed in the seed dish and not on the bottom of the cage like the others.


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

In any case, the tiel hen apparently doesn't want the eggs. If she did, she would lay them in a safer manner. The two eggs that survived were apparently the lucky ones.


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## awman86 (Jan 27, 2012)

So do I keep shortening her nights and change the cage up? Will she stop soon? Will it be ok to put her back with her mate?


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

Hormone control techniques work with most birds but not with all. Keep it up, since it's the only home remedy that's available, but if she doesn't stop you'll need to talk to a vet about possibly giving some Lupron shots.

You can put her with her mate and use the hormone control technique on both of them. Birds are influenced by their mate's hormone level, and if he's not in breeding mode his lack of interest might help bring her down. If he IS in breeding mode he'll help keep her at a high level.


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

you make her nights longer, not shorter 

just went through this with my female lovebird. puposely laid eggs off perches though she had a box. after the second egg that didnt break, she had no interest in it. so we took the nest away and everything is back to normal for us. but our lovebird gets very hormonal, stresses herself looking for a nest... then lays 1-2 eggs and ignores them and its over in a matter of days. this happens once a year for us lol

rearranging the cage, longer nights, removing what they see as a nest... i would suggest even changing the type of food bowls you use to throw her off.


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

> you make her nights longer, not shorter


Good catch, I didn't notice that the concept had been reversed.

The idea is to duplicate winter light conditions by having 12-14 hours of uninterrupted darkness every night. Winter is not a favorable time for breeding.


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## awman86 (Jan 27, 2012)

tielfan said:


> Good catch, I didn't notice that the concept had been reversed.
> 
> The idea is to duplicate winter light conditions by having 12-14 hours of uninterrupted darkness every night. Winter is not a favorable time for breeding.


It hasn't been I meant to say shortening her days :blush:


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## awman86 (Jan 27, 2012)

First baby hatched and Budgie Mummy is very protective and being such a good foster parent, feeding her on schedule will be keeping a close eye on them over the next few days and will pull her as soon as possible.

No more Tiel eggs


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

Congratulations!


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## thistle (Sep 21, 2012)

Awwwww Congratulations!


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## mitch2006 (Jan 15, 2011)

congrats please keep us updated on baby's progress
really cool eh


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## awman86 (Jan 27, 2012)

Baby's going fine, I gave it a few feedings early on but Budgie mummy is doing an excellent job, keeping her warm all the time.


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## awman86 (Jan 27, 2012)

Baby is still going strong


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## bjknight93 (Nov 13, 2011)

Looks great.


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## JennyLynn (Feb 13, 2012)

Congrats, that is really great that the budgie is helping


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