# Help me please =]]



## oreo123 (Feb 26, 2009)

heyy i cought my cocketiels trying to mate about a month ago and now they are in the nesting box 24/7 but like the thing is like i saw when budgies are pregnant they have a bump thingy do cockatiels have the same and is she pregnant most likley?


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## Aly (Jul 30, 2007)

Why are you letting them have a nest box?


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## oreo123 (Feb 26, 2009)

because i want to breed cockatiels


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## Aly (Jul 30, 2007)

Tiels will also slightly show a bump in the area if they are getting ready to lay. Please make yourself familiar with the sings of egg binding as it is deadly. Any questions, just ask.


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## oreo123 (Feb 26, 2009)

is miniral block good with a cuttle bone intheir 2?


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## Aly (Jul 30, 2007)

Yes, definitely. It's a must that they get more then just seeds or just pellets, esspecially during breeding. They should be put on a high protein diet loaded with natural vitamins and minerals (veggies, fruit, grains, nuts, beans, even egg...etc). Have you done alot of research on this? What is their current diet and how old are they?


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## oreo123 (Feb 26, 2009)

the male is 14 months old and the female is 10 1/2 months old and ive have them for about 6 months both and ive reaserched alot on breeding so i thought i'd try it because my dad is bilding my and aviary one for teils and the other for budgies and they eat a verity of seeds and dry fruit and seeds and some fresh strawberrys and apples when i have


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## Aly (Jul 30, 2007)

I think you should wait and spend some time researching all you can. They need more in their diet and they are TOO young. The female esspecially needs to be older. It's like give a bed to teen agers. Yes, psychically they may be ready but not mentally. Please don't take it the wrong way, but they need to be separated and you need to do alot more research before taking on that responsibility.

http://cockatielcottage.net/

http://www.avianweb.com/cockatielbreeding.html


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## Bea (Jul 26, 2007)

I also agree that you should wait. The male is almost breeding age, but you must give the female until she's 18 months old before attempting to breed her. It's a very big drain on a female tiel to lay and incubate eggs, and then raise the babies. They need to be fully developed to begin with to give them the best chance of succeeding.


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## Cheryl (Dec 27, 2008)

Hopefully there are no eggs on the way. I would recommend removing the nest box for now and putting them on a good diet of pellets (mainly), veggies, some seeds, and adding a cuttle bone and mineral block. This should help prepare them for raising young. The birds may abandon/"shorten the amount of" the young and even the eggs may be infertile at this age. A few months on a great diet will help increase your chances of healthy clutch and mother!  
Remember don't ever breed more than twice a year. Breeding (especially a large amount) can easily dramatically shorten the lifespan of a cockatiel.

If your birds do have a clutch by any chance, I would familiar yourself with hand feeding and have an experienced breeder show you how to do it. You may have to take on the job of raising the babies if anything goes wrong. Depending on the age, don't expect much sleep for a while. The younger they are the harder they are to hand feed.


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## oreo123 (Feb 26, 2009)

Cheryl said:


> Hopefully there are no eggs on the way. I would recommend removing the nest box for now and putting them on a good diet of pellets (mainly), veggies, some seeds, and adding a cuttle bone and mineral block. This should help prepare them for raising young. The birds may abandon/"shorten the amount of" the young and even the eggs may be infertile at this age. A few months on a great diet will help increase your chances of healthy clutch and mother!
> Remember don't ever breed more than twice a year. Breeding (especially a large amount) can easily dramatically shorten the lifespan of a cockatiel.
> 
> If your birds do have a clutch by any chance, I would familiar yourself with hand feeding and have an experienced breeder show you how to do it. You may have to take on the job of raising the babies if anything goes wrong. Depending on the age, don't expect much sleep for a while. The younger they are the harder they are to hand feed.


cherry i agree with u on the handfeeding thing i was breeding budgies for about 28 months now with alot of sucses only one time did i encounter eggbinding but she survivde by me taking her to a vet but what was the case i just got 2 new cockatiels about a year ago soo i wnt to make them have babies soo handfeeding wont be the problem but what will is if they abandon the kidss i do not have a heating pad for the babies mabey somone can show me were to get some online?


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## Cheryl (Dec 27, 2008)

I'm sure you can get a heating pad at a walmart or some large super store. I'm not sure where you are located. If you google heating pads, tons of sites come up!
http://www.google.com/products?q=he...a=X&oi=product_result_group&resnum=1&ct=title
Maybe try looking there. Good luck!


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## oreo123 (Feb 26, 2009)

Thanks and i do got a cuttle bone minral block alot of toys a decent cage abd 2 wonderful teils that are mating what im hoping for is a white face teil im dreaming of having one.


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## sweetrsue (Jul 8, 2008)

Your female still isn't old enough. You still have 7 1/2 month to wait before you should even allow her to try. Young hens are at much higher risk for egg binding because they are still developing themselves and need all the calcium for their bones and feathers. I'm glad you sound like you will be ready for it when the time comes. But considering you have had a case of egg binding in your home perhaps you should take a good look at their diet.


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## xxxSpikexxx (Jul 30, 2007)

I would also hold of breeding aswell. Your female tiel is still growing and pretty much still a baby herself.


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## oreo123 (Feb 26, 2009)

what do i do if they matet alreadfy thenn i didnt really know they have to be older then 2 years =\


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## Danielle (Aug 15, 2008)

They don't need to be over two years, but the female certainly should be close to two years.

If they haven't had a clutch, make sure you remove the nesting box. You can help get them out of the mood by making their nights longer (covering the cage) and by reducing any greens. The best way of preventing breeding is of course to keep them apart so they can't mate.

You'll end up with healthier, happier babies and parents if you wait until your girl is fully mature.


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## sweetrsue (Jul 8, 2008)

18 months for a hen to be safe for egg laying. It doesn't matter that they have already bred they will do the but if there is no nest box they probably won't try to lay. It is also helpful to have a grate on the floor of the cage as many will try to lay in the corner of a cage floor lined with paper.


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## oreo123 (Feb 26, 2009)

thanks for ur help =]] i will not seperate them but what i will do is remove the nesting box but incase she does lay firtile eggs i will put the box bakk in and put the eggs in the boxx and let her nest


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