# Incubation



## Deviant (Mar 1, 2012)

I just have a few questions about incubating eggs and setting up brooders. 

First up, my cockatiels are breeding at the moment, but one of my females has laid a couple eggs in the nest box, but she won't go back in and is laying on the ground of the cage. There isn't a mite infestation or anything. I've taken the eggs and made a temp incubator (set to the right temps, humidity ect, and am just waiting to see if anything will happen or not) and I was wondering, will a reptile tank make a good brooder? Or should I stick to the fish tank/heating pad?

Also want to know about brooders as my other pair of cockatiels are laying properly and I'll be bringing in some of the young to hand rear and would like to get opinions from people who know what they're doing.


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

Does this female have a male? Is he not going in the box either? And if she doesn't have a mate, have you seen her mating with a male. Because if not, she's most likely not laying in the box because she knows the eggs aren't fertile. 

As to the brooder, I thought reptile tanks were similar to fish tanks (they look it anyways.) As long as the temp/humidity is right it should be OK, but make sure whatever heat source you're using isn't teflon coated, as that will kill your babies. Can't wait to see pictures when they hatch!


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## Deviant (Mar 1, 2012)

Yes she has a mate, and I've seen them mating but she just won't go in the box along with the male. I was thinking of separating those two from my other breeding pair to see if that'll help at all.

I'm not too sure, I've seen reptile tanks but I've only ever used the fish tank so I thought I'd ask 

I'll make sure to add pictures!


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

Is the male sitting? Some pairs are weird, one parent may be more inclined to do the work then the other. I have a hen who sits 24/7, she only lets the male sit when she wants to go eat and poop, so that could be the case here just reversed. Are you sure he's not preventing her from going into the box?


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## lethalfire (Aug 29, 2012)

A long time ago when I was raising/handfeeding babies I used a glass fish tank. On the bottom of it underneath on the OUTSIDE of the tank, I had a reptile heating pad that stuck to the floor of it, it was only on one side so that if it got too warm they could get away from it. I also had a heat lamp w/ a red bulb on the top of it. Inside I had aspen bedding covered with papertowels. Here in the US I found the brand Viva paper towels were more like cloth and not as slippery for them. I also had a thermometer and moisture guage at all times. For cockatiels I would take a small little plastic butter dish or something and fill with water and poke some tiny holes in the lid to help with humidity/moisture. It worked good for me, but that was quite a few years ago and someone else might know of a better or easier method now.


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## Deviant (Mar 1, 2012)

So far they've only gone into the box a couple times, they weren't really interested and since then won't go anywhere near the box, male or female.


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

Actually lethalfire, that's one the most recommended methods as it works very well!!

Are you sure they're bonded? Multiple pairs can breed in the same cage/aviary as long as there are enough nest boxes, the boxes are the same height, etc. This doesn't sound like a bonded pair...


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## Deviant (Mar 1, 2012)

Both pairs are bonded to each other


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

How old is the hen? If she's less than 18-24 months old her breeding instincts might not be fully developed yet. Ditto for the male if he's less than 12-18 months.


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## Deviant (Mar 1, 2012)

When I got the female she was 14 months old and I'd had her about 6 before I got the second male, he was 18 months old when I got him. But I moved them to a separate cage and switched the nest boxes, and they seem to be doing a lot better now.


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## Erinsmom (Sep 7, 2012)

My babies just graduated to a cage full time from there "brooder" I used a rubbermaid box filled with aspen shavings covered by paper towels and just used a heating pad. I bought a remote thermometer( 20 bucks) and easily kept that box at the right temp by where i placed the heating pad. Worked very well they thrived and now at 4 weeks and a few days they are down to 2 feedings a day and living in a cage fulltime( well they are out 6 hours or so a day)


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## Deviant (Mar 1, 2012)

Also another question, a group of baby (4) cockatiels at say 3-4 weeks need a brooder? We're heading into summer now so the room I'm keeping them in usually doesn't get below 25C (which is pretty warm)


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## mitch2006 (Jan 15, 2011)

hopefully you'll have babies soon


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

> Also another question, a group of baby (4) cockatiels at say 3-4 weeks need a brooder? We're heading into summer now so the room I'm keeping them in usually doesn't get below 25C (which is pretty warm)


They'll need to be in a brooder until they're fully feathered (around four weeks old) because before that time they can't regulate their own body temp.


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## Deviant (Mar 1, 2012)

UPDATE: I just wanted to let everyone know that my birds are sitting well now, and one of my hens has 10 eggs in her clutch, not all look fertile, but most of the eggs are incubating right, and have babies growing inside now! It's been almost 3 weeks, so it shouldn't be too much longer now before the first egg hatches!


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