# Nesting box and egg moving question



## Virtue

The wooden Cockatiel nest I bought from PetSmart http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=11147205 will not fit the outside of my Prevue cage http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=11147351&lmdn=Pet+Type and putting it inside would be a major pain. Would a bamboo salad type bowl being filled with say aspen shavings be good?

Also, if I happen to find an egg on the bottom of the cage next week, could I place the egg inside the bamboo bowl? Will she find it? I'd wear gloves of course.


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## 4birdsNC

Why will the nesting box not fit? If your hen lays an egg in the bottom of the cage, pick it up and put it in the nest, I do it, dont even wear gloves. Tiels prefer an enclosed nest. I dont know how they would do with an open topped bowl. I had to screew the box to the outside of my cages, I even cut bars out of the way on one because it did not have a second door to place it in.


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## mitch2006

Virtue said:


> The wooden Cockatiel nest I bought from PetSmart http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=11147205 will not fit the outside of my Prevue cage http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=11147351&lmdn=Pet+Type and putting it inside would be a major pain. Would a bamboo salad type bowl being filled with say aspen shavings be good?
> 
> Also, if I happen to find an egg on the bottom of the cage next week, could I place the egg inside the bamboo bowl? Will she find it? I'd wear gloves of course.


i would be afraid the egg might get knock/kicked out off bowl causing egg to break possibly ...
aspen sounds good..but try mounting your nestbox from petshop from outside the cage 
you might have to cut a few bars also to attach it 
most come with pre drilled hole on nestbox to be attached by outside 
if not drill a hole in box and attach with a small bolt/wing nuts/washer
if not working out for you and you NEED one now
i have made home made one out of shoebox updisde down for top 
and staple it to the posts on a clemetine box for the bottom of the nest with aspen shavings in the nestbox half ...
i have pictures of it if your ever in an emergency needing a box
a homemade nest


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## everdusk

I just used a cardboard box, poked holes in it, and hung it from the top of the cage with wire/twist ties. I supposed you could drill holes and do the same thing.


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## tielfan

This is a picture of the cage:









It doesn't have a nestbox door and its dimensions are 25"L x 21"W x 29"H. So a "real" nestbox won't work with this cage. It would be good if you can get a larger cage with a nestbox door, but if that isn't practical and you don't want to cut the bars of your current cage, you'll have to improvise a nest out of something that works for you and your birds. A cardboard box or a closed basket with a hole in the side would be preferable, but it would take up a lot of room inside the cage. Tiels prefer an enclosed nest but some birds have successfully raised babies in an open nest, so this might work for you if there's no other realistic option. Something fairly heavy with a flat bottom would be tip resistant, for instance a large ceramic pet crock:


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## mitch2006

i used this..
a shoebox for top orange/tangerine box for bottom

















it works for me im not sure she would except anything else now


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## Virtue

TY all. My setup she enjoys most



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## Szafije

I hope it will work :lol:


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## DaBirds

Hi Virtue. Your birds are gorgeous! That nest looks comfy but I'd like to point out that the sides are a bit low.

The nest box you brought home is designed to give your birds shelter while they nest but also to keep the chicks inside while they're vulnerable. I used a similar setup to your bowl to get my new baby and I have to pass on what I learned. The nest needs sides that are about 3 inches from nest bottom to top edge. If your newly hatched chick squirms to the edge of the nest and falls out it can fall right out of your cage. If this happens while you're away then the chick is not being fed and is continuing to squirm to find warmth and food. It could end up on the floor or.... 

I suggest wrapping that bowl with cardboard so the chicks can't get out of it when they wiggle to the edge, which they will do. Better to be overly cautious than to have the heartbreak.

Oh, and yes, cockatiels will nest successfully in an open nest. My baby is the result of my tiels rejecting a nestbox and laying eggs on a wire floor. I built them a box out of a tissue box formed around a square ceramic saucer. I covered both the box and the saucer with cotton rags to keep Stitch off the tape I secured the cardboard with and make the saucer warmer and softer. I set the eggs into it and placed it where Stitch was sitting and about 20 minutes later she was in it. I changed the rags regularly to keep the nest clean since my male, Picco, choose to perch right over it. Stitch would also scramble to the top of the cage and poo in it herself if startled. Then baby added her own mess to the nest after she hatched. No lid to limit debris. I think Stitch is more comfortable being able to see what all the noises around her are from. I know I like being able to see what's going on in the nest from across the room. You get to see what's new in the nest while the parents are up and eating without making anyone nervous.

Good luck with your nest and enjoy the experience.


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