# Can you touch cockatiel eggs or not?



## TropicalTiel (Mar 22, 2016)

This question has been confusing me a lot. I see videos where people touch cockatiel eggs and they end up hatching at the end of it, but then I see people saying "DON'T TOUCH COCKATIEL EGGS" and then some say it is okay to place them in nests if the hen laid them somewhere else????? It's hard for me to know the actual answer when everyone has mixed answers. :huh:

Can someone break it down and tell me the true answer? Obviously I mean just gently putting it in your hands, touching it with your fingers, or picking it up lightly, definitely not shaking the eggs or stuff like that.


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

Yes, it's OK to handle the eggs. It's best to wash your hands first though. Contrary to internet rumor, your hands won't leave a smell that the parents can detect. But egg shells are porous and it's possible for bacteria on your hands to pass through and infect the egg. The risk of this happening is pretty low, but washing your hands will make the risk even lower.


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## shaenne (Apr 19, 2014)

Yeah, it's fine. It's OK to touch babies too (and I regularly do to weigh them and check them over), as birds don't react the same way rats and mice do. As tielfan said, make sure you wash your hands first just to be sure no nasties get into the eggs.


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