# Is it safe to remove nest box



## Jayjoton (Oct 4, 2015)

Hi, I was wondering if its now safe to remove the nest box, the first baby left the box this morning and after spending most of the day with parents and learning to climb Ive put her back in the nest.
We are hoping baby number 2 will venture out in the next few days and this is when we are thinking of doing it, well hubby wants to.
I still think they need it but I could be wrong, the mother and father has mated again and mother is biting at the box, is this a sign that she wants to lay again?
Sorry for all the questions Im still learning about the breeding process


----------



## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

I wouldn't remove the box just yet. The babies are still going to sleep in it at night. I would wait until they were closer to 8 weeks of age. 

But this is the time to start hormone control to knock the parents out of breeding. You can extend their nights to 12-14 hours of darkness a night to help with this.


----------



## vampiric_conure (Jul 8, 2012)

I wouldn't remove the nest box just yet. As Roxy Culver said, you can reduce the amount of light to bring the parents out of breeding mode. Sometimes breeding pairs can be a bit pushy with the egg laying though (Like my pair. Oy Vey!), so keep an eye out for extra eggs.


----------



## Jayjoton (Oct 4, 2015)

Thank you for the replys, my pair have mated 3 times already even tho it is darkened, I guess they love being parents so much they want more lol
If they do lay eggs and the babies already in there are under 8 weeks do I let them stay in the nest or remove them?


----------



## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

The babies will sometimes help with new babies. Other times the parents will kick them out.

It takes two weeks for the long nights to take full effect and stop the hormonalness. Also remember that tiels mate for pleasure not just to make eggs. Double clutching (having two clutches back to back) is hard to stop. A third clutch is much easier to prevent.


----------



## Jayjoton (Oct 4, 2015)

Sorry but Im back again with another question.
Both babies came out the nest today and have been perched with the parents, I just been up to handle them before putting them back into the nest and disaster struck.
The baby I got hold of was screaming and biting me so I put him on the bed so I could close the cage door to stop dad coming out and the other baby.
Im totally new to this and didnt expect the baby to fly off, I called my hubby for help in catching him and then he started laughing coz I had no idea he would fly off.
My question is....is it ok to see if the babies go back into the nest on their own or do I have to do it?


----------



## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

The babies will go back to the nest at night on their own, there's no need for you to interfere. This is the fledging age, where they start to learn to fly.


----------



## Jayjoton (Oct 4, 2015)

Yeah babies have certainly found their wings but havent returned to the nest, they stay close to the parents and follow them everywhere.
Ive noticed today that the mother is chucking alot of food on the floor, is she doing it so she can teach the babies to eat solid food?


----------



## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

Not sure about that as mine never did but that could be a possibility. They are going to learn how to eat and drink by watching what they parents do.


----------

