# Mating pair is going crazy!!!! HELP!!



## birdlover302 (Jul 19, 2011)

I just got a pair of breeding cockatiels a month ago. Snowy is the female and Stinky is the male; they have had one for sure successful batch of babies as we got 2 of them with the parents. the kids are 6 months old and are in different cages from the parents. I have a nest in for them and they have been giving me plenty to shield my eyes from. Today Snowy started running around on top of the cage screaming and looking down and stinky kept going down on the bottom. i looking in the bottom and took out the paper as she has had very large poo that smells. there was nothing. i changed the paper and they kept looking. Are they getting close or whats going on with them?


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

If her poop was huge she's getting pretty close to laying, that's egg poop. Have you seen them go into the box?


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## birdlover302 (Jul 19, 2011)

We don't have a box for them because at there last owners they didn't have a box. They have been doing stuff for a week and a half now


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

A box is best...just because it was done one way doesn't mean it was the right way. A box will make them feel more secure about laying. What are they going to lay the eggs on? A grate can cause the eggs to crack. There needs to be enough bedding so that the eggs are cushioned and to help keep them warm.


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## birdlover302 (Jul 19, 2011)

we have a tupperware dish that is the size of a ice cream pail and 2 inches high. it was a strainer so the bottom is corrugated. We have clean socks cut up in there that they have been moving around to there liking. the previous owner just had a finch nest with an old tshirt in there for them


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## lperry82 (Aug 2, 2010)

I really dont think they will fit in as they need the room

Here is mine 

*Before they hatched*









*And after*


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

do you have a cardboard box? no smaller than 10"x10"? thats smallest... preferably 12" though. It will work, fill it with pine or aspen bedding (2-3" deep)


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## birdlover302 (Jul 19, 2011)

I have heard that pine bedding is bad because the smell can irritate there eyes and nose and if there is sap it can be poisonous to them


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

that would be cedar that is bad. kiln dried pine is good to use


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## mnwild32 (Aug 11, 2011)

This is her fiance. We do have a cockatiel box but can't seem to find it after the move. I really wish we could find it, it would make life a lot easier. Will keep search today for it. We also don't have any access to pine bedding. We are low on money and won't have any in for a few weeks. Let us know any suggestions. Thanks!


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## lperry82 (Aug 2, 2010)

mnwild32 said:


> This is her fiance. We do have a cockatiel box but can't seem to find it after the move. I really wish we could find it, it would make life a lot easier. Will keep search today for it. We also don't have any access to pine bedding. We are low on money and won't have any in for a few weeks. Let us know any suggestions. Thanks!



Welcome to the forum 

I used hay for my bedding as iv had plenty since i have 3 bunnies


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

you need those beddings... those beddings are best for keeping humidity at a good level and keeping the eggs warm. without those, you will have less success breeding.

hay will work too, pet store quality hay, but its the same price as the bedding... must be pet store hay, not stuff bought from a farm (parasite, cleanliness reasons)

other than whats been mentioned i dont know of anything else that can be used for good results.


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## mnwild32 (Aug 11, 2011)

We did find the box for them. Still a little worried about the bedding though.


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## birdlover302 (Jul 19, 2011)

Found the box! there previous owner apparently had an open box for them. should we keep the box open or closed? in the wild they don't have covers......


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## birdlover302 (Jul 19, 2011)

Were going to get them either the hay or the shaving. i love my babies and i want them to have the best. was looking in the box and its just seems so bare with just the sock material. Stinky is being a stinker and chewing on the side of the box. (we put it in already) still not sure on the top.


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

they nest in tree hollows in the wild, which are in a tree, therefore secure on all sides... 

it depends on how your birds are used to. if theyre used to the box being open at the top, then i dont think that would be a problem.


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## birdlover302 (Jul 19, 2011)

got the all pine bedding for them, no cedar in it (had to look closely and . they are very interested in it. Stinky is back chewing on the box. snowy tried getting in it earlier but she seemed scared to get in with the socks so low. now with the bedding is about 2 inches. and as im writing this stinky just jumped in the top and came out the hole.


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## birdlover302 (Jul 19, 2011)

we shut the lid on the box. she has gone in the hole once and come back out. she keeps sitting in front of it and looking in. should we open the cover back up or should we leave it?


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## Mentha (Jul 11, 2010)

Take the socks out, they can cause a lot of trouble when claws get caught in the strings. The babies could also eat the strings and get an impacted crop. Just use the pine. The hen won't go in until the cock has the nest just right for her. It takes time for a bird to keep house. lol Put about 3 inches of pine in the box and make a hollow in the middle to speed things up. Leave the box closed.


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## Mentha (Jul 11, 2010)

BTW Snowy is not a LWF, she's a WF pearl, maybe pied probably split pied.


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## birdlover302 (Jul 19, 2011)

we took the socks out when we put the pine in. Stinky has gone in on his own and done some nest keeping. we have about 3 inches in the box. she just sits down by the nest chirping softly


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

then all that needs to be done now is to wait


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## birdlover302 (Jul 19, 2011)

she went in and doesn't really come back out. she stick her head out and goes back in. shes rocking side to side inside when i peek in the hole


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## Mentha (Jul 11, 2010)

That's a good sign, when she tries to snap your fingers off for messing in the box, you know you're headed on the right track! take a peek once or twice a day to condition them to people looking in starting now so she's more comfortable with it when she has eggs and babies. Other than that leave them alone and there should be peepers soon enough.


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## mnwild32 (Aug 11, 2011)

I looked in the box with her in it and she was going back and forth hissing at me and her beak open wanting to bite. The Male was outside of the entrance watching me and with his beak open at me also.


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## birdlover302 (Jul 19, 2011)

She just layed an egg!!!!!!! So excited!!!!!! :d


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## xoxsarahxox (Dec 13, 2010)

wooohoo congrats!


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## 4birdsNC (Dec 4, 2010)

Congrats on the Egg, Quick question about the parents. Stinky is the male right? and snowy is the hen? Have they breed before? Do you know what splits they may have?


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## lperry82 (Aug 2, 2010)

Aww congrats


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## mnwild32 (Aug 11, 2011)

we have 2 eggs now. And yes they have breaded. If you look at the family we have Stormy and Smokey are about 6 1/2 months old and are offspring of Stinky and Snowy. Also Stinky is the male and Snowy is the female.


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## birdlover302 (Jul 19, 2011)

What do the splits mean? Im confused on that


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## xoxsarahxox (Dec 13, 2010)

A split means the bird is carrying the gene for a mutation but it doesnt show visually.


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## birdlover302 (Jul 19, 2011)

so there could be more in them than we see?


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## xoxsarahxox (Dec 13, 2010)

yepp. Do you know what their parents were? If not you may get some surprises in the nest


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## birdlover302 (Jul 19, 2011)

Stinky is a purebred so no surprises there. No clue at all on Snowy. Who knows what we can get


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## xoxsarahxox (Dec 13, 2010)

okay well to get any surprises it would really have to be Stinky being split to something you didnt know about. Cant wait to hear all about their babies soon!


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

What do you mean when you say "purebred"?


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## birdlover302 (Jul 19, 2011)

he was banded and he has nothing in him other than WF


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## DyArianna (Aug 7, 2011)

Congrats on your eggs! It is very exciting. As far as the split thing goes.. it is really cool. I thought I had two normal greys. Nope! I now have a 9 week old cinnamon girl and another baby who is almost 3 weeks that is soooo dark. Anyway, I've learned we have splits to cinnamon, pied and white face. It's just amazing. I just wanted to throw out another idea on bedding for future. I had read somewhere that rolled oats work well as bedding. It is actually true. We have used nothing other than this. It almost clumps up when soiled and allows for easy *spot* cleaning, it's really cheap to use so daily or every other day full changes don't hurt the pocket so much AND it won't harm the birds if ingested at all. We have had really good luck with it. Good luck with your babies! You will have to post pics.


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## birdlover302 (Jul 19, 2011)

We have egg 2!!!! the rolled oats would work i think because, i read that they love to eat oatmeal so they would have something to snack on as well


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## Em&Me (Jul 31, 2011)

Yay!! Congrats to being a new parent with your birds


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## birdlover302 (Jul 19, 2011)

Egg 3 on the 17th! Hope they lay one today so we can see it when we get home tomorrow


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## birdlover302 (Jul 19, 2011)

Couple of pics that ive gotten of the little cuties


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## xoxsarahxox (Dec 13, 2010)

hahaha I love that first pic!!! congrats on the eggies!


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## steven.c (May 13, 2011)

Its a amazing feeling when u peek inside one day to see a egg. I never expected any and now I've got 2 lil cuties


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## mnwild32 (Aug 11, 2011)

We now have 5 eggs and we candled them last night 3 of which have babies in them, one looks like it may and the other one we think maybe to new yet to be able to see. Will check again in a few days. The pair didn't have to much issues with us going in the nest and checking them out. We also think Snowy is going to lay another egg to bring it up to 6. She is just as big as she was before the last egg.


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## Belinda (Oct 9, 2010)

They look like a beautiful pair. Would love to see more pics soon!


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## birdlover302 (Jul 19, 2011)

one egg looks like there is nothing but then if you look really closely it looks like there is an itty bitty book vessel in the shape of a circle. Is there a chick? all the other eggs have vessels that you can clearly see


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## lperry82 (Aug 2, 2010)

Yea its developing  i seen mine move a few days later (Luckys 2nd clutch) but parents refused to sit on them after that 

Aww pics is so cute


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