# Tempting...



## Bea (Jul 26, 2007)

Ooohh, i just glanced out the window to see that Sorcha and Lucy were mating in the aviary. I am SO tempted to set up my spare flight cage with a nest box and see if they'll breed. :excited: It would actually be good timing, because i would have relatively little work when the babies are growing up, and could hand rear them easily. 

Who am i kidding, listen to me? I've already convinced myself haven't i? 

Would i be right in saying that a pied x normal grey will produce normal grey split to pied chicks?


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## Renae (Feb 9, 2008)

I think you have! go for it.


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## Bea (Jul 26, 2007)

Well i'm not one to resist temptation.  Sorcha is singing sexy songs to Lucy in my room right now. :lol: I was actually surprised to see these two mating, i though Sorcha preferred Butters.


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## Duckie (Feb 13, 2008)

Yes, go for it!!! More bubs to come! I can't wait for pictures  Congrats!


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## xxxSpikexxx (Jul 30, 2007)

Yeah baby pic's  You decided very fast


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## Bea (Jul 26, 2007)

Both Sorcha and Lucy are checking the nest box out, and Sorcha is being a sexy singing boy and flirting with his lady. I hope they'll both get used to me being around soon, they're rather flighty. Sorcha likes it when i whistle to him though (he whistles back), so we might get somewhere soonish if i keep that up.


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## fluoro.black (Nov 5, 2009)

:lol:! New birdie love haha. I think you'd be right about the genetics, unless (I'm not too sure haha), your grey is split to pied or something.


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## Bea (Jul 26, 2007)

The grey isn't split to pied as far as i know (she has no pied spot on her head anyway). I think the only surprises would come from the male carrying any sex linked mutations (pearl, lutino, cinnamon).


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## kimmikefids (Aug 2, 2008)

thats awesome..from them at face value id say some normal some split to pieds and some pieds....but who knows what sorcha has in his genes!! will sure be interesting to see!


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## Bea (Jul 26, 2007)

I walked in on them mating this afternoon.  They both froze mid-action when they saw me, and then ran to a corner to hide. Tonight when i got home from walking my dog i could hear Sorcha singing like an idiot (i love male tiels, lol) to Lucy in the nest box. Could have eggs really soon!!


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## fluoro.black (Nov 5, 2009)

:lol: Wow baby 'tiels haha~ Post pics if you do happen to get any eggs please~


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## Rocky's Rose (Jun 24, 2008)

ah you gotta love the male love song.....My male sings it alot to my female but when I set up the nestbox for them the female didn't want to lay...I'm waiting till Spring to put the nestbox up again since it is the middle of Autum here......

Yes please post pics if you get any eggs.


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## Bea (Jul 26, 2007)

Lucy laid her first egg this morning.


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## xxxSpikexxx (Jul 30, 2007)

Yeah


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## Renae (Feb 9, 2008)

Yay!! :excited:


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## Justin (May 15, 2009)

Woohoo! I can't wait for pics of the bubs.


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## Bea (Jul 26, 2007)

Here's a pic of Lucy, and one of the egg.


















I'm a bit worried about both Lucy and Sorcha. They're barely pooping at all.  They're both eating, but aside from maybe a max of 10 small poops between them over the last 4 days, they're not doing much. Lucy is looking rather swollen, more so than if she was just "eggnant".


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## fluoro.black (Nov 5, 2009)

Ohh the egg is so perfect looking  *I haven't seen a picture of a Cockatiel egg before LOL :lol:*. Hmm the non-pooping, that is reallly strange ... I have no idea what it could be >.<


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## Renae (Feb 9, 2008)

Aww an eggie!  I don't know what's going on with the hardly pooping thing.. hmm hopefully someone else might know.


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## Bea (Jul 26, 2007)

Lucy just died, possibly by my fault. She hasn't pooped for over 4 days now, and i noticed she was straining really hard with no success. I decided to get her out and check her over, so i toweled taking care to hold her correctly so as not to squash her chest. Basically as soon as i put pressure on her sides liquid, stinking poop squirted out. So i thought i would try and get some more out and see if she could poop on her own after that. It was coming out so easy, she was struggling a little (like i would expect a toweled bird to do) and next thing she was just dead, instantly.  I don't know what happened, though by the feel and size of the swelling on her abdomen i would say something had already ruptured and that's why she couldn't poop. She had two eggs. Sorcha is still sitting on them, unaware that Lucy isn't waiting in the cage. I've never heard of a male tiel being able to hatch eggs alone.


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## Renae (Feb 9, 2008)

I'm so sorry Bea, that's really awful news!  

Could an egg have broken inside of her? or she may have been egg bound? ugh, these sort of things are what I fear happen and the though of it happening is so scary. 

I wonder if he'll be able to hatch them.. this is terrible and so sad.


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## sarahjayne87 (Aug 14, 2007)

Aww what a shame, sorry for your loss bea, do you have any budgies that are on eggs? They would proberly incubate and hatch them, then you could take over and hand rear them, it might be possable for the male to do it alone most male tiels are very protective over their nest and eggs, rip lucy


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## kimmikefids (Aug 2, 2008)

oh no im so sorry bea  i dont think it was ur fault.....by the sounds of it she would have died regardless....sounds like something happened internally....maybe her bowel was twisted or something or she may have been eggbound or had it break inside her like renae suggested....RIP lucy...as for Sorcha, i know one of allen's males incubated and reared either one or two babies when the mother died....i think sorcha would manage....i cant say for sure tho....i havent had breeding experience....but i have heard stories of males doing it all alone...2 eggs arent too big an amount of babies to look after....id just keep a real close eye on him and maybe handrear from pretty early on if u can....so he gets a break after doing all the work


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## xxxSpikexxx (Jul 30, 2007)

Oh no  Iam so sorry to hear about Lucy. I would wait and see if Sorcha can hatch the eggs on his own. If he can't do you think Cookie would foster some eggs?


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## Renae (Feb 9, 2008)

That's a really good idea! 

Cookie has had 2 babies and eggs previously, perhaps she could do it? but if you think Sorcha can handle it, then leave the 2 with him.


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## Bea (Jul 26, 2007)

I don't think Cookie would take eggs that aren't hers, or sit on them without laying more of her own which i don't want. I plan to let Sorcha try or else put them in the budgie nest box. Even though they don't have eggs of their own the eggs will be warm and rolled around a bit which is probably the best shot. 

I don't think she was egg bound, as she laid a normal egg two days ago and one this morning. I'm so confused as to how she could have been passing eggs but not poop.


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## xxxSpikexxx (Jul 30, 2007)

Poor Lucy  That is strange that she could get an egg out but not poop. Are you going to take her to the vets where you work to see if they can find out what happened?


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## Renae (Feb 9, 2008)

I really don't get why she can push out eggs but not poop. All I can find is someone that gave an answer on Yahoo and they said "if she stops pooping or looks slightly ill or swollen this is a sign of eggbinding".

But you said you don't think she was so this where it gets weird.


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## Bea (Jul 26, 2007)

I've already buried her, but i will ask the vet if he has any ideas what might have caused this.


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## cheekyboy (Jul 14, 2009)

Thats so sad Bea  Sorry to hear it. I hope you found out the reasoning behind it.. just for piece of mind I guess.


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## Bea (Jul 26, 2007)

Sorcha has still not left the nest box, so he doesn't know that Lucy isn't there. I actually think he's waiting for her to go into the nest box and relieve him from egg duty. It makes me so sad to think he'll discover he's on his own.


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## kimmikefids (Aug 2, 2008)

aww poor sorcha....i think there was a problem with her bowel itself...twisted or perforated...thats the only way i could imagine she could pass eggs but not poop


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## fluoro.black (Nov 5, 2009)

Oh nooo , poor Sorcha.
I agree with the others, I think it was a bowel problem. If she could get the egg out, then it would have to be further up and in the bowels.


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

Yikes!...(((HUGS))) and sorry for your loss. 

In looking at the egg (I enlarged and lightened) there is a few thin areas to the shell. Quite possibly the next egg had a thinner shell and it adherred to the tissue which would cause all the straining to pass the egg. If the egg is down too low it puts pressure on the intestines and the veins to the kidneys. The oviduct (where the egg travels) the cloaca (vent) and uetha (SP, kidneys) all meet together right below the uterus, which is also the shell gland. So if a thin shelled egg gets delayed in transit or stuck this can prevent the hen from pooping, and it can also cause renal/kidney failure if the pressure goes on too long.

Males are very maternal, and he can incubate and raise the babies by himself if there is not another pair to foster them to.


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## Bea (Jul 26, 2007)

She had just laid a normal looking egg yesterday morning, wouldn't it have been too soon for there to be another? 

Sorcha is doing good at sitting on the eggs. I've just put a tiny water bowl and some millet in the box for him and he's loving the millet. Hopefully he'll keep this up, he might win Father of the Year award if he manages!


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

No the next eggs in the clutch would be in various stages of developement. The next egg would be positioned where the egg yolk is suspended from the chalazae, then it goes to the uterus for 20-26 hrs for the shell formation.


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## Justin (May 15, 2009)

Oh no! I'm so sorry to hear about this... So sorry for your loss.


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## feathers (Aug 21, 2007)

Ohh no so sorry for your loss R.I.P lucy:angel:


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## Nicky (Jul 3, 2008)

i am really sorry for ur loss how are sorcha and the eggs doing


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