# My female cockatiel wont let the male in the nest box?



## Tiffany24 (Feb 11, 2012)

Hi, I have a female cockatiel who laid a egg on the 7th and another egg this morning. I noticed yesterday she wont let the male in the nest box and when she is out of the nest box and the male tries to move she attacks him, she don't seem to try to hurt him but it looks like a warning. Before she laid the egg he went in the nest box whenever he wanted. What could be going on?


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

Have these birds been together very long, and have you seen them mating? If they aren't well bonded to each other, the female might see the male as an intruder rather than her mate.

Would you please add your general location and number of birds to your user profile? It helps us answer your questions better if we know where you are and whether your questions are all about the same pair of birds or several different pairs.


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## Tiffany24 (Feb 11, 2012)

Thanks. The pair have been in the same cage for about 5 days now. Last night the male was in the nest box but i don't know how long. I've never seen them mate and i don't believe the eggs are fertile it seems to soon. They are in their own room with another pair of cockatiels for their privacy, so i don't see what they do all the time. When they are out of the cage the female follows the male everywhere he goes. I have seen them preen each others heads but i only seen that 2 or 3 times now. The male went in the nest box before the female would enter it and he was whistling at her to come in. He does his mating call mostly in the morning and evening. The only time I've ever heard her do her mating call is when i'm in the room and i have seen the male try to mount her but she moves. Their not tame either.


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## bjknight93 (Nov 13, 2011)

Are you using paper towel in this box too? You should also change this when you pick up shavings for the other pair. You also said you're new at this so it would be a good idea to only set up one pair at a time..you wouldn't want complications from both pairs and end up having to feed 8 or so babies.


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

If they've only been together for five days it's too soon for them to be breeding. They haven't had time to form a pair bond yet and as a result they might not be good parents even if they did make babies right away. You said in another thread that you had taken a nestbox down, and if it was the nestbox for this pair it was a good move.


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## Tiffany24 (Feb 11, 2012)

I took the nest box down for a different pair. I would love for this pair to bond and mate. If i take the nest box down what should i do with the eggs? Since she is sitting on them if i take the eggs out whats the chance she'll just lay more? I know their not fertile. I hope they do bond and sometimes i think they will. But then again they seem to get in to it also.


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## leeisme (Feb 4, 2011)

leave the eggs alone. Let her lay on them for about a month. eventually she will get bored. if you take them away now. She will just lay more and she may become egg bound.


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## Tiffany24 (Feb 11, 2012)

That's what i was afraid of. I don't want to take the eggs away and her try to replace them.


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## Tiffany24 (Feb 11, 2012)

My cockatiels mated yesterday for the first time. I took their nest box down on the 17th because the female lost interest in the infertile eggs. Since they mated yesterday should i put the nest box back up or wait a little while to see if they mate again?


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

No leave the nest box down....they need more time than this to actually bond. Just because they mated doesn't mean they are bonded. Give them some more time then add the nest box.


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## Tiffany24 (Feb 11, 2012)

Okay. Thank you.


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