# Eggs removed - Mom mating again!



## bobobubu (Dec 12, 2011)

Hello everyone, I made a thread a while ago about a problem I had with a not-so-good nestbox. I didn't want to resurrect the old thread so I open a new one with a few new questions, hoping that you will be so kind and help me to understand what is going on now.
My couple had these 5 eggs and took care of them very well. The eggs turned out to be duds and I took them away together with the nestbox three days after they finally abandoned them. The first egg was about 8 weeks old.
By the way I couldn't bring myself to throw them away! They sit in a pretty mini basket in the kitchen and I am wondering if I can keep them forever... 
Today it's 5 days since I took eggs and box away [I moved the couple in new cage too], and Mom today was ready and willing to mate again... and she did, but not with her mate! She had sex with one of my single boys, Yoghi, and now I have one million doubts running in my head about what to do.
1. I don't want her to lay more eggs so soon. First of all it seems so soon after she and hubby spent almost two months sitting on the old eggs, plus right now there is too much stuff going on [moving to a new apartment, new job] and I can't be sure I would be able to do my best for them. Is taking away the box enough to avoid eggs? Should I discourage mating? Not sure how to do that though! Keeping her locked while the others are free seems a bit unfair.
2. Does the mating with a bird who is not her usual mate mean that she wants to switch companion? She and George Meera are still an item in the sense that they are very affectionate with each other, they feed each other, preen, and sleep together, and I am pretty sure that he would sit on the new eggs aswell even though they might not be his; but maybe this new "couple" would like to be homed together? All 6 birds free range all day together but they sleep in 3 different cages; maybe Mom should be homed with Yoghi?


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

Tiels are not monogomous at all so her picking a new mate is most likely because she didn't get any babies with the first mate. Her hubby can raise another birds babies perfectly fine. Also remember, tiels mate for fun just like humans so she may not lay eggs. Have you looked at our hormone reduction techniques to prevent her from laying? http://talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=32330


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## bobobubu (Dec 12, 2011)

Thank you Roxy I didn't know that they mate for fun, that's really nice! 
I read the post you pointed me to, and I don't think I can implement anything more than I do right now: they already have 14-15 hours of darkness everyday, between 8pm and usually 10am or longer if I can get away with it without them raising ****. I moved her into a new cage when I removed the nestbox, and she has no access to any other dark place. So basically the only thing I can try is the 24-hour non stop light. Did you ever try that? It seems harsh but if it works I will do it. 
Bubu is also being very hormonal, trying to hide and defending dark places... he is the only one who has access to the whole apartment and always tries to sneak in the wardrobe... and I had to stop putting lettuce leaves on the cage top where I usually leave them because he was humping them! I am quite baffled because even though he is sensitive to the lettuce leaves he won't even notice the single female tiel Fifi who sleeps in his own cage!!! 
Maybe I am doing something wrong? When I put them to sleep I switch the light off and only leave a small lamp on. The cage is covered by blankets. I sit in the same room for a few hours before going to my own bedroom but if I am watching telly it's with the earplugs, so basically the only noise they hear is my typing if I am at the pc, like now. They are all asleep, seems to me, but maybe I should leave them completely alone in the dark?
This is the first year they are all sexually mature and I'd like to avoid a riot! Or eggs lol


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

Yes leave them completely alone in the dark. The light from the television could be throwing them off. Complete darkness is the best way to make that work. You can also rearrange their cage or whatever room they're in to throw them off. 

Some males don't realize that they're supposed to mate with hens. Has he seen your other pair mating? I know its weird, but that's how my boys learned, by watching each other do it. 

The 24hr of light does work, and its really not that harsh. It doesn't affect them sleeping, it just makes them uncomfortable enough to think that its not a safe environment to breed in. So you'll get mating but no eggs.


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## Haimovfids (Sep 19, 2012)

But I don't get it 
If cockatiels mate how can a hen choose to whether she wants eggs or not?


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## bobobubu (Dec 12, 2011)

Yes he did see them today!!! Well, we all did... and it was the first time for us all LOL
The whole thing lasted maybe 3 or 4 minutes, I never saw bird mating before so I sat transfixed while the other birds yelled and jumped around, and Yoghi managed to fall out once... It was all quite comical, I wish I had the presence to film the whole scene but I was too surprised. To be honest they all looked like they didn't know what was going on, a bit worried and a bit curious... priceless


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

> But I don't get it
> If cockatiels mate how can a hen choose to whether she wants eggs or not?


Conditions have to be right for egg laying. For example, in my bird room I have blackout curtains and my birds get 12-14hrs of darkness a day. They also get the cage rearranged weekly. Because of this, the enivornment is not "safe" to make babies. But its safe enough for them to mate. Tiels do it for pleasure just like humans, they don't only mate to make babies. They will lay eggs when you make the conditions right for them to do so.


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## Haimovfids (Sep 19, 2012)

Let's say cockatiels mate to make babies then you do everything that makes it not safe
Will she still lay the egg


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

Yes but she will most likely lay it on the grate or off a perch. Tiels will abort their eggs when they don't feel safe. She may lay a couple eggs before the hormone reduction techniques take full effect.


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

> Does the mating with a bird who is not her usual mate mean that she wants to switch companion?


She might not necessarily want to switch companions, but she does want to buy some insurance to try and make sure her next eggs are fertile. You'll have to wait wait and see whether she chooses a new mate or not, and also whether she's really serious about wanting to have another clutch right now.


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## bobobubu (Dec 12, 2011)

I moved the TV and implemented more cage covering, now there is a double layer of dark coloured blankets on the cage and I think it makes a LOT of difference because the birds are really completely blacked out. I know it because now they don't protest anymore if I leave them covered for a bit longer in the morning. Complete silence from the moment I cover them to the moment I lift the blankets, apart from the occasional hissing LOL
I noticed already a difference in behaviour, especially on Bubu who won't go hiding all the time... he still does it sometimes but he won't chase me as he used to until a few days ago; and he seems in a better mood.



tielfan said:


> She might not necessarily want to switch companions, but she does want to buy some insurance to try and make sure her next eggs are fertile. You'll have to wait wait and see whether she chooses a new mate or not, and also whether she's really serious about wanting to have another clutch right now.


She hasn't laid eggs yet, so maybe this new covering is working on her too. She still calls for mating sometimes, I'd say once every two or three days, not very consistently, and all 4 boys will react in a way or another but they all just run into each other or yell [no fighting, just general excitement and ineptitude lol] and I haven't seen any actual mating again. 
But my concern is: they sleep in three different cages and she shares hers with George. IF she wants a new companion how can she act on that if they are apart at night? Even though they are free ranging all day they still spend a minimum of 14 hours caged and divided. Having them all sleeping together could be an option, if needed, but as a last resort because when they sleep in one big group they spend like 2 hours rearranging themselves on the perches and hissing at each other. I really want her to be happy but I am not sure how to help, to be honest.


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

> IF she wants a new companion how can she act on that if they are apart at night?


Birds do their mating activities in the daytime. Spending the night with one specific bird won't stop her from choosing a new companion.


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