# ok so i need some help



## fastjosh007 (Sep 27, 2012)

ok so my friends cockatiel is now going to be our responsibility to babysit and its a female and i want them to mate so i would like some help on how to get them to do it because my male bird probably would never let her in the cage or nesting box so what do i do?


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## lethalfire (Aug 29, 2012)

It sounds like you need to do some research and think LONG and HARD about the decision to breed. It's not a fly by decision. There is a lot involved in it and there are tons of different things that can go wrong including the female getting egg bound and requiring a trip to the emergency vet. You can also have the heartache of the parents neglecting the eggs or the chicks after they hatch. ALL sorts of problems can arise and I really think you need to stop and think about this and do your research BEFORE hand.


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## enigma731 (Aug 12, 2011)

What happened to your other bird that had swelling around the vent? Did you ever get that taken care of?


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## meaggiedear (Nov 20, 2011)

lethalfire said:


> It sounds like you need to do some research and think LONG and HARD about the decision to breed. It's not a fly by decision. There is a lot involved in it and there are tons of different things that can go wrong including the female getting egg bound and requiring a trip to the emergency vet. You can also have the heartache of the parents neglecting the eggs or the chicks after they hatch. ALL sorts of problems can arise and I really think you need to stop and think about this and do your research BEFORE hand.


This is really good advice.

To ask you a couple questions.... what do you mean "babysitting?" 

How long do you plan to have this bird?

Do you realize for two birds to breed successfully with minimal issues that they have to bond first?

Do you realize that forming bonds can take months or years between birds? 

How old are these birds? 

Breeding young birds is never a good idea because one- their little bodies are not ready for that. and two- immature birds will not make effective parents.


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

Also if there is already a box up, these birds don't have a chance. Get rid of the box and start from scratch.


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## bjknight93 (Nov 13, 2011)

I want you to read these stickies. I want you to read all of them *fully* and I want you to read them multiple times.

http://talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=27860
http://talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=30881
http://talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=17072
http://talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=27688
http://talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=27514
http://talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=27290
http://talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=26995
http://talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=19866
http://talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=19342
http://talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=6140

And I am NOT wasting your time! You really NEED to read all of those. And if you think it will take too much time to read all of those then I feel you do not care enough about your birds and their future chicks..and therefore I would say you should not now and probably not ever breed your or anyone else's birds.

You cannot throw 2 birds together, give them a box, and expect them to have successful breeding! They need time. They need 6 months, 8 months, 10 months..they need a year sometimes to bond. If they don't bond they won't raise the chicks well. They need proper bedding. They need the right foods. They need calcium. They need SUN. They need you to be prepared to raise their chicks for them when they decide they don't want to.


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## bradjo (Oct 25, 2012)

fastjosh007 said:


> ok so my friends cockatiel is now going to be our responsibility to babysit and its a female and i want them to mate so i would like some help on how to get them to do it because my male bird probably would never let her in the cage or nesting box so what do i do?


First the new bird needs to go to the vet. Then it needs 30 days of quarantine before being around your bird. Finally birds are not like dogs. You can't 'hire' a stud. The bird's mate needs to be there throughout the entire breeding/nesting/raising of the clutch.

Lastly birds develop feelings toward their mates and they grieve if they lose them so if they do become a bonded pair they need to be left together.


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## xoxsarahxox (Dec 13, 2010)

Fastjosh, if your only babysitting your friends bird I think its a terrible idea to breed her and your male. Breeding takes time, especially the bonding process as the others have all stated, as well as a month of quarantine, you dont know if your friends bird is ill. Two birds need time to bond without a nestbox before they breed otherwise you will have all kinds of problems with them! My two took 9 months before Id consider them a bonded pair, and some birds are just not compatible with eachother. Cockatiels develop strong bonds with their mates that last a long time, so splitting them up after their done breeding is not very nice. 

Also, what happens if your friends female becomes egg bound? Does your friend know these risks to the female? Egg binding and other reproductive disorders CAN AND WILL kill without fast proper vet treatment. Are you or your friend prepared for vet bills if that happens? 

If you really want to breed, and you have the time and money to give your birds and their babies everything they need during the breeding process, ( FSL lighting/sunlight, vet care, proper diet, bedding, nestbox etc) and you can handle handfeeding babies if you need to, then please DO the research and buy your own female, then let her properly bond with one of your males and it will be more rewarding in the long run to know that your birds are happy and healthy when breeding!


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## fastjosh007 (Sep 27, 2012)

enigma731 said:


> What happened to your other bird that had swelling around the vent? Did you ever get that taken care of?


yep and she is 100% healthy and ok


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## fastjosh007 (Sep 27, 2012)

ok well this isn't answering my question because i know how to breed to the proper satasfaction if something goes wrong but im just curious how to get that to work


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

Yes ALL of this is helpful...what part are you confused on? Setting them up to breed isn't going to work if they aren't bonded. So you need to start from there. Which, as I said before, means removing the nest box and starting from scratch. AFTER you have quarantined your friend's bird for 30 days. And you're sure your friend's bird is a female?


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

Just to make sure you understand... breeding psittacines isn't like breeding dogs. You can't put the birds together for a little while until the male performs stud services and then he goes on his merry way while she raises a family. Cockatiel breeding is similar to a marriage - the pair forms a long-term (often lifelong) bond with each other and they raise the babies together. 

The quality of the pair bond is important to the success of the breeding effort. Sometimes two birds that don't really like each other will mate and produce eggs simply because they don't have anyone better to have sex with. We call this a bondage pair (as opposed to a bonded pair). Bondage pairs have a high rate of problems with failure to incubate eggs and take care of babies properly, as well as fighting between the adult birds for possession of the nestbox. The outcomes are much better with a true bonded pair.


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## bradjo (Oct 25, 2012)

fastjosh007 said:


> ok well this isn't answering my question because i know how to breed to the proper satasfaction if something goes wrong but im just curious how to get that to work


This isn't answering your question because there is no right way to do what you are suggesting. Please re-think this you could end up with a bird, or birds, seriously injured or ill.


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## RedQueen (Feb 21, 2012)

fastjosh007 said:


> yep and she is 100% healthy and ok


So is "she" male or female? Maybe you should get "her" DNA tested?


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## enigma731 (Aug 12, 2011)

fastjosh007 said:


> yep and she is 100% healthy and ok


I thought you found out that Peaches was a male? If Peaches is healthy, then what caused the swelling, and is it gone now?

If you knew how to breed, then you wouldn't have these questions. You wouldn't think this setup was a good idea -- what part of "it isn't a good idea for all of these reasons" is confusing? Finally, if you knew how to breed, then you wouldn't have let a bird go on with symptoms of egg binding for DAYS. Please stop being evasive and defensive and do the reading everyone is asking you to do. If you don't, you could end up killing your friend's hen. Everyone is trying very, very hard to help you, so I hope you can be more receptive to the advice you're getting.


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

i'm sorry fastjosh, but it is really a poor idea to breed your birds. i highly doubt the other bird was even treated as you can't keep your story straight. 

people who dont do their research and just force breed their birds to have babies for money are not reputable breeders and most buyers avoid breeders as such. 


do you realize a bondage pair can end up with one of your birds DEAD? are you willing to risk your friend's bird's life just so YOU can get little tiel babies? egg binding, peritonitis, calcium deficiency, being attacked by an overly aggressive mate.... ask your FRIEND if they are willing to lose their bird to these things!

also, a bondage pair can kill the babies, whether by abandoning them or by attacking them. are you willing to play with another thing's LIFE just because you want to breed these birds who you are just "borrowing"? your poor male bird if he bonds with that female and you take her away when your friend takes her back. i feel bad for him. he will have his little heart broken. 


is it really worth it? we give you advice and you dont hear what you want to hear. but we dont understand why you want to risk lives here. 



i think we all know what the unselfish choice is here...



we care about the birds and possible babies. and i do not think you know what you are getting yourself into and i think you need to seriously sit down and really think about what you are trying to do and do it right by doing the proper research and taking the proper advice given to you.


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## RedQueen (Feb 21, 2012)

bradjo said:


> This isn't answering your question because there is no right way to do what you are suggesting. Please re-think this you could end up with a bird, or birds, seriously injured or ill.


I completely agree. What every one here is saying is absolutely right. We are all concerned for your and your friend's birds' health. You can't make breeding "just happen" the way you are thinking about it. It's a process that has no shortcuts, and when you try taking shortcuts you end up with disaster for your birds. Either commit yourself to doing it the "long way" which people here have described for you (quarantine the new bird, allow lots of time for them to bond, get them checked by a vet, make sure they are getting the proper nutrition etc., and only when THEY are READY put in a nest box, also educate yourself), or don't do it at all.


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