# Hi All...need some help....



## lucymarie7 (Aug 4, 2010)

My name is Lucy & I have 2 beautiful Cockatiels named SweetPea & Lucy. I have had them for about 2 years. Bought them from a great Pet store & they are so compatible. Well I put a nesting box in their cage about a month & a half ago. Came home yesterday & did not see SweetPea the Male. He was in the box with 3 eggs. YIKES....so excited but getting so many mixed messages on how to take care of them. I have many questions. Help!


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

Hi and welcome to the forum  Can you post some pix's of your pair? You can read thru alot of the postings in the breeding section and they may have answers and be helpful.


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## lucymarie7 (Aug 4, 2010)

*Thanks*

Hi
Thanks for responding. I posted a pic of my birds under L. I am new to this site & will read through the posts. My immediate question is, if one of them is always sitting on the eggs, how can I see the number of eggs exactly? I saw 3, two days ago, but have not been able to see them again. I don't want to disturb them while they are sitting on the eggs. While she was nesting, he allowed me to take him out and kiss hello. I don't know how protective they will be & if I should just leave them alone. 
Best
Lucy


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

It's best to wait for a moment when both parents are out of the nest and take a peek then! These opportunities aren't frequent but it's definitely the safest way to go, with no risk of eggs getting broken by an upset parent.


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## lucymarie7 (Aug 4, 2010)

Okay update. So I came home tonight from work & Lucy (female) was sitting on the eggs. I came out of the kitchen & she was coming out of the box. I peeked inside and now there are 4 eggs. (Smiles) So I went to a friends house for dinner & just got home. They both were out. I got scared. Shouldn't one always be sitting on the eggs? Now she is racing back & forth in front of the box. She went in & came right back out.
Could it be she is still laying eggs? 
Are the eggs okay not being incubated? So new at this....I appreciate all the comments from experienced breeders.


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

The eggs can for about 7 days without being incubated and for short periods of time yes. But the longer they are out, the more of a chance that the eggs wont make it. Hope everything turns out ok!!


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## lucymarie7 (Aug 4, 2010)

Thanks for the reply. When I came down before my shower, they were both out. Before I left for work, SweetPea (Male) was inside the box. So I guess they are doing their jobs. HeHe...this is so exciting...LOL


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## gio (Aug 1, 2010)

I am pretty much in the same boat as you are, and I feel your exitement. My pair, Mac and Dixie are 4 years old. Dixie had never layed an egg and now she has layed six. One of the egg's shell was too thin and the egg broke but the others seem fine. One of the tiels is usually sitting in the nesting box, but occasionally they are both out for a short period of time. It seems to me that the female spends more time on the eggs than the male does. I worry that she is getting enough to eat and drink but when I see her she seems fine. Good luck with your brood.


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## tielmom (Aug 4, 2010)

Congrats on the eggs...were you wanting her to lay eggs? I ask this because you put a nesting box with them. I hope everything goes well, please keep us up to date.


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## gio (Aug 1, 2010)

I really wasn't planning on any of this. And I don't want to intrude on someone elses page. Should I start My own page? Anyway. When Dixie layed an egg on the bottom of the cage I moved her and her mate to the ouside aviary where there have always been 2 nesting boxes. Usually I but the birds outside when the weather is nice and to clean their cage, but do not leave them outside overnight. I took the egg and put it in the nesting box. Left the birds outside and now there are 3 eggs. She has actually layed 6 eggs in all. 1 the shell was too thin and the egg was broken. The other two I gave away because I wasn't sure about her brooding. So there you have it. In answer to your question. No. I did not want her to lay. I simply got carried away with the exitement of it all and did not want to deny her and her mate the experience and yes. myself too. If the eggs are fertile and the chicks hatch I plan on keeping them all.


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## lucymarie7 (Aug 4, 2010)

*Update on eggs*

So I posted on August 3 regarding our first eggs from SweetPea & Lucy. Since then she layed 1 egg on August 11th. 2 more on the 5th & 6th. Another on the 12th. I found another 2 on Saturday August 14th but layed on the floor of the cage not inside the nesting box. So I put them inside the box & let them be. On Monday the 16th one of the eggs was sitting on top of the nesting box with a hole in it. So I threw it out assuming they disgarded the egg. They both have been in the box but sometimes it is just him and she is outside eating & resting. She is very healthy & I have played with her and checked her to make sure she is not stressed in any way. Now on Saturday August 22, I went to check inside the box and now there are 8 eggs total. So somewhere between last Monday to Satuday she layed an additional 2 eggs. Is this normal? Also I noticed 2 of the eggs are darker than the others. I want to say that these were the first 2 eggs layed and that they are normal in color for their age. I have not marked them. They both sit on the egss or take turns. They are rolling them because I can hear them sometimes and when I look inside they are in different parts of the box. Do you think the eggs are healthy & I may get babies from them? I don't want to bother them or touch the eggs in any way unless I have to. Let nature takes it course. But if someone can shed some light to let me know if this is normal, that would be great.
Best
Lucy


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

The best way I know of to look at eggs is to candle them...or shine a bright light on them. You'll be able to see if there is any developing embryos inside and whether the eggs are still good or not.


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

_*They are rolling them because I can hear them sometimes and when I look inside they are in different parts of the box*_. 
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You should not hear the eggs being moved if there is adequate bedding (3" deep) bedding in the box. With no bedding or minimal bedding the risks are greatly increased for failure to hatch because they can get cracks, and without bedding they chill easier which can kill the developing embryo.


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## lucymarie7 (Aug 4, 2010)

*Eggs*

Hi SrTiels,
I should have been more specific. When I said I heard them moving the eggs, I meant my birds making noise in the nest box. I put plenty of bedding on the floor of the box. I do have one question. When I looked in the box on Monday I saw 9 eggs total all in one spot and the female Lucy was in there all night & came out in the morning. I noticed 4 of the eggs were darker in color than the other five which I assume is because they were the first to appear. the first three were on the 3rd & then the next egg was on the 5th. Could these be the ones to hatch first? I did not mark the eggs nor touch them. This is their first eggs & I don't want to stress them nor touch the eggs not aware of damage I could cause. I figure let nature take its course. I appreciate any information you can give me from experience. Also the last eggs layed were around the 18th to 20th. Does this mean I won't get hatchlings this week even though the first egg was layed somewhere between the 1st of Aug to the 3rd?
Best
Lucy


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

Please...a pix of the parents would help (I don't want to go searching for other posts of yours with pixs) And also some good clear pix's of the clutch of eggs. The best way to do this is to take a pix at normal distance. After it is downloaded, crop the pix so that the eggs are surrounded by an 1" of bedding...this will give an enlarged veiw of the eggs. resize to 600 pixels, save and post. I can look at your pix to see what is going on with the eggs.

Average hatch time is 18 days after the eggs is layed.

PLEASE, you can handle the eggs, and they will be fine. What you might want to do is candle them to see if they arte fertile or not. This page shows some pix's of candling: http://s525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/Mousebirds-and-more/Other%20birds/?start=120 Click on the pix for a larger veiw.


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