hello!
this is my first time breeding my cockatiels. I purchased them (2 girls 1 boy) from an abused home in November. they just laid egg number 4. I have candled them, and from what I've read, there're all fertile. how many times should I candle per day? my cockatiels won't touch any vegies of any sort. is there anything else I can feed them that they will eat?

Hannah Warren

Candling the eggs isn't required, but it's OK to check them from time to time to see how well they're developing. Are both hens laying eggs or just one? The timing of egg laying will give you a clue - if an egg is being laid every day, or if two eggs are laid on the same day, both hens are laying.

This is the time when good nutrition is most important, both for the health of the hen(s) and also for the health of the babies, whose development in the egg will be affected by the quality of the nutrients the mother could provide when she laid the egg. Will your birds eat pellets or nutriberries? They're designed to be nutritionally complete, which can be a huge help during breeding. Nutriberries are especially helpful because they look like seed balls and most cockatiels accept them pretty easily. They aren't a soft food though so pellets are really more desirable when there are tiny babies in the nest.

Our main website has an article on cockatiel diet including a section on breeding diet: http://www.littlefeatheredbuddies.com/i ... ldiet.html I suggest that you read it, and do whatever you can to make sure your birds are eating a high-quality diet. There are some breeding articles too, including one on nestboxes and bedding. Good bedding in the nest will increase your chance of success.

Sorry, only one hen is laying. She is laying one egg every two days. I have never heard of giving any kind of pellets. Thanks for the suggestions. How many eggs will she lay? I would have asked this on talkcockatiel.com, but i tried twice to get registered and it would not let me. I was reading one of your posts, and saw the tab for your website. Thanks for your help!

It's actually good that only one hen is laying, there won't be as many babies to take care of. If the mated pair will let the other hen help, it will be less work for all of them. Sometimes birds will do this and sometimes the pair won't allow it.

Pellets are a manufactured food sort of like dog kibble, with vitamins and minerals added for complete nutrition. They're very healthy in reasonable amounts, but it can be difficult to convince birds to eat them. I would suggest trying Nutriberries first because it's usually pretty easy to get birds to eat them. They're available at most pet stores and also online. This is what they look like:
If you'd like to try pellets, most birds seem to like Zupreem Fruitblend best - they have bright colors like Froot Loops cereal. It might be weeks or months before your adult birds will accept them, but the babies might be willing to eat them when they reach fledging age.

You can see if the adults will eat other nutritious soft foods, like good quality whole grain bread, cooked food, and soaked/sprouted seeds. The website has info on sprouting at http://www.littlefeatheredbuddies.com/i ... uting.html Most breeding birds will accept cooked egg which is loaded with nutrients, so it's good to offer a little of this every day.

A lot of cockatiels prefer leafy greens that are hanging in the cage over cut-up vegetables in a dish. So you could try different presentations to see if there's one that they like.

P.S. The average clutch size is 4 to 6 eggs. If you post pictures of your birds, we'll try to figure out the parents' mutations and what color the babies might be.

Thank you!
I will be sure to try those nutriberries! I have put spinach, grapes, all kinds of nuts, (blended up first:) lettuce, and a bunch of other vegies in their cage to no avail. They do love crackers though. My boy and girl attacked the other female in the cage, forcing me to place her in a different cage. I will work on pics tomarrow.

I know this is supposed to be about breeding, but, i have a question about behavoir. I have been trying to keep my male from biting. I have read your pages about biting. It pretty much said to ignore it, but he will make you bleed! Please help!

Actually, my advice on biting is to avoid getting bitten! Identify the situations where he's likely to bite and try to avoid provoking him. Biting is often related to hormones, and he'll be especially aggressive now that he has a nest to protect. If necessary you can wear gloves when you have to put your hand in the cage. I'm not enthusiastic about wearing gloves to grab a bird, but it's OK to protect yourself while you're putting food in the cage and that sort of thing.

How tame are they?

BTW most cockatiels don't like fruit so there's no need to offer it to them. But most of them will eventually learn to eat vegetables if you keep trying. Babies are curious and they're likely to nibble on veggies when they reach fledging age, so maybe they'll teach mom and dad how it's done.

My boy has been like this ever since i got him. It seems like the owner that had him previously would handle him, and when the male did not want to be handled, he would just bite. He is not scared, and does not bite me when i place my hand in the cage. He only bites when i try to handle him. He knows that i will not handle him if he bites, because he has learned in the past that if he bites he will get his way. i have tried all kinds of things to get him out of this habit, but i am only 14 and he bites HARD.

Hannah Warren

Have you tried using food bribery? That can help change a bird's attitude toward hands. You're basically trying to give him reasons to like you and your hands. The situation is more complicated right now because he's breeding, but you can work with him when he's not busy with his daddy duties. Here's an article on food bribery: http://www.littlefeatheredbuddies.com/i ... ibery.html

The previous owner basically taught him to bite by not respecting his boundaries, and the only way he could make them stop doing things that he didn't like was to bite them hard. You can help break this habit by paying attention to how he's reacting to a situation and backing off before he gets annoyed enough to bite. He'll be less likely to bite you if you establish a relationship that's based on cooperation and trust, rather than one that's based on you trying to make him do what you want. He'll probably still bite you occasionally, but it's possible to have a relationship that's mostly friendly.

welcome.... I'm looking forward to
following your post's, on the birds and their babies.
I've always wanted to breed but never found the time, now I have time it seems to late for me to do it.
Biting is awful and how it hurts...
My tiels don't bite me, but my P'lets do, I wear a soft glove which helps... Tielfan has suggested a few good tips o this for you.
Good luck on the eggs etc... keep us all updated..