Pet Forum / Birds / Parrots / October 2004

Actually, this one's real.

A few months ago, my cockatiel decided to start using its breeding box that
I had provided for her.  About the same time, a very juvenile budgerigar
decided it wanted to shack up there too.  There were a few awkward moments
and lots of jostling which I was sure would end in tears, but over the weeks
there was no apparent damage to either of the birds.

The cockatiel laid eggs, none of which ever hatched.  She sat on them for
quite a while, but has recently given up and tossed them out.  The budgie
also laid some eggs.  They also failed, but she has recently laid some more
and this time I'm confident that at least some of them will hatch.

The wierd thing is that the cockatiel and the budgie still both sleep in the
same nest and they seem quite comfortable with each other now.  They appear
to have become used to each other and they do not fight at all.

My cockatiel's partner unfortunately died.  I am thinking about getting her
another mate, but I wonder if the budgie issue will be a problem.  Has
anyone ever experienced anything like this before?

--
Stephen Oakes