nesting boxes

[Kestrel-8]

My brother built his own nest box for his cockatiels and it was nice;).
But the birds would only sit on the door as i didnt have a hole(just a half closed door). We think they are in the breeding mood.
Does a nest box have to be specific for a bird (expert made)

[BUUZBEE]

Does a nest box have to be specific for a bird (expert made)

yes, it needs to be the correct size, the right sized hole, and a concave bottom.

Just because they seem to be "ready" are you ready to breed them?

[atvchick95]

it also needs to have a perch under the hole inside and out side for them to get in and out of

it does not have to be professionally made - my boyfriend and his dad has made all mine. It doesn't have to be store bought either (I've noticed with those they're all scented:eek: and strong for sitting out on a shelf for god only knows how long


A good size breeding cage is 48" wide by 48" long by 24"-36" high (120x120x60-90 cm high). The recommended nest box size is 12" wide by 16" long by 12" high (30x40x30 cm high) with a 3" hole

The box should have an inch or two of bedding in it ( i use carefresh)

Cockatiels should be 18 months to two years old to begin breeding. Keep in mind that pet cockatiels can often become aggressive toward you during breeding. Mating can be immediate or may take up to 4 to 6 weeks, during which time there will be a lot of mutual preening. The female will lay an egg every other day for a clutch of between 3 to 9 eggs. The incubation period is 18 - 20 days. The chicks will begin to leave the nest at about 5 - 6 weeks and will be totally independent about 2 weeks after leaving the nest.


but if your not 1000% ready for all the problems that can (and most likely will) arise, DO NOT BREED THEM!, there is a lot that can go wrong, from egg binding to the mother dying. and every thing in between.

[Kerry C]

My brother built his own nest box for his cockatiels and it was nice;).
But the birds would only sit on the door as i didnt have a hole(just a half closed door). We think they are in the breeding mood.
Does a nest box have to be specific for a bird (expert made)

YES you need to proved the correc size box with the correct size holes placed correctly on the box. Holes placed too low and chicks fall out. Too large of holes and too much light is let in the box. Too small of a box and trouble occurs.

I have a cockatiel breeder friend who and one female cockatiel that got too big to exit the small hole in her nest box. She ended up starving to death, because the male wasn't feeding her well enough. Always be sure the box is the correct size.

Another example.....I buying/resucing 25 Moutached Parakeets from a guy who provided nest boxes a bit large then cigar boxes. He couldn't figure out why the parents were chewing the toes off all the chick's feet. (can you say stressed and frustrated???)

[atvchick95]

YES you need to proved the correc size box with the correct size holes placed correctly on the box. Holes placed too low and chicks fall out. Too large of holes and too much light is let in the box. Too small of a box and trouble occurs.

I have a cockatiel breeder friend who and one female cockatiel that got too big to exit the small hole in her nest box. She ended up starving to death, because the male wasn't feeding her well enough. Always be sure the box is the correct size.

Another example.....I buying/resucing 25 Moutached Parakeets from a guy who provided nest boxes a bit large then cigar boxes. He couldn't figure out why the parents were chewing the toes off all the chick's feet. (can you say stressed and frustrated???)

omg Kerry that is so sad them poor lil babies


aren't Mustached Parakeets about the size of Tiels if not bigger? - I've only seen pictures never saw one in person (that I know of any way.

[Kestrel-8]

Thank you.

[Will]

do you know how to hand feed in case the parents dont take care of the chicks?

[Kerry C]

omg Kerry that is so sad them poor lil babies


aren't Mustached Parakeets about the size of Tiels if not bigger? - I've only seen pictures never saw one in person (that I know of any way.

Well poo my fingers didn't quite type the words I was thinking....:rolleyes:

Anyway there are 8 subspececies of Moustached parakeet. Only 3 of those were imported into the U.S. - the Java, the Fasciata and the Major. The Java is the smallest - both the males and females have red upper and lower mandables. Males in this species are VERY hard to come by. Sadly people are giving up and putting Fasciata males with the Java hens. :(

Fasciata's the males (at 1 1/2 yrs start to develop) have red upper mandables. Females have black mandables. These birds are more robust than cockatiels and a bit larger.

Lastly the Majors have the same coloring as the Facaiatas, but are much larger birds. Sadly most people didn't know what they had and these birds have been mixed with the Faciatas.

Here is a pic of my Goofy (a Fasciata) telling Santa what he wanted for Christmas. You can get an idea of how large these birds are.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2066/2089559868_93caa82acd.jpg

Believe me it was a "lot of fun" having 25 new moustaches in my garage. I had birds everywhere. :rolleyes: It brougth back memories of a pet store that called me late one evening to come pick up doves. The store had gone belly up and the doors were going to be locked in the morning. They wanted to be sure the livestock went to homes and would be fed. I was told maybe 4 doves. I ended up with 15. At that time I was living in an apparment and my parents were good enough to let me keep the birds in their garage. Those poor birds were in very cramped cages for canaries. Since I didn't have enough stock cages the store stuffed the birds in what they could. I worked hard and fast to send those birds on to new homes. I didn't want them sitting in too small of cages for any longer than they had to. (I just love those late night calls. :rolleyes:) Now that Pestmart and Petco have pretty much pushed the mom and pop pet stores out of the market I don't get those type of calls any more.

[Kestrel-8]

Lovely bird kerry c n no i dont know how to hand feed:( how do you do it ??

[Pippin's mom]

Lovely bird kerry c n no i dont know how to hand feed:( how do you do it ??

Its best to have someone who knows what they are doing show you the correct way to hand feed. There is a lot more to breeding then just putting up nest boxes..there is a lot that could go wrong. Judging by the questions you are asking it doesn't sound like you have done enough research to be prepared to breed your birds.

How old are your birds?

[atvchick95]

aww kerry that is a adorable pic :) did he get what he wanted that xmas? LOL they are lovely birds and really too big for a box the size of a cigar box :(

and I agree with pippins mom, Please do not breed these birds yet, you're not prepared, hand feeding is not easy, and if you have to do it when they're wee babies - you can kiss your life good buy, because you won't have time for anything else, every 2 hrs you have to feed them until they're older!

and if you do it wrong, you can kill the baby .

[Kestrel-8]

I have done my research on budgies just not on cockatiels and my brother wanted me to ask the question.And im asking for a second opinion and for other peoples opinions.

Phoenix- 2yrs
Kestrel--1yrs 5 months
Looley--2yrs
Lilac-----this years clutch

[atvchick95]

I have done my research on budgies just not on cockatiels and my brother wanted me to ask the question.And im asking for a second opinion and for other peoples opinions.

Phoenix- 2yrs
Kestrel--1yrs 5 months
Looley--2yrs
Lilac-----this years clutch


the only 2 old enough to breed in that list is Phoenix and Looley

Technically yes Kestrel but it's best to wait until they're 18 months old

and since lilac was born this year - definitely not old enough.