Breeding question

[Johnnyj05]

We successfully bred cockatiels before so we decided to get IRNs. We we told the first owner bred them once, the second owner tried but never did. They would go in the nest box to hide. Once we got them we took the nestbox off and let them get use to us. They are not somewhat comfortable with us, the female takes food from our hands, the male steps back and sometimes yells. We have seen the female clucking and the males does a sound and moves his head up and down and that's it. Our problem is that we had tried to attached the nest box to their cage but they don't go in? They seem to be interested in going in but they peek in when they are outside the cage. I have thought about putting them in a new bird cage we have (larger) and putting the highest perch right in front of the nest box. Any suggestions you may have will be greatly appreciated.

Should we separate them? They are paired up (they yell when one flies away) The nestbox is pretty big around 13" high, 12" long and wide. We give them a lot of light throughout the day, and fresh food everyday. The female obviously wants to breed but the male doesn't do job lol.

[Johnnyj05]

I forgot t mention they are about 3 to 4 years old. Grey male and light blue female

[ringneck]

Hey Johnny!

Welcome my friend! You know every pair is different. Some of my ringnecks use their nesting box regularly, while most just ignore the box until they start to breed. I don’t know where you are located, but I am in SoCal. Breeding season is just around the corner and that means my females will start scratching around their nesting boxes. Don’t worry, if the male shows no interest—his job is just to mate with the female and be the lookout while she is incubating. Just keep your nesting box there and the female will eventually start to show some interest.

As mentioned above, when she is interested she’ll start spending lots of hours inside scratching around. Be sure to keep pine shavings in the bottom. You might have to put down a new layer every few days as I am sure she’ll remove most of it out.

So in a nutshell, and i know I am being repetitive, just place the box there and keep it there. The female should eventually show some sort of interest. Hope this helps! Please let us know what happens!

Best Wishes,

IMRAN

[Johnnyj05]

Hey IMRAN

Thank you for the reply, I'm located in Rhode Island (northeast US) We noticed the male and female both show interest in the nest box, usually trying to get in from outside the cage lol, the only way to get in is from the inside. We have the shavings in the botton of the nest box and we have bag full in case she starts throwing out.

[ringneck]

perfect! sounds like you are almost ready to go! just let them do their thing and hopefully in no time you'll have babies!

best of luck my friend,

IMRAN

[Johnnyj05]

An update on our pair.

We put them on a room by themselves and we have seen them going inside the box and moving the shavings and scratching the box for about a week now. Both the male and the female go in and work the box. One question I have is about the lighting schedule, they are indoor. Should I turn the light on at 7am and turn it off at 7pm? Thanks in advance.

[Coastal-Birds]

Hi
Now inside you are going to have problems as birds need true sunlight to absorb calcium and other minerals.
They only need 2 hrs at least of natural sunlight but more the better.
I dont know if any artifical lights can replicate the sun.
But if your birds are about to breed the hen will use calcium from her body and bones to make eggs and this has to be replaced fast as possible.
At least can you put them near a window that will get some sunlight.
If they have been inside for a long time you probably get soft shelled eggs and if the hen is low on calcium she may die laying the eggs or after she has.
Hope this helps

[Johnnyj05]

We provide them with fresh fruits and add vitamins to their water to make sure they get enough. We have them by 2 windows but due to the trees around they don't get much sun. We are aware of the problems that could arise and we are prepared.

Thanks for the suggestions

[JimHcctx]

Johnny, be patient, I am in South Texas and only 2 of my 5 pairs have laid so far, it could still be a couple months for you up north. They will get to it. Goood luck!

[Johnnyj05]

Thanks! We are patiently waiting, hopefully they'll do a good job lol.