What's up with my cockatiel?

Question

We have had her for four years, but we are not sure of her exact age. She is acting strange, First off, she is drinking more water than usual, which leads to runny droppings and it seems like it is harder for her to go. She is also nesting in corner of her cage but we have no male cockatiel. She gets aggressive when we get near and screeches sometimes. Also she is aggressive with her toys. Every website I go to tells me something different so I thought I'd try here. Thanks.

Answer 1

the first guy is right, she could be egg bound. this is really serious and you need to take her to the vet. if its not that, it sounds to me like shes mature, and she wants a mate. you should buy her a nest box to put in her cage, they like to have their own little place, yanno? put a little bedding in the bottom of it and you're set. there will be certain times of the year now where she'll be more aggressive, its her natural instinct to behave this way and want to mate. if her flight wings arent clipped, take her to the vet to get em done...this could also help with her aggression.

Answer 2

Are you feeding your cockatiel mainly seed or pellets?  I've had some difficulty in the past with polyuria (high urine output) and pasty vent with cockatiels on a pellet based diet.  My avian vet feels that as a general rule, a pellet based diet isn't really good for small birds.  Particularly in the small bird mutations (color mutations, pied, etc.), small birds seem to have kidney problems with pellets.  You should have your avian vet take a look at your bird to see if there is a problem.  Any time droppings change appreciably (and remain changed for more than a few hours), it's best to weigh in with the vet.

As far as the nesting behavior, females don't need a mate in order to lay eggs.  Naturally the eggs will be infertile without a mate but it's best for your bird if you can curb the nesting behavior before the eggs start to be laid.

Try cutting the hours your bird is exposed to light.  During the summer hours the days are longer and this often triggers nesting behavior.  Make sure your bird is getting 12 hours of uninterrupted sleep time every night.  You don't have to have total darkness as tiels often suffer from night frights.  But do put her to bed and cover her partially, leaving a small night light on.  Remove any nesting material and keep her away from any closed, dark places that she may perceive as a nest.  If she enjoys playing in desk drawers or cubbyholes, curb this behavior.  Also be sure that you restrict petting to her head and neck and don't stroke her down her back.

Hope this helps!  I really think that her aggressiveness is probably related to the nesting instinct.  If you can break the nesting cycle she should return to the sweet little bird you've grown to love :-)

Colette

http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/Parro...

Answer 3

She is probably going to lay an egg.  But she could also be "egg bound" and need a vet.  

Answer 4

It's hormonal. She's wanting to breed. Try making some changes with her. Rearrange toys and perches in the cage.Add something new and take out an old one or two. Relocate the cage if you can. Cover her cage at night, and give her about 12 hours of rest. These moves a lot of times will help deter breeding. You dont want her to lay eggs if there is no male. Egg laying like this can become chronic and cause death as it deplete important nutrients in her body. Do not provide her with a nesting box. I assume she is eating ok? If egg bound she probably wouldnt be eating well. If she isnt eating, you will need to call a vet pretty quickly.