When do parakeets start mating

Cookie Settings. Explore this Article parts. Tips and Warnings. Things You'll Need. Related Articles. Article Summary. Part 1. Purchase your birds from a reputable breeder or shop. Ask the breeder or shop owner for reviews from prior clients. Then, check that the birds are kept in a clean, healthy environment. Additionally, make sure that the birds aren't overcrowded and don't appear stressed.

Observe all of the birds available for sale to make sure they look healthy and active. Do an Internet search to look for red flags that might signal the seller isn't reputable, such as complaints or bad reviews. Choose 2 birds that are not related to each other to avoid birth defects. Birds that are related to each other will mate with each other if they are male and female. However, their offspring, if they survive, will have deformities or will be susceptible to illness.

Birds hatched by different breeders are unlikely to be related. In some cases, a grandparent can mate with a grandchild with low risk to the baby budgies. Look for a pair that is already bonded for best results. Choose a female between the ages of 1- and 3-years-old. Waiting until the female is at least 1-year-old usually results in healthier baby budgies.

The vet can determine the approximate age of your budgie. Pick a male between the ages of 1- and 6-years-old. Unlike the female, male budgies will continue to produce healthy offspring until they reach 6 years of age.

Make sure you work with an avian vet or a vet experienced in treating birds, as they have the expertise to treat budgies. They can help you avoid breeding budgies that are sick or deformed.

Here are some things the vet needs to check to ensure good health: [8] X Research source Both birds have no discoloration. Neither bird has discharge from its vents. Both birds have unblocked vents. Neither bird is lethargic. Both birds are eating and defecating with no issue. Neither bird is vomiting. Place your budgies alone in a cage together.

Provide the breeding pair with their own private cage. Coupling mimics their behavior in the wild, urging them to reproduce. Then, place the budgie in 2 cages next to each other. Watch them for bonding behavior, like playing together or preening each other through the cage bars.

Once they are getting along, you can return them to the same cage. Watch for mutual preening and feeding, which are signs of pairing. Part 2. Choose cage at least 24 in 61 cm x 16 in 41 cm x 16 in 41 cm. This allows space for flying and time apart. A big cage allows them to be active and spend time away from their partner.

Cover the grate with newspaper, if there is one. Newspaper is a cheap, safe option for a cage liner. Plus, your birds will enjoy tearing it up. Place 2 or more wooden perches and swings in the cage. You need enough perches and swings for both birds to use them at the same time. However, your birds will enjoy having extra perches and swings if the cage allows enough space. Avoid choosing plastic options, as your birds will enjoy chewing on everything in the cage. Attach a 6 in 15 cm x 6 in 15 cm x 10 in 25 cm nesting box to the side of the cage.

It's best to choose a side-opening nesting box, which makes it easy to safely access it. The nesting box will have a hole on one side that the female can use to enter the box. You can find a nesting box at a local pet store or online. Place a concave dish inside the nesting box to prevent splayed legs. The eggs will rest inside the dish, which helps keep them in the nest. When parakeets are ready to mate, they will start to perch close to one another.

The female may regurgitate her food on the male, and she will lift her tail. In the normal situation, most psittacines or parrots will lay a clutch varying from eggs, then sit on the eggs until they hatch.

On occasion, a solitary bird may lay a clutch of eggs and then sit on them as if they were fertile. This is why many people recommend leaving the eggs in the cage with the bird. As we said before, budgies parakeets do not need a nesting box to mate. Before laying the egg, the bird will usually produce visibly larger-than-usual bowel movements. She may begin to molt and use her feathers for nesting or become more interested than usual in the nesting box.

By having the proper breeding set up for your Parakeets will encourage them to breed. A cage that you want for your parakeets should have the following qualities:.

The boxes for nesting can come in all different sizes and designs. These different sizes and designs are available for specific breeds. It would be ideal if you chose the design specifically made for Parakeets. Choose something that is rectangular with an opening at the end, and a circular indent in the floor for the eggs to rest in. The box can also have a lid on top or on the side of the box. That is for easy access to the eggs or new hatchlings, you will want to keep an eye on them every one in a while.

When it comes to the material you want to use for nesting, you want to make sure that it is safe for your birds to be around.

S ome safe options are:. An option that is by no means safe for your bird to be around is: cedar shavings. Their fumes are toxic to birds. Just place it back inside. Parakeets are just fond of a bare interior. The amount of daylight a p arakeet needs is about 12 hours and the amount of darkness they need is 12 hours. They should also rest under normal conditions. At times when the days are longer and they are in the breeding conditions, it can be helpful to extend the amount of daylight they are exposed to for a few hours.

The light can help the female Parakeet synthesize vitamin D, and that helps with the production of strong egg shells and bones. As a breeder, two things you always need to live by when it comes to feeding your parakeets is variety and abundance. The amount of healthy, fresh food your pairs have to eat makes all the difference when it comes to nesting. If you feed them regularly and give them food that is nutritional then they are more likely to nest.

Softer foods are a big advantage to getting your pair to settle into a breeding condition, another reason for soft food is for the chicks they will soon come to feed. Feeding your parakeets these foods will ensure that they will continue to eat it once their chicks hatch.

An overall tip to consider is to throw away any old or soft food that has been sitting out for two or three hours and replace it with a fresher option. Once the pair you have chosen is evidently settled into their breeding set up it will only be a matter of time before they start breeding. If you have been training with them, it is advised to stop any training completely.

Just keep up with changing their water, food and waste tray every now and then. When the female is ready to breed, she will lean forward on the perch and then raise her tail slightly.

The male will then position himself over the female, and rub his vent against hers to be able to deposit his sperm. It can be possible for the male to breed the female more than once in a day. That will mean the female will start to lay an egg every other day.

Now once the female has laid her eggs she will start sitting on top of them. She might not sit on them until she has about two or three eggs in place. This should measure at least 60 x 40 x 40 cm. It will need to be equipped with standard budgie accessories — at least two perches, a mineral block, a cuttlefish bone, plenty of seed and fresh food and water, and a nesting box.

The cage will also need two doors — one for access for your hand and the other for allowing passage to and from the nesting box - if you are breeding the birds in a cage, this should be attached to the outside.

Once the chicks have weaned at about six weeks you will need to transfer them to a large cage, or a separate section of the aviary. This should be supplied with plenty of food, water and perching space. Budgies need cavities to mate and nest in — something that simulates the tree holes they favour in the wild.

Nest boxes made of wood are a perfect substitute. Budgies are minimalist nesters, and need little more than a dry floor area to lay their eggs on, lined with a soft nesting material untreated wood shavings or shredded paper will do.

The floor of the box will need to have a concave section, to help the chicks grip - this will prevent the condition known as splayed feet, which sometimes occurs if the chick has been standing on a hard, flat floor. See Budgie Splayed Feet, above. Install the boxes in your aviary, or fix one to the outside of the cage whichever is applicable. This should be done in such a way that the female, and, later, the chicks has access to the cage via the open i. Nest boxes should be cleaned with a solution of one part white vinegar to two parts water, before the female budgie has settled in.