Expert: Chrys Meatyard - 8/26/2006

Question
Hi Chrys....i have a pair of cockatiels..although i dont know which is male and which is female...one is a kinda dull gray & yellow with almost zero personality while the other one has more bright colors and likes to be held and talked to. it can moak whislte too........any way one of them laid an egg and i was just wondering if there is anyway i could help them to hatch it...right now they totally act like they do not see it...any help would be appercaited........thx

Answer
Hi, Brenda.  Thanks for posting.

I would need more specific details about coloration of each of your tiels in order to help determine their sex.  A picture would be better, but if you could be specific about their overall coloration, in detail, I might be able to help with sexing them.

You should have a nesting box set up for your tiels to lay eggs in.  Also, they won't start sitting on this egg (incubating it) most likely until a second egg is laid.  There's not much you can do to help them hatch an egg other than set up the material they need to lay eggs and hatch them...either they are going to incubate it or not and either it's fertile or not!  If you haven't already, put up a nesting box, put the egg in it, and let them go about their business.

More information about this and parrots in general is on my website.  If you want any babies to be tame, you'll need to handfed the babies (information also on my website):

http://www.angelfire.com/falcon/birdinfo/index.html

Come back with any questions.

Chrys