New keeper - Parrotlets mating

[Gem]

Hi. I have 2 celestial parrotlets, they are my first birds. I bought them as a pair but had no intention of breeding, and thought they were too young to breed anyway. The person I bought them from said that they'll stay tame as long as I don't breed them, so I didn't think there would be a problem keeping them together as long as I didn't have a nest box etc.

But I've just seen them mating. Will this definitely result in eggs? Will I need to buy a nest box for her to lay in? Apparently they are "this year's birds". Is she going to have complications from being too young?

And is it true that they won't be as tame anymore? I've been working with them loads

Thanks!

 

[ChristaNL]

Bird will change once they grow up anyway -- adults are usually a bit different than children.
(Kittens and cats are both adorable, just a bit different, so no worries, they might just stay verry nice.)
Just keep working with them... I think you will be okay!


Are they a (DNA-tested / visually) sexed pair?
(not sure what colouring yours have, usually you can easily tell the males/females apart)
Or just two birds living together?

If you give them a nestbox you will be stimulating nesting behaviour --and that also means: excluding non-partners and getting defensive about the nest place + partner + ( maybe) the entire cage (of even the space around it)

Whoops, mating could result in eggs (fertilized or not).
Make sure your birds have access to calcium to prevent issues with egglaying (cuttlefishbone will do for your size birds) and pay attention to their food.
What do you feed them?

If you get eggs: just boil them (10 minutes or so) let them cool a bit and put them back in the cage where you found them, do not throw them away -> parrots can count and they will keep laying eggs till they have a full clutch and only stop then.
(They are not chickens who were specifically bred to lay eggs for long periods of time, so they will get into trouble with their health eventually- you do not want that.)
Do not give them a nestbox- even if they start laying eggs.


==


Reading up a bit:

The Forpus c. will want to breed after 8 months of age anyway; breeders will not let them have a go at it untill they are at least 12 months old to prevent issues.
(Never breed very young birds- not good for their bodies)
So usually they are not presented with a mate till they are 1 year old.


It is a species that really is known as a problemfree and succesfull breeder. So do not freak out

 

[Flboy]

Welcome to you!

 

[Inger]

Welcome to the forums! I’m always excited to see another p’let parront here. There are several of us, but I seem to be the noisy one [emoji3526]

Whether you get eggs or not this time, you should probably consider separating them to avoid problems in the future. Breeding birds can be a recipe for disaster and heartache.


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[itzjbean]

Whether you get eggs or not this time, you should probably consider separating them to avoid problems in the future. Breeding birds can be a recipe for disaster and heartache.


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It's perfectly okay for a bonded pair to mate, separating them could cause stress on both so you can just throw away or boil any eggs laid.

That being said, the smaller parrots can be notorious for having urges to mate early (say at 6 months old) and can lay eggs, too, though they may be infertile.

Do NOT put in a nestbox unless you want babies! Just like a married couple it's perfectly normal for birds to mate. My cockatiel pair would mate once a week even without a nestbox in the cage and no eggs were laid until I put a nestbox in there (I have experience with raising them).

They can still live a happy life together, in the cage without reproducing and having babies. Yes they will mate, it's natural!

 

[EllenD]

I totally agree with Itzjbean, you certainly don't want your female to start laying eggs, because small birds like this tend to become chronic egg-layers, and they also lay large clutches, and this can be hard on them, but also you do not want any babies...Make sure that you have both a Cuttlebone and a Mineral Block inside the cage for your female, just in-case the eggs start...

NEVER put a nest-box inside for them!!! If you do happen to find an egg in the bottom of the cage, you simply remove it, boil it for 20 minutes, then put it right back on the bottom of the cage, and then you have to do this for each future egg laid. Do not add a nest-box or any nesting material like bedding, wood chips, etc. Just put the eggs right back on the bottom of the cage. She'll start laying on them once she lays at least 2-3 eggs, and once she realizes that they are not going to hatch she'll stop laying on them. At that point you remove them all and pitch them...But you must boil each individual egg she lays immediately so that they are no longer viable...And hopefully allowing her to lay on them until she gets bored with them and they don't hatch will curb the hormonal behavior...