Rainbow, Myrtle & Cockatiels

[Pajarita]

Cockatiel parents take turns sitting on the eggs with, usually, the hen sitting during the night and the male replacing her in the morning so she can feed, water, fly a bit, etc. So what yours are doing is a natural behavior for them.

Don't get a dimmer, simply put a full spectrum light on the ceiling fixture and turn it off when the sun is halfway down to the horizon. A dimmer would only decrease the intensity, it would not change the spectrum - and it's precisely the different spectral distribution that happens during twilight that sets the internal clock.

[liz]

I have watch cockatiel parents and yes they do take turns. Years ago when Tommy was young he would take a toy with him when it was his turn to keep the eggs warm.

There are more than 2 cockatiels taking turns on the eggs. I have counted 5 cockatiels in rotation. Some times there are squabbles when they are not sure who's turn it is.

[liz]

The cockatiels are still taking turns sitting on the eggs. I thought by now they would have given up. With this many birds I will have to invest in fake eggs just in case I can't discourage them in the spring.

Myrtle has been spending time with Rambo in his room. They are quiet and I just don't trust quiet birds. I wonder what they are up to. Thursday I will string a rope across the room and hang some of her toys on it. Maybe Rambo will learn to play with toys again.

[liz]

I just found Retweet dead on the nest. I don't know what happened. He was roughed up and all I can think of is the others were trying to get him off the nest. He started trusting me faster than Tweet. I hate loosing him. I always feel guilty that I should have done something different. Maybe if I had taken the nest away he would not have died. It does not get any easier even when I have 15 it really hurts to loose Retweet.

[Wolf]

Am sorry to hear about Retweet, I know how hard it is to lose one of out babies. I wish there were something I could do to make it better, but I know I can't. Unless you have an autopsy performed you will not know the cause of death, but I would say that the others probably tried to get him to move after his death which accounts for his being a bit roughed up.

[liz]

Thank you.
I thought that could be the reason he was roughed up. All but my first four took turns setting on the nest. I took the nest away. None of the eggs were fertile anyways.
I wonder if he was a she and the one who has been laying the eggs.
Myrtle can read my emotions. She is on my shoulder doing her sweet baby talk and asking for tickles while preening my hair.

[Wolf]

Were there still the same number of eggs? If Retweet was the one laying and couldn't pass this last one you may be able to feel it in the abdomen.

[liz]

I should have thought to check for a lump but I did not.
It is a shame that not even being here a year we already have a cemetery started. Retweet is buried in the back yard with Bruce the 18 year old Norfolk terrier.

Retweet's family has suffered the most since we moved. Max somehow got loose with out me knowing it. By the time I counted he was just a tweet in the distance. I knew who it was because Jackie was staying near her kids, Tweet and Retweet. All that is left of that family is Jackie and Tweet. I feel so sorry for Jackie. I took her from a filthy cage in a corner with just seed to give her a better life. Other than healthy food, clean water and room to fly the only other thing that is good for her is that she is not the only single in the flock and she still has one kid.

[Wolf]

Oh, I would not be so sure about that if I were you, I think you are looking through the wrong eyes as even at this distance I see something far different than you describe.
All that she had before coming to you was a bad diet and a nasty, dirty cage in a corner. Now she has a good diet, clean water, room to fly, a flock, companions and you and you love her. She also has medical services if needed. There is really very little more than that we can give them. Most other things that we can offer to them they don't need, I mean like when was the last time she went and got her feathers dyed, or her nails painted or even went looking for a new hat or pair of shoes?

[Pajarita]

So sorry for your loss, Liz. Next time you find a dead one, please check the abdomen for an egg stuck in there, the keel bone to see if it had lost a lot of weight and the vent for diarrhea. Little else you can see without a necropsy but even this little bit helps because, if you see signs of diarrhea, you need to treat everybody with antibiotics, just in case; if you see acute weight loss, you need to watch all the others for a week or so to make sure it was not a contagious disease and, if you feel an egg, you need to re-evaluate the calcium and vit D3 supplementation.