Update on Sunny and Aeros!

Sorry about not having been on in forever. I've been up to my eyeballs in work and getting a pen put up for my dogs in the yard.
Aeros has been doing very well with his noises. He now makes all of his sounds in front of me (all day and very loudly) so no more sleeping in late for me! He wolf whistles, calls the dogs (whistle), laughs, makes kiss noises and a few of his own things. I've heard him mumble hello a few times. and he ALWAYS wants to be out of his cage.

Sunny is still a pretty calm and quiet bird, at least until the past week. but I'll explain that in a minute. She has become bonded with my little sister and pretty much only likes for her to hold her.

Now for the biggest update! Sunny and Aeros have started breeding. This was not at all planned and we were unsure of Sunny's gender for a while because of her being a lutino. I'm not sure if they have successfully mated yet, but I got them a nesting box yesterday and put it in their cage. If anyone has any tips or suggestions to help me out (this is the first time I've had birds breed. Ive had kittens, puppies, bunnies and guniea pigs as newborns never a bird) I would greatly appreciate it!!! Also if anyone could direct me to a site or know of the possibly color mutations they may produce it I'd be very thankful!

Assuming the parents are just Normal Grey x Lutino, all offspring will be normal greys and all males will be split lutino. Sunny looks like a lutino pearl... so you'll still get the same results - except males will be split Lutino Pearl... and there was a possibility that she's cinnamon too, so add that on to the list of what the males would be split for.

Sunny is what, 7-9 months old? Max 10? She's far too young to breed! If you encourage her to breed, then she's going to have a higher chance of egg binding to occur because her body hasn't finished maturing yet - not to mention that she may be too young to be a "good mother" and raise her chicks if you have no plans on hand raising them.

And Aeros is how much younger?????



I'm sorry, but I can't suggest you allow your pair to breed. It would be like allowing pre-teens or very young teenage kids having kids!!!!!


So.... my suggestion? Take down that nest box until your hen is around 2 years old!!!! When she's that age she will be more mature, both mentally as well as physically.

Okay, thank you for the input. I had read somewhere that it was safe for them to breed at 8 months. Which Sunny is about 9 months and Aeros just hit 8 months. I'll remove the box. But they were attempting to breed even when there was no box. They were pulling the fibers off their rope swing and putting it in the bottom of the cage as a nest. That's why I decided to get the box.

I recommend you buy another cage and keep them seperate, at least until their older. Like MonicaMc said they are much too young. They can breed that young, but it doesn't mean they should.

Sounds like you need to rearrange the cage some!


I have heard of people breeding their parrots at a young age, but I just can't recommend it. Often times, first time parents *don't* make good parents. They might not keep the chicks warm enough, they might bury/suffocate the chicks, they might over feed them, they might pluck/mutilate them, not feed them enough, ignore them, etc.

Hens not on a good diet and ones that aren't flighted/are overweight have a higher chance of egg-binding, too. Flight and being in shape helps prevent egg binding as it's been shown that flight has a lot to do with the abdominal muscles that help to push the eggs out. Lack of calcium and vitamin D3 may also lead to soft shelled eggs. Seeds, pellets, fresh foods, *some* eggs, sprouted seeds, grains and legumes all help with being a part of a good diet!



If you don't have experience hand feeding chicks, I highly recommend to try and find someone who can mentor you, someone who could help hand raise the chicks if need be, and have a vet on hand who could help with any problems in the chicks!

If you are lucky, you'll end up with a great pair that knows how to raise their own chicks! But it's best to prepare for the worse and hope for the best!

Thanks again for your response. Separating them isn't an option, we tried that when we found out that sunny was a female and aeros started pulling his feathers out and thrashing around in his cage. so we put her back in and he was fine.

I leave all of my birds flighted and they get to stretch their wings almost everyday. (and they love it). I removed the box, so hopefully they will wait on their own. I have a family friend who has bred many different types of birds (one being cockatiels) and she knows how to hand feed. I also have an avian vet right down the road from me!

Then you'll be prepared for the future!


I didn't say you had to separate them (I know Copperarabian did), but if you do, it's best to put the cages right next to each other.

Yea, I had the cages next to each other but Aeros was still having a fit. After what you've said I'm hoping they will wait, if not a year then hopefully at least a few months. I'll be sure and keep you updated and ask if I have anymore questions!

they may mate, but doesnt always mean eggs. adding a box will encourage egg laying, but tiels do mate for the heck of it.

cover the cage 12-14 hours a night to trick them into thinking it's winter, dont give them a box or anything they can see as a nest, rearrange the cage frequently, prevent them from finding dark corners and spaces around your home, keep corners of the cage open and well lit, etc. stuff like that. it works for *most* birds.

i house my male and female together in the same cage. they mate occasionally, but they dont lay eggs--i use most of the above methods (i dont rearrange the cage too much as they like the layout, but i change it if i notice hormones get a little high)

Awesome. Thanks for the tips! I don't want them to breed until its healthy for them to. Last thing I want are unhealthy chicks or an egg bound Sunny.