Nesting?

[Ittibup]

Hi all, just wondering if you can give me some insight to Alex's behaviour?

She has taken a liking to a big cardboard box that we now keep in her aviary and she spends most of her time inside it, shredding and digging through the ripped up cardboard (which is great because while she's doing this, she's not doing her "siren sound"!)
I wonder though if she's nesting, because she sometimes makes a strange "meowing" sound when she's in her box.
We also have an old cat igloo that sits on top of her aviary, and she often makes this sound when she's hiding in there as well. At first I thought she was constipated or something!
Then yesterday she attacked my daughter when she went near the cage and bit her quite hard on the shoulder.

Do they lay eggs? Do you think she needs a mate? I'm still pretty new at all this as I've never had a bird before her. I want to make sure she's happy and have thought about getting a friend for her but not sure if she'd be happy with that or not!

Thanks guys

 

[ShellyBorg]

Please remove both boxes. This is causing her to go into "breeding" mode.

 

[Ittibup]

Oh dear... is that not good, does it cause her to be more aggressive?
I'll take them away if it's a bad thing.
Darn it - that box is her favourite thing in the world and keeps her so occupied! She doesn't play independantly so shredding it keeps her busy and happy I thought.

 

[ShellyBorg]

Yes, when hormones are up they cause aggressive behavior. They "protect" their nest sites. I have a TAG who loves boxes, but I can not give them to him as he will kill anyone/thing to protect it!

 

[ShellyBorg]

My quaker is not a toy bird and I can not give her any nesting type box. I do put treats in wadded up paper stuck in her cage wires to forage in and rip up, but I also pull the dead paper out a couple times a day, to keep her from nesting with it.

 

[Ittibup]

No worries, thanks for your help.
I think my daughter will be happy to see those boxes go, then!

 

[MarciaLove]

yes remove the boxes it is definitely putting her in nesting mood and she will be aggressive. Also dont get her a mate she will just become mean and you really need to do a lot of research on breeding birds not just jump into it.

 

[Ittibup]

Thank you - I'd never considered breeding, just wondering if it's company that she needs... but if she's in nesting mode, then I suppose breeding would follow if we got her a boyfriend!!
Thanks for the advice, guys

 

[Kalidasa]

Thank you - I'd never considered breeding, just wondering if it's company that she needs... but if she's in nesting mode, then I suppose breeding would follow if we got her a boyfriend!!
Thanks for the advice, guys

She could go into breeding mode if overly stimulated and lag eggs, mate or no. That in itself can become life-threatening, and it depletes the female's system a lot.

 

[Betrisher]

Remove the cat igloo by all means, but just redirect the behaviour with the cardboard. You could tear it up and hang bits of it in her cage so she can keep on shredding it.

 

[Ittibup]

Great idea, thanks Betrisher! She loves tearing up her cardboard, and I would hate to take away something that keeps her happy... and busy!! Will remove the shredded cardboard daily so she doesn't try and nest with it.