BellaOnline Forums Home and Garden Birds worried about my female cockatiel.

hi all, im a bit worried about my female cockatiel poppy. she is in a cage with a male and he wants to mate all the time lol. but she doesnt seem intrested but still she has very lage droppings, there is nothing wrong with her diet whats wrong??? please help, michael <img src="/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

How old is she Michael? If she is less than 18 months, she is too young to mate (although that won't stop the male) and she could develop problems if she starts laying eggs this early.

thanks mavis poppy is 2 years old, any ideas?

Hey Michael - I am not well-educated on tiels, and I am sorry to hear of Poppy's problems. I had a thought that seems to be true with all creatures. The digestive tract is often the earliest to show symptoms of anxiety and stress. Are her droppings larger than they were before the addition of the male? Did the droppings change quickly or gradually? Would large droppings indicate constipation? I know with horses (LOL - yes a very large animal for an example, but it is my best comparison!), both anxiety and excitement causes frequent small loose poop, while inactivity and boredom can slow the GI tract and the horse poops in larger, drier piles less frequently than normal. Just a thought from the "poop perspective." (LOL)

I think I might consider removing her from the male's cage to keep an eye on her Michael. She could be stressed since you say he is after her so much. If she doesn't seem to be showing any interest in his advances, its quite possible that they haven't bonded & they won't be breeding. She may be just fine once she is away from the male's harassment. She may also be ill and since birds don't show illness until things are often quite serious, you might want to consider a trip to an avian vet if she doesn't perk up once she's away from him.

thanks 4 all of your replys, mavis as you said i should remove her but even when i take poppy out of her cage on her own she squeaks and squaks like mad when she is not with jazz (male cockatiel) im so confused <img src="/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" /> . and she seems alot better now but i need 2 no incase it happens again.

What about keeping them caged next to each other so she can get as close as she wants or move away as far as she wants? Perhaps that will allow companionship without the stressful chasing?