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1
Check the cockatiel's age. If the cockatiel is a normal gray, and it does not have the bright yellow face by the time it is maybe a year old or so, after its first moult, then it is a female and will soon start laying.
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Step 2
If your bird is a pied or lutino, and in some cases, a pearl, then check for vocalizations. A male bird is often very inclined to whistle songs that it hears, such as Twisted Nerve from Kill Bill or the Andy Griffith Show theme. Females usually don't do that because for cockatiels, whistling is often a mating song.
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Step 3
Listen for a sort of warbling/squawking sound, and see if your bird is walking on the perch or sitting in its water dish with its butt up. That is the female mating call.
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Step 4
Be prepared for aggression - your usually friendly, docile pet will suddenly start charging at your hand with an angry squawk and bite.
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Step 5
Watch for nesting behavior - your cockatiel might be sitting in the corner of the cage with her butt up against it. That is her nest. If she were to be allowed out of her cage, she would probably look for a dark little spot in a bookshelf or an empty box.
1
Check the cockatiel's age. If the cockatiel is a normal gray, and it does not have the bright yellow face by the time it is maybe a year old or so, after its first moult, then it is a female and will soon start laying.
#
Step 2
If your bird is a pied or lutino, and in some cases, a pearl, then check for vocalizations. A male bird is often very inclined to whistle songs that it hears, such as Twisted Nerve from Kill Bill or the Andy Griffith Show theme. Females usually don't do that because for cockatiels, whistling is often a mating song.
#
Step 3
Listen for a sort of warbling/squawking sound, and see if your bird is walking on the perch or sitting in its water dish with its butt up. That is the female mating call.
#
Step 4
Be prepared for aggression - your usually friendly, docile pet will suddenly start charging at your hand with an angry squawk and bite.
#
Step 5
Watch for nesting behavior - your cockatiel might be sitting in the corner of the cage with her butt up against it. That is her nest. If she were to be allowed out of her cage, she would probably look for a dark little spot in a bookshelf or an empty box.