Mating Question???

[angelbaybz69au]

Hi all, I have a male cockateil who i'm pretty sure is about 5 years old now ive had him since he was about 6 months.
He was plucking out his feathers and made an absolute mess of himself about a month ago, but has since stopped that and let them grow back and he is now looking beautiful again.
Last night i had him out of his cage ( as he is tame) and he was sitting on my finger singing and giving me kisses when all of a sudden he started hopping from foot to foot, then started swinging his tail and bum from side to side really fast for a few minutes. after that he was trying to pull my finger in closer to him and then started making a "humping" motion on my finger i was just wondering was he trying to mate with my finger? or was he just showing affection?
Im not sure as this is the FIRST time i have seen him do this but im guessin now that is why he was plucking as he does not have a female to mate with and was frustrated? am i right? should i get a female and let them mate or keep him on his own? hes been on his own for 5 years...
thanks heaps any advice would be much appreciated

[Monica]

Sounds like he was possibly plucking due to sexual frustrations, and it does sound like he was masturbating/mating with your hand...

Cockatiels, if on healthy diets can live 15+ years so he's still quite young. If you were to get a female cockatiel, of breeding age, are you prepared for possible egg-binding??? Chronic egg laying??? Possibly broken eggs or dead chicks??? Would you be prepaired to raise the chicks yourself in an emergency??? Do you have the space and room for another cage to keep the chicks in, and willing to find apropriate homes for the chicks once they are weaned??? If you really want to breed, and don't mind all the extra things that might and could happen, then go ahead, but be responsible and learn as much as you possibly can before even thinking about it.

If you don't want to breed, though still feel best that your cockatiel may be better off with bird companionship, get another male cockatiel, or another bird about his size (grass 'keets, small conures....), and let them become friends (if that's possible between the two). Having two birds instead of one could be a good thing if you end up being away from home for quite a few hours during the day and can't interact with them while you are gone...

I've had my female cockatiel since she was around 6 months old, and she'll be 3 years old this coming month, I believe... I haven't had any bad problems with her (besides an oil incident which she recovered 100% from), and she lives with Noel, which is a conure... They get along great together, and share a special bond... Truthfully though, I believe that most birds should be kept in pairs (whether same sex or opposite, and whether or not the same species), if not flocks.

If you are to get another bird, are you able to take care of two in two different cages??? Will you be able to support both and give both attention??? If you can, then I say go for it!!! (that is, if you are interested)

[angelbaybz69au]

Thankyou for your reply Monica, it was much appreciated, I didnt realise there was so much work involved with breeding birds, as I have never done it before.
I was thinking about getting a Blue Indian ringneck as i have fallen in love with them, but it would have to go in a seperate cage as my male is a bit territorial over his cage even when i put my hand in to grab his food bowls he will have a go at me. But he is fine once out of his cage ( he is tame btw)
so i guess they would have to get used to each other before they could interact without the cages between them. If i do get another bird, I want a baby would my male get along with a baby better than an adult?

[Monica]

Breeding birds usually will take up most of your day, if you are a large breeder, and even being a small breeder, there are many things still one has to do, and many people think it's an "Easy Money" type of thing (such a pitty to those who think it is).

Anyway, talking about indian ringnecks, they are usually larger than cockatiels, and with larger beaks can end up doing a lot of harm to a cockatiel, especially an adult that is not used to being around smaller birds. If you got a baby, you may have a chance to some day have him interact with your cockatiel, though always best to let them have their own cages/toys, etc.

Having to do with your cockatiel, he may or may not learn to be able to interact with another bird not of his own species, and with a baby, he would be the boss, and could frighten a youngling. If it was an adult bird, then the two could have a fight, with one loosing and in bad condition. He may or may not be able to interact with an indian ringneck, it depends on him, and the bird that you do get...

I've been in a similar situation a couple years ago, except with a young cockatiel (approximately 6 months old), and a new bird, a cherry head conure, was atleast 6 years old (she's gotta be 9+ years old now). I had Casey first, a couple months before I got Noel. When Casey first set eyes on Noel, the only thing she wanted to do was be with Noel and not leave her side. Noel at first didn't want to have anything to do with Casey and would "mock bite" at Casey to try to get her to go away. With Casey's persistance, and my supervision, they ended up sharing cages, becoming friends, and being best buddies, and Noel would most likely not be as content and happy now if it were not for Casey's help.

I'm just saying that there is a chance that if you got another bird, even if it may be an indian ringneck, the two birds may form a friendship bond, or your cockatiel may reject the new bird. Getting a larger bird, such as an indian ringneck can cause problems for your cockatiel, though it depends on the two birds and if they want eachothers companionship or not...

If you really love indian ringnecks, then I'd suggest you go out, find some breeders, and pick out a handreared baby!!! I've fallen in love with the blue ones as well!!! LOL I just don't think I'll be able to get one within the next 5 years or so though... LOL, well, I've fallen in love with many different species of parrots!

Well, good luck in your decision, and if you end up getting a second bird, good luck with your new baby! Have fun!