How to Get a Cockatiel to Stop Laying Eggs

With their unique and expressive crests, cockatiels are lively and colorful birds. Native to Australia, they've become a popular pet worldwide. In the wild, their main goal is to find a mate and lay eggs. In captivity this isn't so important. This propensity towards laying eggs, even with no mate present, can actually harm the bird, depleting her calcium levels and putting her at risk for being egg bound.

Instructions

1. Provide plenty of calcium. Even if you succeed in reducing your bird's egg laying, you may not be able to stop it completely. You need to ensure her calcium reserves are not depleted from making eggshells. Cuttlebone, greens (collard, turnip or mustard), dandelion, broccoli and kale are all good sources of calcium for your cockatiel.

2. Reduce the bird's exposure to sunlight to less than 10 hours a day. When the bird's instinct tells her that it's spring, she often lays eggs as a result. By keeping the sunlight under 10 hours, you may be able to fool the bird's inner calendar into thinking that it's winter.

3. Make the cage a less desirable nesting site. If the bird seems to be "courting" an object in the cage, remove it. Change the perches, toys or other furnishings around to disrupt the "nest." If you have an extra cage, house the bird in a completely different cage.

Tips & Warnings

• If her eggs are still intact, allow your cockatiel to sit on them for a couple weeks. This may satisfy her mothering instinct and give her the chance to reject the eggs herself. If you remove them immediately, it may trigger her instinct to replace the lost "offspring."