:ausb: Well, it has been a whole year since the craziness started, the bred without a nest box babies from the 2 clutches are still doing splendidly and I hear about them from time to time. Star, the mother, has been in my bedroom for over two months (awaiting adoption) and is doing just fine, NO eggs, NO destructive behaviour or ripping up paper and is enjoying the world from an excellent vantage point, she can watch birds, bunnies, and cars all day long, I try and visit as much as I can and give her a radio for company. She is looking very beautiful these days and chowing down on her vegetables, I get a bit worried about her as she doesn't seem to want to come out of her cage much for exercise but she still looks in good shape. Star sings away and doesn't seem to call to her mate, Comet all that much anymore. If I had left her with him she would still be laying eggs every two days but probably not, she most probably would have gotten eggbound by now.

 

In the meantime, Comet, her geriatric male companion, chooses to bug all the budgies (especially the females but bugging has no boundaries with him) he loves to bother my disabled female cockatiel. Thank goodness he ignores the lovebirds, maybe he realizes the consequences of being bitten.

 

So my question is this, could all this egg/breeding madness have come from Comet despite his advanced age? Star steadfastly sat on the eggs but after the babies were born, Comet came into play and madly raced around feeding, grooming and attending to Star and his kids. Did he egg poor Star into producing eggs she didn't want? Star never seemed particularly enamoured with her offspring but old Comet was in heaven.

 

I know they can never be in the same room again (tried that, different cages, different companions but no go) and that Star has to be the one for adoption as Comet is old, past the age that most budgies live, but WAS THE ALL THE BREEDING WITHOUT A NESTBOX ALL HIS FAULT?

 

Will be interested in the seasoned breeders responses as this is the season TO breed and Star is free and clear of all of it.

 

Edited May 23, 200619 yr by Phoebe

Well I told you my opinion, I said it was Comet's fault and not just because he is a man because he sounds like the initiator. It will be interesting to see what others say. :ausb:

i agree, its all poor old comets fault!

:ausb: Maybe that's why he ended up in a rescue, there were absolutely no details on him except his age and to label him as "Casanova" would have nobody adopting him! And to think I thought I was setting him up in his "retirement" home.

 

(And I would add that Star's cere is a perfectly normal color now, it was always ON for breeding when she was caged with Comet).

Edited May 23, 200619 yr by Phoebe