I have a male and female budgie (both adults) together in a cage. I have a nesting box, cuttlebone, vitamin supplements in their water and plenty of nesting material. The pair are together for a lot of the time. They feed each other and scratch each other's heads an chirp to each other a lot. They are not breeding though. They have only been together fora couple of weeks but the seem bonded. Is there any way that I can encourage them to breed

Edited April 18, 201312 yr by Butters720

Hi Butters720. Welcome to the forum! How much day light is your pair getting? As it is fall down there in Oz, you may need to add artificial lighting, to trick them into believing it is spring. They should have 12 or more hours of light. Also, what is their diet like? You may want to slowly introduce more fresh foods, so that they feel like they will have enough food supply for raising a clutch. If their food supply is scarce, they either won't go into breeding condition, or they may choose to raise only a small clutch, leaving any surplus chicks that hatch to starve.

yeah its getting pretty dark here early.

 

Not sure about Brisbane as thats below the elliptic. What are the day light hours like in brisbane? what time is the sun coming up and going down?

Thanks for all the tips. I am making sure the budgies are getting plenty of light and fresh veges. I think the pair may have mated though because they are staring to spend a lot of time around the nesting box and the male is aloways looking inside. I am a bit worried though because the female's cere is starting to get a lot paler and less crusty which I believe means she is getting out of breeding condition. is this a problem?

Edited April 21, 201312 yr by Butters720

Your set up sounds right, I'd leave it up to mother nature. They will breed when they are both in condition if everything else is right.

the hen isnt in breeding condition based on what you have said about the cere. The mistake many people make is thinking dark brown and crusty is breedng condition when in fact at that stage its tailing off breeding condition and at the stage where the dark brown peels off to reveal the white blue underneath of a hen not in breeding condition.

I suggest removal of the nest box and wait till his cere is bright cobalt blue and hers is medium biscuitty brown ( not dark and not crusty ) and be sure also that they arent moulting or about to moult

 

if ever in doubt post clear cere photos

Edited April 25, 201312 yr by **KAZ**

Thanks **KAZ** my hen is definitely going out of breeding condition. I was wondering if there is a way you can encourage them back into breeding condition and why do you take the nesting box out of the cage when the budgies are not in condition.

Edited April 26, 201312 yr by Butters720

you take the nestbox out becuase they will try and breed because its there....and if not in full breeding condition the attempt went go wrong

 

Breeding condition means everything is right with them....and thats food supply, health, time of year and not moulting etc...... they have to go through this and no you cant really shortcut it in any way