I have a male who's ready and raring to go (birds and the bees wise), however the female just will not come into condition. Her cere is not even close to a chocolate brown. How much longer should I wait?

She's about 1.5 years old, and Ive seen on the ledge outside of the nestbox and also on top of it, but that's it.

The male feeds her and is very noisy, while she is quiet.

What do I do to get her into breeding mode?

If the male is feeding her and she's beginning to go down near the box then they'll probably get started pretty soon.

not all hens ceres will turn brown

Update: The female is regularly inside the nest box and her cere is darker, she is in condition.

Ive seen the male get one foot onto her back but the famale is not co-operating. She's not hollowing out her back like she's meant to. Will she not mate because I'm watching? She was acting weird today. Exploring the aviary like she was after something. She even flew down to the ground where she almost swallowed a pebble.

Should I be supplying them with anything in particular before they breed? They dont touch cuttlefish bone or egg+biscuit mix.

Give her time, the male's just a bit eager that's all. My budgies prefer an audience, so I don't think you'll put them off

I've noticed with mine, if the male doesn't feed the female fast enough, she will get mad and hack him away. It sometimes takes awhile for the boys to figure that part out. The male can sing his heart out, head bob all he wants, and do the beak tapping thing, but if he forgets the feeding part, forget it. You can watch the female beg for food, and if the male doesn't cooperate fast enough to suit her, she won't let him mate.

 

I don't know if that is the case with all birds, but it seems to be the deciding factor with mine. Has anyone else noticed that?

Edited July 26, 200519 yr by Rainbow

Typical males - trying to rush to the good bit Girls like them to take some time and do it right

I've noticed that too Rainbow! Budge would sit and head bop and sing and poor Razzo would just sit there begging desparately for food!