Breeding parrots is a difficult but interesting activity. These pets are known for their fidelity to their partner and can be considered the standard of love in the world of birds. That’s why it’s so interesting to watch bird families, their mating games and the touching nursing of their babies.

How parrots reproduce in captivity, and what is required from the owner for successful breeding of birds, we will consider in detail in this article.

Reproduction at home: pros and cons

Breeding parrots can be for fun or as a business idea, that is, for the purpose of making a profit.

Pros and cons of breeding parrots at home

In both cases, this is a fascinating activity that requires a responsible attitude and patience on the part of the bird owner. You need to carefully weigh the pros and cons before you seriously engage in breeding work.

If we compare breeding parrots with raising other birds, such as pheasants, quails or chickens, the variety of species makes them more versatile. The size of many of them allows you to keep pets in a city apartment without the need to live in a rural area.

The high cost of exotic birds can be considered a plus. And cheaper types pay off due to the high demand for them. We are also pleased with the fertility of parrots, which retain the ability to reproduce all year round. Igor Ignatenkov

The favorites of small and medium-sized species are especially good at this, for example, wavy birds, cockatiels, and lovebirds. Difficulties may arise with large birds, the breeding of which requires certain skills and living conditions.

It is also worth noting the amazing intelligence and friendly nature of the pets, working with which will bring a lot of joy to their owner.

How do parrots reproduce?

The disadvantages include the noisiness of birds. Some species emit sharp, unpleasant screams, which is why not every person can tolerate being in their proximity.

Before you start breeding parrots, you need to take into account the time costs of maintaining them. Bird breeding can be done by people who are willing to devote enough energy to caring for their pets.

It is necessary to maintain cleanliness in the cages, feed and water pets on time, educate, train them, and treat sick individuals. When the chicks appear, the parrots will require even more care. You will also need to take care of the future fate of the kids and find them a new home.

How to prepare for bird mating?

Optimal time for reproduction

In captivity, birds are ready to breed almost all year round. From March to October there is more light, warmth, greenery and fruit, so these months are considered the best for breeding.

The right time for breeding

A direct incentive for mating and procreation is the presence of a natural hollow. In captivity, it is replaced by a special nest box.

Thanks to this, the owner can control the breeding process of parrots and stimulate it at the most appropriate time of the year.

Know! Babies born in winter grow up weakened or with developmental defects due to the vitamin-depleted diet of their parents.

The age of the bird must also be taken into account. Elderly or too young individuals lay unfertilized eggs and hatch sick chicks with various developmental defects.

Small parrots are not allowed to breed before twelve months, and medium ones are not allowed until two years. Birds of large species reach sexual maturity at the age of three.

Mating and nursing chicks requires a lot of effort from parents, and laying eggs is a serious test for the body. Therefore, only a fully mature, healthy, well-fed female parrot is ready to reproduce.

When should you breed parrots?

Formation of a couple

Parrots form pairs for life. Some species do not look for a replacement for their companion even after his death. Therefore, it is necessary to take a responsible approach to the formation of a bird union at home.

If your pets live in a herd, note individuals that stick together and groom each other. Mated parrots may begin to chase other inhabitants of the cage, which also indicates readiness for nesting.

During the breeding season, they are placed in a separate cage and a nest box is attached there. Birds of medium and large species usually breed only in aviaries.

Artificially united pairs of birds may not begin to reproduce offspring for many years, even if all the necessary conditions are present. Sometimes the birds immediately begin to quarrel.

Then they are separated and put in different cages, which are placed next to each other. After about two weeks, the couple is reunited again, but in a different cage that is unfamiliar to them. If the feud continues, then one of the individuals is replaced.

Making a pair of parrots

The greatest problems with the formation of pairs of parrots arise when breeding large species. This is due to weak sexual dimorphism, when it is extremely difficult to determine the sex of a bird without special analyzes and DNA tests.

Remember! Inbreeding should be avoided. Such a union may produce sick and non-viable offspring.

Additional terms

Conditions for breeding

Before breeding parrots in captivity, three conditions must be met.

1. Daylight hours should be long. For most species during the nesting period it is about 15 hours. Its duration should be increased gradually, adding an hour and a half for ten days.
2. Properly formulated diet. In the wild, an abundance of food is a sign of the most favorable time for reproduction, a signal for the beginning of the mating season. Therefore, pets need a varied diet with sufficient vitamins and minerals.
3. "Nesting landscape". Without a device that replaces a natural hollow, it will not be possible to breed parrots in captivity.

Conditions for breeding parrots

Depending on the breed, additional conditions may be required. Thus, to breed medium-sized parrots, you need an aviary, preferably located in the open air, and some species of birds also require increased air humidity and a source of artificial lighting.

Parrot diet

During the period of incubation of eggs and nursing of chicks, new parents need to be fed. After about two weeks, an egg-carrot mixture and cottage cheese are added to the diet. Many breeders give their female dogs a roll soaked in milk. It is an additional source of calcium and energy. During the laying period, birds need to consume more greens, sprouted grains, vegetables and fruits.

Necessary nesting accessories

A special box or nest is installed in the cage.

When choosing an accessory, you need to take into account the type and size of your pets. The height at which the device is suspended depends on these factors. Depending on the design of the cage, it is attached inside or outside.

Nesting accessories required

The sizes of artificially created nests for different species of parrots are shown in the table.

Parrot species	Diameter of the tap hole or manhole, cm	Internal dimensions, cm
		Nest house		Duplyanka
		Height, cm	Floor size, cm	Height, cm	Diameter, cm
Wavy	5	20	15x15	26	16
Lovebird	6	25	17x17	30	17
Flat-tailed	7	35	25x25	35	25-30
Ringed	8	35	25x25	35	20-30
Nandaya, Yendaya and Alexandrian	9	45	40x40	45	40
Small species: cockatoos, amazon and grays	10	70	50x50	70	50
Large species: cockatoo, macaw	20	100	70x70	100	70

Preparing to create a nest

Nest houses are made from dry boards, and the nest box is made from a section of a hollow tree trunk. A hole is made at the bottom for masonry. Its depth is necessary so that the eggs do not roll out and the embryos do not die. The bottom size is needed no smaller than that indicated in the table, otherwise the growing chicks may crush each other.

Dry sawdust is used as bedding. When keeping flocks, the number of devices for breeding birds should be slightly greater than the number of pairs, so that the birds do not fight for space.

Lovebirds build real nests in the wild, so they don’t need a hole in the floor or sawdust. However, several holes with a diameter of 6-8 mm are drilled in the bottom of the box for air circulation.

How does the courtship ceremony take place in birds?

A well-chosen pair exhibits behavior characteristic of displaying birds. The male gently pulls the feathers of his chosen one, making stealing sounds, and often feeds her from his beak.

Parrot courtship ceremony

The friend bows her head favorably in response and sits with half-closed eyelids. Birds kiss regularly and may dance and act in funny ways.

For example, the unusual mating behavior of arar in one of the zoos is described. In addition to the courtship above, the birds took turns lying on their backs, playfully pushing each other with their paws, running around with a nut in their beaks, and trying to take it away from each other.

Egg laying and incubation

Disinfection

Before the start of the nesting season, parrots are removed from the cage and subjected to thorough cleaning and disinfection. The procedure must be repeated after each hatching of the chicks, when they have already left the house.

While nursing the babies, the nest box is cleaned once a week, replacing the sawdust with new ones. However, there are birds that react painfully to this and may even abandon their clutch or brood. Such birds should not be disturbed again until the young birds fly out.

Determination of egg quality

A fertilized egg is usually identified by its appearance. Its shell is matte, grayish-white. Unfertilized - yellowish, sometimes simply spotted, shiny.

Incubation period for budgie eggs

In wavy birds, the chicks hatch on the 18-19th day after the female begins incubating the eggs. In other species this happens later. For example, for lovebirds and cockatiels - after 21-22 days, and for rosella - after 22-23. In large birds, the incubation period can reach 30 days.

Caring for chicks

The chicks need to be fed, then taught to feed themselves, and also work on their socialization so that they become good companions for their future owner.

After hatching, the babies have an unattractive appearance: naked, blind, with a large head and long neck. They are completely unable to take care of themselves and will quickly die without outside help.

Sometimes parents abandon their brood and even harm their own offspring. Then the orphaned chicks are placed in the nests of other pairs of parrots or fed from a syringe.

To obtain tame pets, from about 10 days after hatching, well-fed babies are taken from the house for 3-5 minutes. Gradually, the time of contact with a person is increased to a quarter of an hour.

When can chicks be separated from their parents?

Young individuals are transplanted separately after they eat food on their own or adults begin to drive them away from the house. Chicks of large parrots fly out of the nest at the age of three months, and small ones - 30-50 days after hatching. For some time they continue to receive food from their parents, mainly from the male.

Independence begins two to three weeks after leaving the nest box or nest box. For arara, cockatoos, Amazons and Grays, this moment may happen later. If the feathered babies stop being fed before they learn to get food on their own, they must be supplemented by hand.

Possible mistakes

Beginning hobbyists, and sometimes even an experienced breeder, may encounter a number of problems when breeding birds. Errors occur when selecting a pair and determining the sex of birds, preparing the diet of pets, and creating conditions for reproduction.

Below are the most common reasons for unsuccessful breeding of parrots

1. A pair of birds are constantly quarreling. This behavior is possible if the birds in the cage are of the same sex, or one of the individuals has been kept alone for a long time, or the pets simply do not “like” each other.
2. Showing and even mating are observed, but parrots do not lay eggs. It is likely that both individuals are males or one of the birds is immature.
3. The female sits on the eggs, but the chicks do not hatch. This phenomenon occurs when the eggs are unfertilized, the parents are too old or infertile, or both parrots are female.
4. The brood dies. The reason may be the loss of parental instincts in birds, when they do not feed their babies or even deliberately injure them. It is possible that the body of the breeding birds is exhausted. This happens if the brood is already the fourth or more this year. Some species are also predisposed to such behavior, for example, the Czech parrot.

Why there may be frozen or unfertilized eggs

The reason for this may be old age or infertility of the birds, as well as incorrect selection of a pair consisting of two females. The death of embryos occurs when there is a shallow hole at the bottom of the nesting house or nest box or when the shell is contaminated.

Your rating is very important to me

Sweet couple. Budgies are ideal as a pet species. They are trainable, unpretentious and live a long time at home.

It is not surprising that, having become attached to a parrot, the owner wants to get a small likeness of the pet. The desire can be realized, just listen to the recommendations.

In their natural habitat, parrots breed all year round. Warm weather and long daylight hours encourage constant reproduction of offspring. How to make budgies reproduce? Subject to the laws of nature, birds at home have every chance of successful reproduction, subject to several rules:

Summer is considered the best period for breeding. In winter and early spring, birds suffer from vitamin deficiency or undergo molting. The lack of green food and ultraviolet radiation makes the pet weak and lethargic.

Offspring conceived at such a time are underdeveloped or die in the egg. Therefore, breeding is planned when the sun has been at its zenith for a long time and there are enough vitamin products to support the body during the period of laying and incubating eggs.

In autumn and winter, reproduction is possible if additional lighting is used to artificially extend the day to 16 hours and maintain a mandatory temperature of 20°C.

These simple rules apply to those pets that have reached a certain age and are capable of breeding chicks. On the contrary, if the pets have not reached puberty or have reached old age, there is no need to create such conditions.

It is known that Budgerigars at 5-7 months are considered sexually mature. However, despite early development, the internal organs are not fully formed, so individuals over one year of age are allowed to reproduce. Peak fertility occurs after two years of age and continues until the age of four.

A pair of parrots can raise 2-3 broods in a year with moderate production of offspring. Reproductive capacity lasts up to nine years, if you keep the bird at the proper level.

We are preparing housing

Curiously, the appearance of a nesting house in a cage is considered a signal for parrots to reproduce. As soon as the couple examines the home from all sides, tastes the beak and approves, the period of courtship begins. Specialized stores sell two types of houses: those made of artificial materials and those made of wood.

Plastic nests are not cozy, not durable and not practical. Wooden houses have good heat transfer and a texture that is comfortable for parrots. There are three types of ready-made nests:

If desired, a nesting house can be made with your own hands. You will need two boards measuring 20*20 cm for the side walls, four boards 25*20 cm wide and high, two door hinges, self-tapping screws, a drill, a jigsaw and a screwdriver.

The boards must be well dried and treated to remove roughness and nicks.

Procedure:

1. In the board intended for the bottom, make a 1-2 cm depression in the center for laying eggs.
2. In the façade board in the upper corner, at a distance of 3 cm from the ceiling and wall, a taphole with a diameter of 5 cm is cut out. A step 3 cm high and 6 cm wide is nailed under it from the inside out.
3. A hole is drilled between the entrance and the step for the perch. On the outside the perch protrudes 10 cm forward, from the inside by 1.5 cm.
4. The side walls, front, rear wall and bottom are fastened with self-tapping screws every 10 cm.
5. The lid is fixed on the door hinges on one side for ease of cleaning.

You will need sawdust for your home. Sawdust from fruit trees mixed with chamomile flowers is poured into the bottom in a 1 cm layer.

Often the nest is installed outside the cage, using the door as an entrance to the entrance. The decision is made by saving space inside the home. In general, this approach is not considered correct. The female sitting on the eggs is calmer if she hears the movements of her partner in the same territory.

Starting a family

Equally important is the selection of a pair. By nature, parrots are monogamous, If sympathy happens, it lasts throughout life. It has been noticed that in wild conditions it is the female who initiates the acquaintance with the future partner.

If the owner has an adult parrot, then a young female four months old is selected to create a bird family. As the female grows up, the pair will become friends, and the female will not show aggression towards her partner.

If the owner has a sexually mature female, then an experienced male is purchased for company. In this case, the female's dominance will be muted. After purchase, the parrots are kept in different cages. If the birds show interest in each other, after a few days the newcomer is placed with the old-timer.

If the owner gets a pair of parrots, it is important to make sure that the pets are not related. Mating is possible, but, unfortunately, there is a high probability of genetic abnormalities in the offspring.

Courtship ceremony

Acquaintance. Mating games in an established pair of budgerigars begin during a surge in hormones. It can be observed by the change. In the male it becomes an intense blue color, in the female it is brown, slightly increased in size.

The behavior of parrots is changing. The partner actively courtes, chirps, often nods his head and tries to feed his partner. If the female shows her location, the male begins to tap his beak on objects in the cage and on the female’s beak.

If the female takes part in mating games and waits for her partner to feed her, then the couple is considered settled. The duration of mating games depends on temperament partners. The main sign of readiness for reproduction is the moment when the female begins to throw sawdust out of the nest.

Intimate moment: mating

When the male's mating behavior becomes pronounced, mating begins. The act is quick and often the owner does not notice the actions of the pets. Usually the female, offering herself, spreads out to a horizontal position. The partner sits on her back, hugging her with his wings and fertilizes. Depending on the physiological state of the pet, fertilization ends the first time, but sometimes it takes up to several weeks.

Curiously, for successful mating, 2-3 weeks before the act, the bird should fly for a long time. During walks, their metabolism increases, their muscles strengthen and their appetite increases.

From egg to chick

The female lays from 3 to 10 eggs. Upon successful fertilization the first egg appears in the clutch after 18 days, This is how long the incubation period lasts. Sometimes fertilization fails, and the first egg appears six months later. Each new egg is hatched every other day.

The number of eggs varies, from three to ten pieces, usually 5-6. In young individuals, the number of eggs is minimal, in females with experience - more. As soon as 2-3 eggs appear, the female prepares to hatch. The partner continues to care for the female, feeds her, but does not participate in incubation.

Newborn chicks bear little resemblance to their parents. The offspring, blind and bare-skinned, lie on their backs for the first three days. After a week, the eyes open, and after ten days the first signs of plumage appear.

At two weeks the parrot is covered with fluff. and its flight and tail feathers are formed. By three weeks the pet is considered mature. After about a month, the chicks leave the nesting house, and after a couple of days they are moved to a separate home.

Risks and failures

It happens that owners dream of offspring from their pets, but time passes, and the treasured egg never appears. Why don't budgies reproduce? What mistakes were made?

It happens that the clutch contains unfertilized eggs. If there are two or three of them with a large number, then most likely the female was not able to warm it up completely. The reason may also be the female’s inability to hatch eggs, genetic incompatibility, or inappropriate temperature and humidity in the room.

Chronic and infectious diseases in pets are a common factor.

In fact, breeding budgies is a simple task. The main task of the owner remains the creation of the necessary conditions, enhanced feeding and hygiene.

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In contact with

Such a natural process as the reproduction of budgerigars at home does not always go well. People who are passionate about breeding cannot do without theory. The breeder must know how to choose a pair of birds and what conditions are required for successful breeding. In addition, you need to be able to care for parrots so that the whole family is healthy. If the owner is ready to go through this difficult path, he can begin equipping the cage.

Conditions for reproduction

It is advisable for a breeder who decides to breed budgerigars to have several pairs. This will allow, in case of possible problems with the chicks or clutch, to save the offspring and preserve the health of the adults.

Right to breed

Breeding budgerigars at home is not regulated by law; anyone can do it. But to officially register his activities, the breeder must have a license, which is issued by the Society of Bird Lovers. A person needs to confirm that he has knowledge about the breeding and maintenance of budgerigars.

It is the responsibility of veterinarians to check birds for psittacosis. This viral infection can infect not only animals and birds, but also humans. If the test does not reveal this disease, the owner receives official permission for breeding. He is given permanent rings containing information about the breeder, the serial number of his bird, the date and time of registration. During disease outbreaks, this makes it easier to track the location of parrots.

Choosing the right pair

To get healthy offspring, you need to organize the correct selection of a pair of wavy birds. They must be from different parents to prevent the development of genetic diseases in the chicks. How to understand that a male and a female are suitable for each other?

Both parrots should be healthy, active and well-fed. Weak or elderly birds often lay unfertilized eggs. Puberty of females occurs in the second year of life. In males, this period begins a little earlier, from ten months of age. The peak of fertility in wavy birds is observed at the age of 2–4 years. Although parrots breed up to 10 years old.

Wavy cats are liked by their owners due to their funny character, curiosity, bright appearance, as well as the ability to imitate their voice and even pronounce words. Many owners understand how much these birds love the company of their own kind, so they do not want to condemn them to loneliness.

But when buying another parrot of the opposite sex, not every responsible owner understands that sooner or later the budgerigars will breed, and this process often requires responsibility and compliance with the right conditions.

The main mistake novice breeders make is that they buy a pair of wavy, thinking that this is enough. But keeping two birds in a cage is sometimes not enough; they may simply not like each other. And then you won’t get any offspring from them.

There may be several reasons:

• the male is much younger than the female;
• non-compliance with dating rules;
• the female does not like her partner, she can easily accept advances, but with closer contact she hits and drives away the male;
• tight cage.

As you can see, conditions greatly affect fertility and the ability to reproduce. Unlike people who are able to huddle in a one-room apartment with two children, a cat and a dog, wavy animals take a very responsible approach to both choosing a partner and living conditions.

How can you tell if parrots like each other? As a rule, mutual sympathy is visible with an armed glance. If a pair simply tolerates each other, they rarely interact, each sits on his own perch, and they never eat from the same feeder.

If parrots are in love, they usually spend time together:

• sitting side by side;
• finger each other's feathers;
• constantly kiss and make chirping sounds;
• build a nest together.

A good age for a young couple to breed is 1.5 years. In the wild, wavy birds can mate earlier, however, at home, everything is completely different. If the female is younger than a year, she may die while laying eggs. In good conditions, these birds can reproduce up to 7 years, but the older the female, the smaller the offspring and the higher the load on the body. Therefore, it is better to stop breeding at 6 years of age.

Also, a prerequisite for breeding budgerigars is an opposite-sex couple. It sounds funny, of course, but very often, instead of a male, another representative of the fair sex is bought for a female by mistake.

By the way, in ladies' society, they are very aggressive towards each other. But two males can get along well if they don’t have a female in their immediate environment.

The sex of a budgerigar can be determined by its wax and at the age of 3-4 months. Before this, almost all individuals have a light blue or light pink “nose”. An important condition for selecting a couple is the absence of their relationship. If close relatives mate, the offspring are often defective.

Dating rules

When you have bought a new pet as a mate for an existing bird, it is important to observe the introduction ceremony. Under no circumstances should a new parrot be allowed into the old parrot's cage immediately. Firstly, you need to endure quarantine.

This is important for two reasons:

• exclude disease in a newly arrived bird (often the incubation period lasts from 7 to 21 days);
• Allow the budgie to adapt to new conditions.

You also need to combine the birds gradually. After the quarantine has been completed, place the cages in one room and watch the budgies.

If they show interest in each other, then you can let them fly, so to speak, create conditions for getting to know each other on neutral territory. As soon as the birds start visiting each other, you can try to unite the couple.

This entire process must be supervised. If a couple has fights and quarrels, then perhaps these are unsuitable partners.

But if the couple matches, then their union is very strong, budgerigars show care for each other and always have a difficult time experiencing separation. In this case, you can move on to the next period and start making a nest.

Preparing the nest

In order for breeding at home to be successful, it is necessary to create conditions close to natural conditions for parrots.

A well-chosen pair is, of course, the lion’s share of successful offspring, but wavy birds also need to be provided with these points:

• nutritious diet (rich in green foods, calcium and protein);
• long daylight hours, at least 16 hours (ensures good fertility in both budgies);
• air temperature no more than 30 degrees and no less than 20;
• Of course, you will need a nest, since in the wild the females hatch their chicks in tree hollows.

Budgerigars reproduce when their cage is equipped with a house where the female will hatch the eggs.

The nest can be vertical or horizontal, however, experienced breeders advise making it horizontal and with a thicker bottom. Also, there should be a recess for the testicles so that they do not roll out, and there should be enough space for the couple so that the male can feed his girlfriend.

A few weeks before the nest is installed in the cage, it is necessary to give the birds more protein food: an egg mixture with semolina, carrots, herbs, fruits, and vegetables. Also, the cage must have chalk and crushed eggshells.

Reproduction of birds at home is slightly different from how it happens in nature. Wavys are flocking birds and living in the company of the same pairs, they are more likely to have offspring.

There is no need to let the birds out during the mating period; this can delay the process by several months. At this time, the couple is focused on each other and shows their partner a lot of attention.

As soon as the female finishes putting things in order in the nesting area (and she can not only drag leaves and twigs there, but also throw out everything she doesn’t like), the process of reproduction begins. They reproduce until all the eggs in the female are fertilized.

Signs of a close clutch include plucking feathers around the cloaca, an increase in body weight, the tummy becomes larger and an egg is clearly visible in it. Before the nest is filled with eggs, fertilizing should be removed from the diet, otherwise the number of eggs will be large and the quality of the clutch will not be very good.

Young females usually produce 5 to 10 eggs. There is a clear division of labor in the pair: the male feeds the young mother, and her concern is incubating the young. After 15-20 days, the testicles begin to crack and tiny budgerigar chicks emerge from them.

Caring for chicks

Babies are born blind and weak, they have a long neck, a large head, and a completely naked body. The eyes open only after 6-7 days, and a meaningful look appears around 9-10 days.

The young grow very quickly and after 3 weeks they already have the full appearance of adult wavy birds. By breeding these birds at home, you can get completely tame parrot chicks.

You can remove the nesting box after 2 weeks, immediately after the chicks begin to eat softened grains. This is done so that the male does not fertilize the female again; her body must rest and recover after hatching the babies.

Due to the fact that these species have been kept in artificial conditions for decades, they are not as demanding on the conditions necessary for reproduction as other species of parrots, especially those that began to breed in captivity relatively recently. The fact that the process of domestication in the above species is progressing can be judged by the large number of color variants and mutations currently known. Despite this, there are several absolutely necessary conditions, without the creation of which one cannot count on success in breeding even these species of parrots. These conditions should also be observed when breeding other species of parrots, making certain changes depending on the problem of breeding a particular species in artificial conditions. For budgerigars of the specified species, lovebirds and cockatiels, three basic conditions necessary for successful reproduction must be met - sufficient daylight hours, the presence of a suitable sized cage and nesting house, and proper feeding. However, these conditions apply only to a pair of birds that have reached a certain age necessary for reproduction. They should not be created for birds that have not reached sexual maturity or, conversely, have lost the ability to reproduce due to age. For these species, the most suitable age for reproduction is from one year to 8-9 years. Birds younger and older than this age should not be allowed to breed, because their offspring may turn out to be weakened or defective. Preparing birds for breeding in artificial conditions should begin with lengthening the daylight hours.

The size of the cell is also of great importance. Naturally, the larger the cage, the better the feathered friend feels. But not all people have the opportunity to keep birds in suitable apartments: there is not enough space in the apartment, there is not enough money to buy a large cage, etc. Many people buy a small cage, citing the fact that they will let their pets fly around the apartment more often. Any situation can be understood, but in this case you should not even think about divorcing the couple. Parrots in small families breed extremely rarely! The couple's cage should be at least 60 cm long and 40 cm wide and high, preferably rectangular in shape. Having acquired a good cage and being fully prepared to overcome all obstacles, you can proceed to the most important thing.
The process of breeding parrots can be divided into several stages:
-Selection of a pair.
-Making and hanging nesting boxes.
-Anxious anticipation of the first testicles.
-Care for the nest and the pair during incubation and feeding of the chicks.
- Removal of young parrots.
Selection of a pair. If you want to get good strong offspring, the parents must be appropriate. The sex of parrots is determined by the color of the wax - the skin at the base of the beak. In females it is brown or white, in males it is bright blue. The sex can be most accurately determined at 3-4 months; in younger birds, the wax is just beginning to color, and mistakes are possible even among experienced breeders. Some owners immediately purchase a pair of parrots. In this case, you need to make sure that they are from different parents. Brother and sister cannot be divorced, as there is a high probability of hereditary diseases and anomalies in the offspring. Therefore, for breeding, it is better to purchase birds from a breeder than from a pet store, since in the latter case you will not know anything about the origin of the birds. As a last resort, you can buy parrots at various pet stores. Other owners do not immediately come to the decision to get offspring, but buy a pair for the parrot they already have. This option is a little more complicated than the first. Firstly, it is advisable to keep the new bird in quarantine for a month. This is necessary to prevent possible infectious diseases; in addition, the bird must survive stress after transportation and adapt to new conditions. When placing a new parrot in a cage, it is advisable to exercise some caution. In most cases, parrots are very friendly towards their new neighbor, but there are cases of fights and even fatalities. Therefore, first it is better to place two cells at a short distance. After just a few days, the birds begin to show interest in each other and you can try to unite the pair. It’s better to do this on the weekend so that you have the opportunity to observe the outcome of events for several days. Fighters are usually visible immediately and must be removed immediately. The younger the parrots are, the better they adapt to each other. In addition, for breeding, it is desirable that the couple be of the same age, or the male is 1-4 months older than the female. Females are often more aggressive, and some individuals may kill young males.

One of the conditions for successful breeding of parrots is proper feeding of the birds in the period preceding the nesting season. Birds that are obese, molting, or showing signs of illness should not be allowed to breed. In the case of obesity, which can be caused by keeping birds in a cramped room or improperly feeding them, they must first be brought to a normal state, and then allowed to reproduce. When preparing birds for the reproductive period, the feed ration should be as varied as possible and include all the necessary components, especially minerals and vitamins. Therefore, during the preparatory period, birds need to increase the amount of vitamin feed: fruits, greens and soaked or sprouted grains. These feeds contain a sufficient amount of vitamin E, which the body needs during reproduction. Feeding sprouted grain together with increasing the length of daylight hours has a beneficial effect on the body of parrots and stimulates the onset of reproduction. For the normal process of oviposition, the bird's body needs an increased content of mineral salts, especially Ca and P, a significant part of which goes into the formation of the egg shell. A lack of mineral salts during this period can lead to the so-called difficult oviposition, that is, the bird cannot lay an egg or lays it without a shell, in a soft, leathery shell. Sometimes such a violation of oviposition can cause the death of a bird. In addition to feeding vitamin and mineral feeds during the preparatory period for breeding, the rate of soft egg feed should be increased. However, you don’t need to give it daily, it’s better to give it 2-3 times a week in small portions. From the moment the female sits down to hatch the clutch and until the chicks hatch, this food should be completely excluded, since it promotes the laying of a large number of eggs, which can lead to exhaustion of the female, and most of the eggs in such a clutch will be unfertilized.

Hanging a nest for parrots is a signal for reproduction, and without it nothing will happen. Although there are curious cases when females fly without a nest, and sometimes, even if it is hanging, they lay their eggs in another, less suitable place, but they are quite rare and are more often observed in other species of parrots. One owner told how two female Karellas laid their testicles at the bottom of the cage in turn. They seemed to have a great time together! Budgerigars are cavity nesters in nature. A nesting box like a “birdhouse” is hung in the cage. It must have certain dimensions. You can purchase a ready-made nest at a pet store if it meets all the requirements, or you can make it yourself from plywood or a thin board. The internal dimensions of the nest are 16x16 cm, height 25 cm. The entrance has a diameter of 4-4.5 cm and is located 3 cm from the upper edge of the nest at the same distance. Under the entrance there is a perch 10 cm long and about 1.5 cm in diameter. A round depression of 10-12 cm is hollowed out at the bottom and 2 cm deep in the center, in this case the bottom is made of a thick board. In some cases, you can do without the depression, but it prevents the eggs from rolling around the nest. Before hanging, the nest is disinfected with a hot soda solution (you can use the preparations “Glutex”, “Bio G”) and a layer of large sawdust about 2 cm is poured onto the bottom. It is undesirable to use sawdust from coniferous trees, since they contain a lot of resinous substances. To prevent the nest from taking up a lot of space in the cage, it is easier to hang it outside. Some cages have a special hole for a bathing suit, which is also suitable for a nest. The birds immediately react to the presence of the nest and engage in intensive exploration. If everything goes well, the first egg may appear within 2-3 weeks after the nesting box is hung. Many fanciers who breed small numbers of birds have to wait longer, sometimes 2-3, or even 6 months. The female lays eggs every other day. She begins to incubate them after laying 2-3 eggs. In total there are from 3 to 12 eggs in a clutch, usually 5-6.


The chicks hatch approximately 17-19 days after brooding begins. The emerging chicks look more like small worms than future birds. They have an absurdly large head, long neck and legs. They are born blind and begin to see only after a week. By the 9-10th day of life, the first stumps of feathers appear on the back. At 2 weeks, the chicks are already completely covered with down and feathers are already forming on the wings and tail. The color of the fluff can be used to judge the future plumage of the chick. If it is gray, then the parrot will have a normal color, and if it has white fluff, it will have a light color. Every day the chick will have more and more feathers, and by the age of 3 weeks it will already look like an adult. If 21 days after the last egg was laid there are still eggs left in the house, it means they were not fertilized or the embryo died. In this case, empty eggs should be thrown away. I would not advise beginners to check the fertilization of eggs, because... The eggs are very fragile and any shaking can cause the egg to die. In addition, to be sure of fertilization, you still have to wait until the chicks hatch. You need to check the masonry at least once every two to three days in order to provide timely assistance if needed. A week after the first chick appears, it is necessary to clean the house. To do this, you need to catch the moment when the female leaves the nest and film it. During cleaning, the chicks must be carefully transferred to a box, the old sawdust removed and new ones added, and then the chicks returned. It is better to clean the house with gloves, because if the female is wild, she may not tolerate the smell of others and will begin to pluck the chicks. During cleaning, you need to carefully examine each chick, paying attention to the paws, since droppings often stick to them, which can interfere with the proper development of the toes. To clean the paws, they need to be soaked in water and dirt removed. Cleaning must be done quickly so as not to make the female nervous for too long and so as not to overcool the eggs. They should be handled with particular care, since the embryos are very fragile and any shaking can lead to their death. The house should be cleaned approximately once a week. It is ideal for this to have a spare nesting box so that you can simply transfer the chicks to a new house. If the female is wild and with any intervention (cleaning, touching the eggs and chicks) begins to pluck the chicks or even throws the clutch, then it is better not to clean the house, but simply sprinkle clean sawdust with chamomile on top. For the first two weeks of life, the mother feeds the chicks with crop milk, which is formed in the muscular ventricle of the female, gradually transferring them to adult food, softened in the crop. If there are many chicks, the female feeds the older ones first, and then the younger ones, since in the female’s crop there is grain on top and crop milk below. To help the female, it is necessary to give sprouted grain, which promotes the formation of goiter. Later, the male joins in feeding the chicks. After the chicks fly out of the nesting house, only the father takes care of them, since the female is usually already busy with the next clutch. The chicks leave the nesting site 30-35 days after hatching. They differ from adult birds only in size. If the female is not aggressive towards the chicks that leave the house, they can be left in the cage with their parents. However, it is better to transfer the chicks to a separate cage as soon as they learn to eat on their own. Especially if the owner does not have a spacious cage that can accommodate the entire brood. If you allow a couple to lay as many clutches as they want, the female can make 4-5 broods. But this should not be allowed, since more than 1-2 clutches in a row will greatly exhaust the female, and the chicks appear weak and often die. Therefore, immediately after laying, you need to remove the house, even if the female has already laid eggs in it. Place the female in a separate cage, gradually reduce her daylight hours to 9 hours (10 minutes a day) and transfer her to grain food, without additional feeding. This is necessary to stop the laying. It is ideal to allow the female to lay either one clutch every six months, or two clutches in a row, but once a year.