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I currently have 2 Cockatiels living with me & they are named Scooby and Ramona.
Scooby's 3 1/2 and Ramona is just shy of 2 years old.
I was given Scooby as a 9 week old baby and had him by himself for about a year until I got Ramona. They didn't absolutely love each other in the beginning and could barely walk by each other without attacking one another. Luckily, it has gotten much better and they eat together, walk together, and are partners in crime most of the time. But they are not affectionate with each other at all. They do not kiss or snuggle.

Anyways, they have been trying so hard to mate lately. It's happened multiple times but it seems like they aren't quite sure how to ACTUALLY mate. Scooby sings, flirts, and eventually mounts her & Ramona does her little chirp/chatter sound and bends low to the ground with her back feathers up. It all looks completely right!
The only issue is that they do one of these 3 things everytime..
1) Scooby keeps singing and singing until Ramona gets annoyed and throws him off
2) He simply jumps off her back after he sings his heart out
3) He actually attempts to mate but everytime he scoots back Ramona leans backwards with him and he can't make the connection!

I haven't been trying to force them to mate so that I could be a breeder. I always said I would let them decide! I knew that I wasn't able to let Scooby "pick" his mate like I had hoped to and wasn't going to make it worse. But since they keep trying to mate...I have been trying to help them get things started.
I had made this nice little nest for them and Scooby immediately jumped in and began to "check it out", like breeders have said, and would keep me & Ramona away. He was in there constantly trying to fix things up. But my mom didn't realise what it was and she threw it away. Poor Scooby hasn't gone near any of the other nests I have tried to set up since. I have one with a shallow water bowl, toys, food, and light all by itself for them but they are still a little weird about it. I keep trying to coax Scooby in with some treats like I did the first time and he still is iffy about the whole thing!

Advice please? Are they just desperate and I need to find a new mate or is there a solution for any of this? I have been struggling with this for a few months and really need some expert advice.
Thank you!

My advice to you would to not allow breeding until you have learned the ropes from a local breeder in your area. I would volunteer at his/her place to learn all that you need to learn, providing you are old enough for your Mom to allow that.

Sometimes there are complications when birds breed such as egg-binding and the parents not feeding the babies (etc.), so you need experience to jump in and help the birds with whatever they need. You also may have to visit an avian vet in an emergency - are you financially prepared for this - is your Mom?

When breeding birds they should have a nest-box made of wood, the right size etc.

I think all they need is a proper nest box and they will get it all together. Cockatiel nest boxes are usually about 12x12x12 inches, with an opening about three inches in diameter. Put a few inches of pine shivings/wood chips in the bottom. Don't put any food or water dishes in there, but make sure they have access to plenty of good food and water in the cage area. Many breeders feed a high protein soft food in addition as it can help fortify the birds during the added work they are doing, feeding the young and all (e.g. something with egg in it). Make sure they have a perch that's just the right size for the hen to hold onto while the cock mounts her. If the perch is to small or too large she won,t be able to get a good grip and will slide, causing the male to fall of before copulation is complete.

I hope this helps. Having new baby birds is such a joy.

Thanks for all of the help. I am definitely prepared for complications IF they are to ever lay eggs, yes.
And they tried again just now when I woke up. I thinkkkkk I know the problem or atleast one of them. Scooby's tail feathers are getting in the way and he can't completely bend them under.
I'm not sure why, but they have always tried to mate on either the top of the cage or on the cage door (I position the door to be vertical. Not sure if anyone else does that & if you do then you know what I'm talking about.). They never attempt it on any of the perches I have for them. I don't want to cut his tail feathers anymore since I worry it would make them bleed. I only cut my birds feathers every 3-4 months but I cut their tail feather a little more often when stray feathers grow really fast and really long. I have been told that the tail feathers act like "stopping" feathers for when they're landing & that cutting them isn't advised. I keep them a little longer just for that reason.. but if the whole "stopping" feathers thing is a lie then please tell me.


How do I get them to mate in a better place?

Trimming your cockatiel's tail feathers is unnecessary and you probably shouldn't do it as it doesn't serve any purposes. Highly skilled breeders will sometimes trim or pluck the feathers around the vent ... but I wouldn't recommend doing that unless you are confident you know what you're doing. I've been hobby breeding off and on for five years and had a very experienced breeder show me how he clears feathers from the vent, but I'm still not confident enough to do it (probably because I think that 90 percent of the time it's unnecessary). But the long tail feathers really should never be trimmed. Only the flight primaries on the wings.

The only way to control where the actual act occurs is to limit them to a cage with only perches that are suitable ... which is why most breeders set their pairs up in specially designed breeding cages with attached nest box. For the hobbyist who just wants the pets to have a go at nature he or she just have to let them do there thing. I would think that the cage roof or horizontal door should work fine because the hen could get a good grip on the wires. One other thing they need is a calcium/mineral source, I.e. a Cuttle bone and mineral block. If the femaleats those she most likely won't get egg bound. Health wise another thing that will help maintain your birds health is to not let them nest more than twice a year (six months apart), with only once a year being even better. Since they seem to like each other so much they will probably try to more, perhaps even continuously ... which is a very bad idea. You can try and control their desire to breed by taking away the nest box, soft egg food, and limiting day light to ten hours (all after the babies are weaned of course). If they try and go for a second clutch before the babies are out of the nest box or weaned then you have a more serious problem.

Anyways, even the best breeders had to start somewhere ... and most origins are no more grand than what you,re doing. Just do your tiels a favor and don't touch their tail feathers.

Okay, thanks! I didn't know that it was really bad to cut the tail feathers. Thanks for telling me!
& I will make sure to keep a cuttle bone in there at all times. They have one now and they use it constantly.

Thanks again for the help. I definitely appreciate you understanding that I am not the best breeder ever but that is because I am a beginner. Most people immediately assume I cannot do this..but I can! I am doing my best to be ready for anything and getting my advice from the best-of-the-best. They seem to be trying more and more. Hopefully they will learn and get the hang of it.

Lenox,

It sounds like you need to do a lot more research before allowing them to breed. Please remove the box for now. Your birds need to be on a healthy diet for at least 6 months (not just seeds or pellets) and fully flighted with lots of flying time. A hen that is not in shape will easily become egg bound and can die. Get set up with an avian vet nearby and have a well bird visit so he knows your birds. Have someone (like the vet) on call to teach you to hand feed if needed. Have a second cage ready in case one or both of your birds plucks the chicks.

Please click the link at the bottom of my post and read the breeding page. I feel VERY strongly about breeding without proper knowledge. You will need liquid calcium as cuttlebone does very little. Have a plan on what you will do with the chicks. If you keep them,you will need two very large cages to separate males and females since birds will inbreed.

Thanks!

You're welcome. If you have any other questions just PM or message me. There are a lot of good websites hosted by good breeders that have a lot of good information. I hope all goes well for you and your tiels.

..........also there is no reason why these two can not be just "partners", they don't NEED to have a clutch
I did not let my hen have a clutch this year as she plucked two of her babies last year and I ended up having to handrear them (hard work and very time consuming!!!) so even though her and her partner mated several times a day for a few weeks and you could tell they wanted a nestbox, I never gave them one (mean huh ) and I only ever found one egg on the aviary floor.
Over here in Oz there are so many tiel breeders anyway, they are so hard to sell (the babies) that that was also one of my reasons not to breed my birds anymore.....

So true Claudia! My birds had one clutch, Back in 2003. The hen plucked the chick horribly. I had to remove her, co-parent the chick, and it was nerve wracking. Luckily nothing went wrong, but it was stressful.

I've never allowed a nest box since. I've had around 4 eggs since then, but I remove them imediently. My birds do have sex daily, but without the box, they don't lay eggs.

There's no reason birds need ro rear young. Tiels are like bunnies, they multiply quickly and many sit in shelters, aer turned loose, and neglected/denied vet care because they are "throw away pets."

I surely agree that you've not expressed any compelling reason for allowing this pair to produce chicks. Yes, 'tiels will reproduce VERY rapidly, as can vet expenses if the breeder is responsible. When a chick requires handfeeding, it can be as often as every 3-4 hrs, and 'tiels don't wean for 6-7 weeks. That's a long time to be watching the clock, forever feeding, cleaning, and preparing to feed again. Not much else gets done for those long weeks. One pair can easily produce 4 chicks, which are then soon ready to begin producing their chicks. The numbers can be staggering and there simply are not enough good homes for any parrots, much less 'tiels. The rescues all overflow with 'tiels no one wants.

And besides, when a pair of EZ-to-breed 'tiels has trouble producing for some reason, there is good reason to suspect they will not be the best pair for rearing a clutch. 'Tiels cooperate in the feeding of chicks. When they are insufficiently bonded or mature to even mate productively, chances are good they might not be able to parent adequately.

This is a bad idea. Please behave responsibly ... for the birds' sakes.

I really appreciate all of the advice, I really do. But I am completely new at this and am doing the best I can to make my birds happy and be prepared for whatever comes my way. I would like for you not to act as if I am being selfish and not thinking of my birds.
Thank you again for the advice. I needed this and I will make sure to keep things from progressing any farther.

And for everyone else, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! (: I appreciate every single bit of help you have all given me. I'm glad to know that they do not have to have babies just because they mate. That puts me at ease.

And thank YOU for understanding My dozen 'tiels have been very happily loving each other for a dozen years without chicks.