How to Breed Emerald Cockatiels

Emerald cockatiels were first bred in Texas in the 1990s. Some breeders refer to Emeralds as Olives or Suffused Yellow, as emerald cockatiels are not green. Cockatiels do not have a green pigmentation and are actually a muted grey color, sometimes with an olive blend. Cockatiels are generally easy to breed, although the color mutations you will receive are never guaranteed.

Things You'll Need

  • Bird cage
  • Nesting box
  • Fresh straw
  • Fresh fruit and vegetables
  • Cuttlefish
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Instructions

    • 1

      Check that you have a male and female Emerald. Emeralds are usually a muted grey, sometimes with an olive or yellow pattern or tint to them. They have dark feet, beaks and eyes, and dark feathers around the back of their head. You need two Emerald cockatiels to breed as the gene is recessive.

    • 2

      Purchase the biggest cage you can. It needs to measure 30 inches long by 18 inches wide and 36 inches tall as a minimum, but bigger is better.

    • 3

      Prepare the cage for breeding. Provide a nesting box of at least 12 inches tall by 12 inches deep with a large hole in the front. These can be purchased from most pet shops. You will also need to add some clean straw to the inside of the box -- around 5 inches is recommended.

    • 4

      Add a large container of water, big enough for the birds to drink out of and bathe in. Do not place this under perches as droppings may fall into the water.

    • 5

      Set up a variety of perches around the cage, alongside cockatiel toys. Do not remove the toys to encourage the birds to breed, as boredom is a common reason why cockatiels will not breed.

    • 6

      Provide a high quality diet. Alongside a complete cockatiel food, you should offer a cuttlefish for calcium and a mixture of fresh fruit and vegetables. Introduce your birds to small amounts of soft or cooked fruits in preparation for feeding the babies.

    • 7

      Attach the cage light to a timer and set this to allow 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness. You could also do this manually by putting your birds somewhere bright and covering them at night. This is an important step, so make sure you cover the birds at the right time each day.

    • 8

      Observe the birds carefully. Note down when the birds successfully breed. Cockatiels will lay between four-to-six eggs up to three weeks after mating. They may lay one or two eggs a day until they have all been laid. When the eggs are laid, the parents will incubate them for around 20 days.

    • 9

      Provide a higher proportion of soft fruits for the female cockatiel to feed to her young. Keep the daylight cycle the same. The chicks will wean at about eight weeks and should be moved to their own cage at about two weeks later.