Cockatiel Eggs

Question
Hi Alicia, I'm in big trouble because my tiel, Baby, has laid her second clutch of eggs on May 1, 2008 and at first, WOAH, she was really protective! But recently I've noticed that I have not seen her in her nesting box AT ALL AND I'm worried the eggs are going to freeze. So I took the eggs out and I put them under a heating lamp and I turn them every now and then and sprinkle some warm water on them and I was wandering, did I do the right thing?
                                    -Amelia

Answer
hi. thanks for your question.
this may seem like a silly question and I'm sorry if it does however i do get alot of interesting questions so i just have to ask...does Baby have a male cockatiel in the cage with her?  the reason that i ask is because some questioners have asked if the eggs can still hatch even if she is a solitary female.  if she is solitary, obviously you have no reason to worry as there is nothing "in" the eggs.
with that in mind, i am assuming she has a mate and that is why you are worried about saving the eggs, for the welfare of the baby birds inside.  cockatiels normally "share" the duty of sitting on the eggs.  the male and female "take turns" sitting on the eggs. if neither parent was sitting on the eggs in time for you to notice, chances are that the embryos will not survive.  embryos chill very quickly and will not survive unless placed in an incubator (vs. a heating lamp) immediately.  i commend your efforts to try and save them and it sounds like you did the best you could in order to try and save the eggs.  however, cockatiels and birds in general sometimes lay several clutches before they "realize" that they need to sit on the eggs.  sometimes they simply seem to not know what they are doing until they lay a few times. nature, although cruel it seems, does have a purpose in mind...your 'tiels simply aren't ready to be "parents" yet.  
as far as doing the "right" thing, like i said, you did what you could but in spite of your best efforts, these eggs are very unlikely to hatch.  additionally, you would have had to hand raise and feed the babies had they hatched as your female 'tiel obviously will not be prepared to parent the hatched eggs.  
considering they will not hatch, it is up to you what to do with the eggs. some owners actually leave the eggs in the nest box to discourage future laying, eventually disposing of the eggs. some people choose to throw them away immediately to avoid breakage/rotting. either way, you tried your best and it may take a while before your cockatiel parents get it right!
good luck and i hope this helps. alicia