Inquiries

Question
Hi,

I have a cockateil....may be its called lutino.....it is white with a light yellowish shade on it tails and on lower portion. i wanted to know how can swe differentiate a male and a female lutino cockateil? are they easily breed? its age is 2 years and its alone. does it lov to be in a company? how often do they lay eggs?

-Athesham

Answer
Yes, it is a lutino which means it is an albino cockatiel. There really isn't a way to tell the gender by the way the bird looks, but you can have it DNA sexed for about $20. They are easily bred, but since you don't have experience with baby birds and this one is a pet, I highly recommend NOT breeding. Since it is 2 years old, it is not used to other birds and may pick on the mate if you decide to get a mate for it. They don't need to be in pairs, they are actually much better pets when left by themselves because they will crave your attention and approval even more. They may or may not lay eggs, even if it is a female because it isn't around males, but some cockatiels are known for being chronic egg-layers. If it does start laying eggs, take it to a vet to make sure it's healthy and the vet will recommend some high-calcium food for her (egg laying causes calcium problems sometimes) and teach you about the signs of egg-binding which is a VERY serious and sometimes fatal problem, but if caught early can be fixed with a simple procedure.