Male cockatiels

Question
I have five cockatiel.  Four male and one female.  Two of the males are "mating".  They court each other and they "wiggle" on each other.  It is frustrating to our family (of 2 teenage boys).  They think it is wrong and they want me to get rid of one.  Is that the only way to stop such behavior?  Please help!!

Becky Ormond

Answer
Hello Becky,

This is normal behavior for animals and has been studied and documented in wild animals as well. The utmost respect you can give a bird is to view them and understand them for exactly what they are, they are cockatiels. They are not human. They should not be subjected to their humans morals or ethics as they are not human.

Do what your feel is best for your birds so they receive the the care that they need and deserve. If you cannot accept that you have parrots as pets with all their natural behaviors they come with and this will affect how you care for them then a new home would be best.

If you are interested here is an article discussing this behavior in wild animals written by the New York Times.

http://www.animalsvoice.com/PAGES/writes/editorial/news/features/gay_squeak.html

Jennifer