tiels

Question
i have 2 cockatiels. 1 male and 1 female. the female is about 1 year
old. im not sure about the male because i jus got him from the pet store
a few weeks ago and they didnt know how old he was. but anywho my
female will start singing to the male and this morning when i uncovered them
she was sitting on his back almost looking like she was trying to ell
him that shes ready to breed. when he is not around her she screams
until she is right next to him. is this normal? is she ready to breed?
please help me

Answer
Hi, Dale.  Thanks for posting!

Sounds to me like you have their sexes reversed.  The male tiel is the one doing the singing to the female and he's the one mounting the female, not vice versa.

Tiels need to be 18-24 months of age before breeding them.  You should not allow these 2 birds to breed until they are older.  This means you may have to separate them into individual cages.  Keep their light source down to 10-12 hours per day and DO NOT put up any type of nesting box or anything that resembles a nest.  These 2 birds are bonding with each other...this is why one screams when the other is not close to s/he.  This is normal behavior for 2 birds who are close to each other.

Come back with any additional questions.

Chrys