Male Wanting Eggs?

Question
Hi,

My family has a 13 year old male cockatiel, and he is the love of our lives. He has no mate.

Recently we offered him some treats bought at the pet shop. They are called yogart balls and they are white and round and look like eggs. So anyway, after a few days, we noticed our bird sitting on the bottom of his cage very often, and after closer observation, we realized our male bird had brought the treats down to the bottom of the cage and was now sitting on them with the idea that they were his eggs. He only gets off them to eat and drink and occasionally to look at himself in the mirror. I know that male Cockatiels sit on their mates eggs for them during the day, but our bird has no mate.

We haven't disturbed him and haven't tried touching the "eggs" or anything like that; we were just wondering if it was normal for a male bird to sit on fake eggs. Does this mean he is lonley and wants a family? Will he be heartbroken once he realizes they wont hatch?

We think its very cute and just wanted to make sure this was okay.  

Thanks for your Time
~Lizz

Answer
Hi Lizz,

It is spring time, and so it is not unusal for single birds to start acting "nesty." However, I would not be concerned about him being lonley and wanting a family- as long as he is getting lots of attention from his human companions.

I would recommend taking the "eggs" away, because some birds will get protective over them and can be prone to becoming territorial over their space (in other words- their cage).

I hope this helps. :)

-Maggie