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Myeshia, as Tree says, we need to know what type of bird you have.
My grandad bred budgies (you call them parakeets in America), and it was the female that sat incubating the eggs. The male's job is to provide her with food - so in captivity he hasn't that much to do!
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Normally male and female cockatiels take turns sitting on the eggs and do this in shifts. Some pairs will divide the eggs and each sit on half of them. How old is the male? If he is young, that could be the reason that he isn't helping and there is nothing you can do about it. According to this site:" Tiels are usually physically able to breed between nine and twelve months. BUT they are not necessarily any more ready to breed at this age than a pair of 15-year-old humans. You get the same kinds of trouble from them as you do with human teenage pregnancy. They may not sit properly or care for their babies, the hen may suffer egg-binding (often fatal), or lay abnormal eggs because her system isn't ready yet, and they are very likely to compromise their health because they devote their energy and strength to laying eggs and raising and caring for babies rather then finishing their own growth.
Many cockatiels, especially larger ones, are still growing until 15 or even 18 months and I strongly believe that no animal should be bred until its own growth is complete no matter how excellent the nutrition and care. Most reponsible breeders prefer not to breed a hen who is younger than 18 months. There is a wider range of opinion about the males though. I think they should not be bred until 15-18 months but many other responsible breeders believe that a 12 month old male is sufficiently matured since the physical demands on the males are not as high." Another reason could be that the female is keeping him out of the nesting box. This does occasionally happen. This site may be of interest to you as it has a lot of advice on breeding cockatiels. |
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