-- Let's start with boosting their nutritional aspect. Safflower is a fine treat, but a base food of pellets appropriate for the breed provides ideal nutritional input. Cucumbers help with hydration, but there is nearly no nutritional value in them. Better yet, kale, squash, carrots, sweet potato, peas, all beans and so on. You can see quite a bit more feeding options for strong, healthy, long lived and fertile birds right here www.4AnimalCare.org/birds

(copy and paste into your address bar)

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Next, you'll want to be sure their space is adequate and that they have a closed off nesting box where they'll feel safe and secure.

To be sure it's a big enough cage or aviary, imagine that both birds are standing on a center perch at the same time. Can they both fully extend their wings and completely turn around, plus upside down, without any of their feathers touching any part of the cage or each other?

Then it's big enough.

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A big part of mating has to do with light and dark. They need very dark, very quiet hours for 12 hours every night. No t.v. or voices to be heard. No light.

At the link provided earlier you can see how nighttime cages can be set.

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It's important to regulate these hours carefully.

If your day begins at 8 a.m. then these birds need to be 'in bed' no later than 8 p.m.


Once they have an abundance of healthy foods like this, regulated hours, a safe nesting box and regular day/night hours you should find them more apt to do what birds do in order to make more


If they miss this season there's always the next. Honestly, they should be closer to two years old before mating. That gives them more maturity and more time to become solidly healthy


Good luck,