Is The Hole Too High in This Nest Box?

Last Updated on February 16, 2023 by Mitch Rezman

Allan D writes:

It seems to me that the PrevuePet Cockatiel Nest Box, like all the other nest boxes, has the opening for the bird located too high.

prevue-cockatiel-nest-box

When the bird is inside it has to do a standing jump of about 5 inches to get out, in fact, I can’t quite imagine how the bird manages to get out.

And coming in it’s got a 5-inch drop to the floor.

It doesn’t seem like a good design to me.

Is it?

Dear Allan

The nest box is the basic nest box for your cockatiels, but you do need to add 2-3 inches of pine shavings to ensure a soft cushioned nest for the babies to discourage splayed legs caused by the parents sitting on the babies to keep them warm.

The pine shavings help cushion the weight and allow the baby to have some space to move around until it is comfy under mom or dad.

The added pine shavings bring the hole closer to reach.

The little hooked bills on the parents do the rest in pulling themselves up and out of the box with no trouble.

pine-shavings

The pine shavings also cushion the jump back into the box.

If the entry hole was too low the babies could climb out too early and fall out of the box and as a result, could travel a great distance and harm themselves or at the very least become chilled at the bottom of the cage resulting in possible illness.

You CAN take a very small piece of wire mesh and staple or nail it to the inside of the nest box wall below the door to ease the climb.

welded-mesh-panel