Nesting Material
and Common Sense

    I am always surprised to learn of the materials people place in their nest boxes, and of some of the outlandish assumptions that are held about nesting habits.  Like the article I read where the writer stated that Psittacula chewed through shallow nest boxes because they wanted to nest deeper!  In nature, birds usually take over the empty nesting sites of other birds and chew the opening to enlarge it to their individual liking and, once inside, they chew or mulch the wood to make a soft lining for their nest cavity.
    The mulch they create retains moisture and generates heat (all you gardeners know the properties of mulch).  So, when using a nest box constructed of a wood product, the birds respond to their natural instinct and make their own bedding material (try a shallow sheet metal nest box and see whether they chew the bottom in order to nest deeper!).
    I remember the time before surgical sexing arrived, when nesting sites were fashioned of logs, stumps, wood planks or garbage cans covered with bark or painted to resemble a tree.  There were also nest boxes with a thin layer of wood covering the entrance hole so the birds could chew their way in, among other ingenious ideas used to get the parrots to breed successfully.  With the advent of DNA sexing, true pairs were determined and the nesting inventions gradually disappeared.  Now one can simply buy a nesting box and place in it a layer of commercial pine shavings.
    It is a fact that a true pair of any species will nest in whatever is given them, if the desire is there, but still we often try to simulate natural settings to increase our chances of success.
    When using mulch in your nest boxes, dampen it and keep it from drying out completely during the breeding season.  If, on a cold day, you stick your hand in the nesting material you can feel the warmth from the mulch.
    I use sheet metal nest boxes and fill them with mulch 3" to 5" deep.  If at any time I find the material too dry, I add wet mulch or spray it lightly with water.  The mulch stays in place better than shavings and makes cleaning much easier.  Mulch is also used by occupying pairs for chewing recreation, and this is a plus for breeders who leave their nest boxes in place all year.  In cold climates, the use of mulch can raise the nest temperature, and those who use sheet metal boxes can purchase 1' Styrofoam insulation boards with which to line the OUTSIDE of the nest box, while not allowing the birds to chew on it, and this will give you super insulation.
    I use shredded Cyprus and eucalyptus mulch.  Other bedding in current use are corn cob, pine shavings, cedar shavings, potting soil, peat moss, newspaper, straw and palm leaves.

*This article was originally published in the QPR Asiatic Parrot How-To Book in 1997.  Re-written with permission of author.