Do cockatiels have to sit on their eggs ALL of the time for them to hatch?
If she hasn’t been sitting on them for the last few days they aren’t going to hatch. They can only be left at room temperature for about 25-30 minutes before the embryo will die. Take the eggs out, and hold one by wrapping your index finger and thumb around it. Then hold a small flashlight to the underside of the egg so the light shines up through it. If it appears clear – the egg was never fertile (after 20+ days of sitting, if it was fertile, there would be SOMETHING). If you see a red circular ring, it means the embryo died in the shell. If you can’t see through the egg, it’s probably rotten/decaying and possibly was fertile but the embryo has started to die. You need to practice this technique (called Candling) about the 5th-10th day of incubation and if the eggs are infertile – remove them from the nest. It’s easier to tell at this point because the blood vessels are just really starting to develop and show through nicely without completely obstructing the view. Oftentimes you can
