Egg laying

Egg laying

If you have a Parrot that has suddenly laid an egg… Congratulations you have a girl! If you have a Female parrot then at some point in their life between the ages of 2-10 depending on the species you will find your loveable cuddly quiet baby WILL change!

 

They will become nippy, grumpy, and loud they may also take to one person in the house hold more than normal… ALL of this is NORMAL!!!

 

This is just a sign of the dreaded HORMONES. Many parrot owners get to this age and find they can no longer cope BUT PLEASE BE ASURED with the correct care they will normally go back to the baby you once had.

 

Working in rescue we have seen trends of birds that come in at certain times of the year. We at Problem Parrots want to give you all the help we can to get through this sometimes troubled time.

 

So what do you need to be aware of?
The signs of hormones are as above but also you may find your parrot likes to be in dark places around your home, this is a clear sign that they want to nest.

 

Parrots DONT need a “mate” to want to nest or even lay eggs, a female will lay eggs but will not be fertile if they are solitary birds. During Egg laying you MUST up their calcium intake as forming eggs takes up a lot of their energy and stored calcium. It’s best to talk with your avian vet about this.

 

So what do I do if my parrot has eggs?
There is one simple answer to this….. Leave them! Simply leave them to it they WILL get bored in time. If you take away any eggs your parrot lays it will just trigger them to lay more. If you wish you can purchase false eggs to do a swap with so the eggs don’t go rotten and smell. But be aware that your parrot may not like the false eggs and lay more.

 

Different species are “programmed” to lay a certain amount of eggs let’s say it’s 3. If you then take away one egg they will be forced by nature to lay one more to make 3. This will just take its toll on calcium levels for unnecessary reasons. It will also increase the risk of egg binding which can be fatal.

 

Parrots DONT need boxes to lay eggs either; if they are determined they will lay them ANYWHERE! So if your parrot is suddenly possessive over the back of the sofa then check for eggs that may be present.

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