Urgent Pancha acting strangely...egg bound?

[Chantilly Lace]

Pancha has been extremely hormonal lately. She is a 6 year old female white capped pionus. She has never laid eggs before. She has been very nesty for 2-3 months, making her funny sounds, and assuming the crouching position in the bottom of her cage.

She has neve acted like she is acting this morning though. Last night she was her normal nesty self. This morning she was sitting on her perch, fluffed up. She left a nutriberry that she normally loves. She weighs the same, her poops are normal, but she is just more still than normal. I felt around her bottom, and I don't feel anything, although I don't really know what I am looking for. She will sit on her perch, not moving much, and then go to the bottom of the cage, in the corner and do her normal nesting behavior. She is normally a perch potato, but she just seems a little more so today. And she is more fluffy than normal, on and off.

How do I know whether this is normal, and maybe she is about to lay an egg, or if I should rush her to the vet. I am at work, but I have cameras that I am watching and she is still going back and forth from her perch to the floor.

What are the signs that she would be egg bound, versus just about to lay?

This is why I got boys with my macaws and cockatoos!

 

[JLcribber]

It's certainly nesting behaviour. Does not sound like egg binding (at this point). Listless, fluffed up and perch potato is a better description of illness.

 

[Chantilly Lace]

Thank you John! So if she stays on the bottom for a long time, and isn't moving, that is when I know something is wrong?

 

[Macawnutz]

She sounds like my U2 Nikki the day she is going to lay.

I always worry the day of... often times I will have the carrier ready and go to get her to rush her to the vet and... there is the egg.

I don't know much about binding but I'm ready to rush her in every time she is about to lay an egg.

 

[Chantilly Lace]

She sounds like my U2 Nikki the day she is going to lay.

I always worry the day of... often times I will have the carrier ready and go to get her to rush her to the vet and... there is the egg.

I don't know much about binding but I'm ready to rush her in every time she is about to lay an egg.

I am glad I am not the only one! It is just scary when you don't know what to expect.

 

[JLcribber]

If she's never laid an egg before she may not lay an egg and just go through the motions.

 

[gibsongrrrl]

Weeble definitely gained weight before she was going to lay. She just layed two a month ago and I knew the second was coming by her weight going up the 7 grams the first egg weighed. If you have been weighing daily, I would think the egg weight would be there if she had one to lay.

 

[Begone]

I'm just hoping for the best!

 

[mythic55]

Doesnt sound so much like egg bound- that is painful, so often it is accompanied by labored breathing, etc. Sounds like sick bird... or getting ready to lay. Watch, and see.

I would temporary increase teh room temp (couple degrees) and the fat and protein in her diet (coconut oil, etc causes tissues to retain more water and can help pass an egg), and add a probiotic to the water.

 

[Chantilly Lace]

She laid an egg late last night or this morning! I noticed a huge poop before putting her to sleep, and I guess that was because she was about to lay.

It was in tact, but it did break because she laid it from her perch. I put a towel under the paper on the bottom of her cage, so hopefully the next one won't break. I will buy some dummy eggs too.

Thank so much for all the comments, it really helped ease my mind. I bought some liquid calcium and will try to sneak some in with fruit, she loves apples. And I will give her some scrambled eggs, she isn't a huge fan of them but I will try anyway.

 

[mythic55]

Dont give scrambled eggs!

HARD BOILED EGGS (crush the shell with it).

 

[macawpower58]

Dont give scrambled eggs!

HARD BOILED EGGS (crush the shell with it).

Why not?

 

[mythic55]

I guess it is a long explanation, but here are some main points on scrambled eggs:
People usually cook eggs in a nonstick pan
During cooking/stiring, you allow bacteria to easily make its way in
Usually you cook with a product- maybe a oil, butter, spray
The gentle cooking of the egg allows for a higher absorption

One of the most important parts of the egg- for the wee ones- especially if they are producing eggs- is the crushed shell. Cant crush a raw shell. So then there are added steps of microwaving shell etc, etc.
There is too much margin for error.

 

[skwirt]

Keep an eye on her. I think egg binding happens when they start to lay a bunch of eggs and they deplete the calcium they need. Hopefully she won't lay any more.

 

[Chantilly Lace]

Thank you. I bought dummy eggs that will be here tomorrow. I put a towel under her paper so hopefully this egg doesn't break and I can boil it for her to sit on.

I will start cutting down her sunlight, that is all I really know to do in order to try and prevent more egg laying. She is eating and drinking and acting much more like herself, so I am hopeful this is the only egg! Although I read Pionus' usually have clutches of 3-4 eggs.

 

[mythic55]

Boil it for her to sit on? that is inviting bacteria growth and bad behavior. I would not do that. IMO

 

[Monica]

You would only need to boil/freeze the egg if there was any chance of that egg being fertile and you wanted to prevent it from hatching. Going to copy and paste some info I have that may help.



This is generally what I recommend for egg-laying hens.

1. Remove Eggs
   • Rearrange the cage
   • Move the cage to a new location
   • Use a cage grate
   • Get a new cage/Use a different cage
   • 12-14 hours of complete darkness (may require as much as 16 hrs for 2 weeks - or try providing the opposite, as little as 8 hrs of sleep)
   • Full Spectrum Lighting/Better Lighting
   • Lower the indoor temperature
   • Decrease calcium and protein within the diet (if she is on a high calcium & protein diet prior to laying eggs)
   • Remove anything that could be taken as a nest
   • Remove anything that could be used as nesting material
   • Don't allow her in any dark place or enclosed area
   • IMPORTANT: save the eggs in the fridge
   • If she lays more than 3-4 eggs, put them back in the cage
2. Leave the Eggs
   • Leave the eggs alone in the cage
   • [Optional] Replace with fake eggs (prevent eggs from breaking)
   • Increase calcium
   • Let hen sit on eggs for 3-4 weeks or until she gets bored of them
   • Once done sitting, toss

Generally speaking, there are triggers to hens laying eggs, and if you can remove the triggers, you may be able to stop the egg laying. Triggers can include toys that she can lay in, a plastic base to a cage, nesting material (i.e. cage bedding), a diet high in protein and fat, too much or not enough light, quality of light, etc. All things that should be considered. Removing the triggers to egg laying should be considered *FIRST* before any drastic measures should be taken. You never know, it could be something simple!

 

[mythic55]

I never advise to place eggs back in the cage, that's all.

I have far to many stories, and people who come into the clinic with very sick birds because the rotten eggs were punctured.