Fake Eggs or more calcium?

[Bokkapooh]

Squid (pacific parrotlet) laid her first egg ever last Friday. Shes had an egg bump since. I believe she should have laid Sunday and again this morning.

But no signs of her eggs? There is no box. Shes nesting on the cage floor.

Someones eating them.

So should I put fake eggs down? She has a cuddlebone but doesn't care for it. So I've been giving her almond slices (good source of calcium) and she's been eating greatly. Eats tons of pellets, veggies and her seeds too. As well as the almond slivers.

She is caged with her mate Bleu. A dilute blue boy. Theyre very bonded.

So I'm not sure what to do. Will she keep laying even though she or Bleu are eating the eggs?

Maybe I can cook a chicken egg for her and give her that.

 

[Anne & Gang]

I wo uld definitely put fake eggs down...you can buy them on line at birdsupplynh.,com the budgie ones would be s mall enou gh..actually I th ink they have canary eggs as well...are you sure they are eating them?

 

[Bokkapooh]

I have fake eggs for them. Bought them at a craft store over the weekend. Canary size works for these guys. So I'll put one down in her make-do nest.

I have no idea if they're eating them. But since the eggs are disappearing, that's what I assume. Shes definitely laid. Her belly is still egg butt this morning. Just not egg hard.

 

[Macawnutz]

Hmmm, I'd try putting one down and see what she does.

 

[Bokkapooh]

Well she was currently off h er nest when lights came on this morning, which is why I looked to see how many eggs she has. I was going to begin freezing them (one at a time).

I'll put an egg down later. I'm hoping she decides egg laying isn't her type of hobby

 

[CheekyBeaks]

If you have some fake eggs I would put one or two down for her in her nesting place. Normally hens will lay a whole clutch regardless of breaking eggs, but some hens will compensate for losses and lay a 'super clutch'.
As for calcium, I always use an avian liquid calcium with added vitamin D in addition to cuttlefish when breeding, if she doesn't get several hours of direct daylight outdoors she won't be absorbing the vit d that aids in digesting the calcium and the calcium content in her diet will be useless. From memory i think broccoli is high in calcium too. Vit D deficiency may also explain the egg eating, but it could also just be behavioural, or they aren't being gentle and breaking them and they eat them to clean up the nest.

 

[Bokkapooh]

Well she gets pellets, so an artificial form of Vit D. I'd like to give her outside time. But I worry of stressing her. She is just so tiny too

I have tons of brocolli. So she does get some daily.

But its unthawed and cooked. Does it need to he fresh for the calcium content to be at its best? I remember reading somewhere that broccoli should only be fed cooked.

 

[CheekyBeaks]

I always feed my broccoli raw but as fresh as possible I haven't come across anything stating it needs to be cooked but cooking veggies does destroy a lot of the nutritional value so I normally only cook food if it is necessary.
None of my birds will touch thawed frozen veg, if I try to they give me a funny look, walk away and sulk

 

[Bokkapooh]

My parrotlets seem to prefer unthawed vs fresh. Maybe they like the mushyness of it? Won't eat fresh peach but will eat it unthawed. Same with apple. Veggies, they prefer unthawed vs fresh. They are great with fresh romaine lettuce vs frozen thawed. Phewie!