Help please!

[EkkieLuv]

My little rescue blue crowned conure has only been with us about a month. I have no female parrot experience so need some advice about egg laying. She laid an egg a few days ago. It was cracked so I tossed it. She has seemed fine since. She laid a 2nd one overnight that I found this morning. Also cracked, tossed it. (Don't want babies so not giving nesting material. She does have a mate!) She is acting strange after this one. Still perching but didn't head for breakfast as usual, seemed tired and maybe not feeling normal. Her mate was also being unusually protective of her! Should I be worried!? Is her behavior normal after laying eggs??

 

[Birdbabe]

Bump!

 

[EkkieLuv]

Ok, I can breathe again. Hubby just got home and said she seems fine. Is moving around and eating, etc. I was worried sick!!! Female parrots and egg-laying is not for me! I'll stick with boys. LOL So I'm thinking when I uncovered them this morning and noticed this behavior, she had possibly just laid the egg? Can anyone tell me if it's normal for them to be lethargic for a bit after laying? I am in search of a good home for these babies still but in the meanwhile, I don't want to make myself sick every time if it's nothing to worry about. I've been searching online all morning and couldn't find anything definitive. Any links to good female parrot info would be a godsend - I do much better when I'm educated and prepared!!

 

[allison]

She might just be tired after laying it. It is a lot of work for them and can be very painful. I'd keep an eye on her and bring her to the vet if she's still off for more than a day. She also may need some calcium supplements. They lose a lot of calcium when they lay eggs and that might be why they are cracking as well (if there is not enough calcium to form a harder shell). Good luck!

 

[SandraK]

I don't know if it's the same with ekkies, but I'd suggest not pitching the next egg if there is one as some birds will lay to replace the "missing" ones.

 

[EkkieLuv]

I don't know if it's the same with ekkies, but I'd suggest not pitching the next egg if there is one as some birds will lay to replace the "missing" ones.

Thanks. This is a blue crowned conure I'm speaking of, in case I confused anyone with the ekkie in my profile pic! Both of these eggs were cracked and I was not prepared with fake eggs... but will get some! She wasn't tending to either one at all, just left them on the cage floor - maybe b/c they were cracked. I'll add some calcium-rich foods. They're eating pretty well - they get the same fresh and cooked foods as my ekkies eat, plus a mix of Roudybush and Safflower Gold seed blend that has some dried fruit/veg in it as well. They're not big on dark leafy greens... have to try some different presentations and see if I can get them interested. Supplements worry me a little. Since they share food, wouldn't providing supplements be a concern with the male??

 

[SandraK]

Mybad ....

 

[Monica]

Sounds like something is triggering her to lay eggs, and if you can figure out what that is, and remove it, you may be able to stop her from laying eggs.

 

[cupoftea]

I am not sure if this would work with your girl, but maybe allowing her keep the eggs for a couple weeks once she's laid her entire clutch will prevent her from laying more eggs so soon after.

 

[karen256]

They typically don't start sitting until after the second one is laid, so just because they're ignoring a single egg doesn't mean they are not interested in incubating the eggs.
I assume the eggs are cracking because you aren't providing a nest site so she's laying from the perch. While I understand that you are trying to not encourage laying, she may just keep laying if she doesn't get a chance to incubate for awhile. You might want to try providing something simple like a large bowl on the bottom of the cage with a little shredded paper. It doesn't need to be something enclosed like a nestbox, which is more likely to trigger more breeding behavior.
You can also get some fake eggs and use them to replace any that are broken.
Fake Eggs

 

[EkkieLuv]

They typically don't start sitting until after the second one is laid, so just because they're ignoring a single egg doesn't mean they are not interested in incubating the eggs.
I assume the eggs are cracking because you aren't providing a nest site so she's laying from the perch. While I understand that you are trying to not encourage laying, she may just keep laying if she doesn't get a chance to incubate for awhile. You might want to try providing something simple like a large bowl on the bottom of the cage with a little shredded paper. It doesn't need to be something enclosed like a nestbox, which is more likely to trigger more breeding behavior.
You can also get some fake eggs and use them to replace any that are broken.
Fake Eggs

Thank you!!!! I feel completely inadequate when it comes to these females! LOL Just a sudden learning curve thrown at me. I had no idea there was a female coming with this little flock of rescues. I'll get there. Haha. I knew about not sitting right away but didn't want to leave the cracked ones to rot and didn't have anything to give her as a replacement. I'm going to try to get by my local parrot store and find some - my job hours conflict with their hours though. I will put a bowl or shoebox or something in there for her. Do you think she'll lay a 3rd egg since the 2nd was also cracked and I took it away? How many do BCC's usually lay in a clutch?