Nesting, I'm not a breeder

[safehaven]

Hi,
I have a male and female GCC. In the last month, they have been trying to get in my cabinets and on top of refrigerator between some boxes, or any book they can find. Also tearing paper and chewing on anything that could shred. I decided instead of fighting this constant " search" I would place a wood box on top of the refrigerator to see if this would satisfy them. Well, it appears that is what they were searching for and the female is staying inside it a lot while the male sits right outside and going in every now and again. This has been going on for 4 days now. There are no eggs and honestly, I don't think they do " it" correctly anyway to have babies. Can they " think" they are going to lay eggs but don't? Does this happen? And if so, how long do I leave the box there?
They are un caged and always have been so it's not possible to separate them nor would I do that to them. I just wonder if I am doing the right thing to go along with what I see is " natural" to them even though I have mixed feelings on it all.

 

[karen256]

Yes, it's entirely possible that they will still lay eggs, they may be infertile. They may or may not depending on how old they are, but they probably will next season if not this season.
With them being cage-free, it's hard to avoid breeding or hormonal behaviors because in the wild, breeding triggers are nest cavities and 'rainy season' conditions of longer days, warming temperatures, and lots of water. And those are all things they get plenty of in the average house year round - it's a bit unnatural for them to experience these conditions all the time.
The house is full of potentially unsafe 'nest sites' like cupboards, drawers, ect. so giving them a nest box is probably safer than not. You could try opening the top (if you can) to make it less enclosed, the more open the box, the more likely they may adopt it as a sleeping box only - but if you make it too open, then they might seek out another spot.
It might be a good idea, if possible, to confine them to one room at night so you can control their day length as well. The average house will have activity and lights on more than 12 hours a day so it might be disturbing their normal sleep patterns. If you can keep them in one room with blinds closed at night, it might help discourage excessive nesting behavior as well.

 

[JLcribber]

And should they lay some eggs (because they can and will) just replace them with fakes and let them go about their business.

Get them here.

DummyEggs.com by Melanie Dummy Eggs Stop Bird Egg Laying! Fake Falso Faux Plastic Eggs

 

[Jessie1285]

I have a male and female gcc that are cage free also and they do the same thing. We gave them a drawer in one of our dressers. They don't really mate properly I don't think. I'm not going to breed them, they'll get fake or boiled eggs.

 

[safehaven]

Oh thank you so much for your replies. I have been beating myself up if I am doing the right thing giving them a box. It did totally stop the constant searching in areas I don't want them too!! Prior to all of this, they both slept with me in my bed, in a basket and sheepskin blanket that they love. Basket has a top closure , so no one think I could roll on them.
Since the nest box, they have chosen to sleep in there and abandon their beloved basket. That's been hard. I do move the best box once they retire for the night into a large pet carrier so I know they are safe throughout the night since they aren't with me in my bed anymore

So, the fake eggs, what do I do with the real ones, if they do lay? It's odd bc the female was in there all day today and I just looked, no eggs. Why would she sit in there like that when she is a social butterfly?

 

[JLcribber]

Oh thank you so much for your replies. I have been beating myself up if I am doing the right thing giving them a box. It did totally stop the constant searching in areas I don't want them too!! Prior to all of this, they both slept with me in my bed, in a basket and sheepskin blanket that they love. Basket has a top closure , so no one think I could roll on them.
Since the nest box, they have chosen to sleep in there and abandon their beloved basket. That's been hard. I do move the best box once they retire for the night into a large pet carrier so I know they are safe throughout the night since they aren't with me in my bed anymore

So, the fake eggs, what do I do with the real ones, if they do lay? It's odd bc the female was in there all day today and I just looked, no eggs. Why would she sit in there like that when she is a social butterfly?

Because she may be "building" them.

Breeding is a complicated cycle that involves all kinds of rituals/routines.

Just dispose of the real ones.

 

[safehaven]

Because she may be "building" them.

Breeding is a complicated cycle that involves all kinds of rituals/routines.

Just dispose of the real ones.

Ouch. Ok.

One other odd thing since this started is she is trying to eat the cement off the stone fireplace. I got her gravel and a cuddle bone and egg protein but none of that does she want but the cement grout.

 

[karen256]

So, the fake eggs, what do I do with the real ones, if they do lay? It's odd bc the female was in there all day today and I just looked, no eggs. Why would she sit in there like that when she is a social butterfly?

She may not be ready to lay yet, if she's young.
The fake eggs are for if you don't want to breed them. It gives her something to sit on so she doesn't lay more eggs.
Even if you do want to breed, it's probably for the best if you let them sit on fake eggs for their first clutch or two. Inexperienced parents are more likely to have problems - they may not incubate the eggs properly or care for the chicks well - it's rather common for first time parents to not feed all their babies well or sometimes even groom them roughly or step on them, which can cause injury when they are tiny babies. All in all, it's best to give them some time to mature and practice incubating so there's less chance of any problems if you do let them breed later on.

Oh and eating cement off the fireplace is normal behavior - it may not be safe, though. My GCC always becomes obsessed with eating minerals before egglaying, but usually won't touch her cuttlebone. Instead, she will try to eat dirt (she even knows to check shoes that may be left on the floor), tries to chip paint off her cage, eats soil from houseplants - everything she shouldn't have. What I've found to help is offering Avian Calcium (a pure calcium supplement without anything added like D3) and a Manu mineral block (these are formulated to mimic the mineral-rich clay that many South American parrots eat daily).
She did show some nesting behaviors and an increased interest in minerals each summer for several years before she actually started laying eggs. But she doesn't have a mate so she started laying eggs relatively late in life.

 

[SandraK]

I don't think anyone has asked this but do you have any idea of how old your gccs are?

 

[JLcribber]

Ouch. Ok.

One other odd thing since this started is she is trying to eat the cement off the stone fireplace. I got her gravel and a cuddle bone and egg protein but none of that does she want but the cement grout.

Do NOT give your bird gravel. They do not need it and it will actually cause problems (impaction). Chewing rock/brick/cement is also a beak maintenance behaviour.

 

[safehaven]

Ok no gravel, gone! I'm glad I mentioned that because the box says for all parrots.
My female is 3 yrs old and the male is not quite 2.
Karen, where should I find those items, they are not in my pet store.
Thank you all again, so helpful!
Oh, about breeding, I have such mixed feelings : I would get attached to the babies, I would worry about finding good owners, and the time involved. Those are things in my head right now. Also, will I lose my bond with my female, I already miss her bc she spends so much time in the box and will she stay " different" and in that I mean she seems worried and focused on that box. When would I take it from her? Never and keep eggs in there? Is this even the season? Someone mentioned summer but I know she was born early March 3 years ago.

 

[safehaven]

Sorry for rambling and seeming so niave, but I guess I am worried and niave about this.
I am glad too that her desire to eat cement isn't bizarre, she goes to the fireplace at least 3 times a day to pick off the cement

 

[safehaven]

This article scared me too
Discouraging Breeding Behavior In Pet Birds — For The Birds DVM — Avian Vet

 

[JLcribber]

This article scared me too
Discouraging Breeding Behavior In Pet Birds — For The Birds DVM — Avian Vet

Egg laying is a perfectly natural thing. They are designed and built to do just that. If you keep your hen well fed (proper nutrition, not just lots of food) and fit (let her fly a lot) and you really shouldn't have a problem unless she was predisposed to having problems anyway (genetics).

 

[safehaven]

Egg laying is a perfectly natural thing. They are designed and built to do just that. If you keep your hen well fed (proper nutrition, not just lots of food) and fit (let her fly a lot) and you really shouldn't have a problem unless she was predisposed to having problems anyway (genetics).

Thank you! She has been a very healthy bird. She gets to fly all the time and I do think she has good nutrition so fingers crossed.
That was a confusing article about something like you said " natural " and that is the life I try to give them, or at least as close to it as possible for captive birds.
Speaking of " natural" , the male is absolutely the most protective hovering mate. He sits outside the box guarding the opening, it's quite endearing to see. He has to get bored but he will not leave his post and will guard her and that box for hours straight. I have never seen him sit in one place for so long.

 

[JLcribber]

Speaking of " natural" , the male is absolutely the most protective hovering mate. He sits outside the box guarding the opening, it's quite endearing to see. He has to get bored but he will not leave his post and will guard her and that box for hours straight. I have never seen him sit in one place for so long.

Good men are hard to find.

 

[karen256]

Ok no gravel, gone! I'm glad I mentioned that because the box says for all parrots.
My female is 3 yrs old and the male is not quite 2.
Karen, where should I find those items, they are not in my pet store.
Thank you all again, so helpful!
Oh, about breeding, I have such mixed feelings : I would get attached to the babies, I would worry about finding good owners, and the time involved. Those are things in my head right now. Also, will I lose my bond with my female, I already miss her bc she spends so much time in the box and will she stay " different" and in that I mean she seems worried and focused on that box. When would I take it from her? Never and keep eggs in there? Is this even the season? Someone mentioned summer but I know she was born early March 3 years ago.

There are different types of grit/gravel - usually it's a mix of insoluble grit (crushed stone) and soluble grit (crushed oyster shell). The risk is that a mineral-crazy bird will try to eat things she normally wouldn't eat and could possible swallow too much insoluble grit that it can cause an impaction. And they do not require the insoluble grit to digest food like doves, chickens, ect. do. The oyster shell is more or less the same as cuttlebone - it's ok to offer if she is interested - just watch to make sure she's grinding it to a powder before swallowing it. But oyster shell and cuttlebone is likely still contaminated with low levels of mercury and other pollutants, just like seafood. Avian calcium and similar products are going to be purer calcium.
I've had to order the avian calcium and manu blocks online.
I've gotten Avian Calcium here and Manu blocks here but many places sell them. Get the smallest size, they will last for years.
Human calcium supplements are ok too, IF they don't have added zinc/magnesium/D3 ect, which most do. My vet has even suggested offering my GCC Tums, but my GCC won't touch them - even though she normally loves anything sweet.

You may lose your bond with the female temporarily while she's nesting, depending on how close she is. Mine is usually the most devoted, loyal little companion, but when she's on eggs, she loses all interest in me. She will come out 3x a day, eat as much as she can in about 5 min, and back to her eggs. The eggs are all she cares about and I'm just there to feed her. But she does allow me to reach in and pick her up while she's on eggs - the trust is still there, and when she's ready to give up on the eggs, she is back to her old friendly self within a day or two. With you having a pair, the male will be feeding her, but it would probably be a good idea to try and interact with her a little bit every day - as much as she allows.
With mine being focused only on food when she's on eggs, I do a simple training session once a day, having her fetch toys or fly back and forth for treats, for as long as she wants (rarely more than a few minutes as she's usually eager to get back to her eggs). That way she gets a little interaction and exercise.
It is odd that yours is nesting this time of year but I suppose she inherited that tendency from her mom.

 

[safehaven]

Great info!! I most likely will continue to ask questions during this seasonal time for her, lol.
She definitely trusts me and will let me pet her while in the box , the male will let me look too but doesn't want my hand in there.
I will order those products bc she is obviously needing/wanting something I am not giving her that she is finding in the cement. I will have to cover the fireplace with a blanket.
Funny, since they were looking for a "nest spot" in the upper cabinets and top of refrigerator, I put the nest box on top of my refrigerator. Tried moving it but she frantically was searching up there for it so I guess it stays there

 

[safehaven]

Well, today Fern was clinging to me like velcro and acting like something was wrong, climbing under my arm, in my hands, any place she could snuggle down, then all of a sudden, plop on me!

 

[SandraK]

Just don't try sitting on it ....