Pet linnies mated and will likely be laying eggs - questions

[Alliusis]

Hi all!

I do not want to purposefully breed my linnies. They came to me as a pet pair however, and I saw them mating yesterday. So now I want to know how to facilitate the next few days/week so it goes as easily as possible for them. I hate egg-laying because the potential complications make me so anxious, and I'm constantly worrying.

I am getting them cuttlebone today for calcium (I usually have it, but I ran out before the Christmas season and just haven't gone to get more). Is that generally sufficient? Anything else? They came to me seed junkies, but I currently have them mostly on pellet (a mix of Tropican and the Zupreem multicoloured budgie pellet).

There has also been behavioural changes - the female is fairly normal except she gets very upset (panicking) whenever I touch the night cover towel on their cage. I heard linnies like to burrow so I would let them. I should have clued in that it would stimulate the desire to breed. The male is very defensive over his cage too. This is fine, just more evidence of how they're feeling.

At this point of time it seems like they are determined to mate and lay - at this point should I just get them a breeding box to lessen stress? Or at this point should I remove the towels and anything else that may be encouraging them to breed?

I'll probably shake the eggs once they come so I don't have a bunch of baby linnies running around. What else can I expect moving forward?

Thank you.

 

[Mizzely]

We've had at least one shaken egg actually hatch on the forum, so I'd boil

 

[Feather]

Mating doesn't necessarily mean eggs.

Don't give them a nest box, remove anything that could be considered a nest, and increase their nighttime hours. If eggs are laid, then boil them as Mizzely suggests or replace them with plastic duds, then let them keep the eggs on a shoebox lid or paper plate until they get bored.

Do you have to cover the cage at night?