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What to Expect When Your Bird Is Egg-Specting?

lisaraby

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Hello all! It's been a while since I've sent an update on Indie. Here's what you should know before the questions begin:

  • Went to the vet two Saturdays ago. Indie had(has?) A mild upper respiratory issue. She got two meds (one started with an M and was an oral med, six doses) and the other is a nose drop called Ciloxan (maybe. The bottle is in the other room.) Indie has chewed the reciept so I can't confirm the name of the first med. Her nose stoped running for a couple days but every so often it'll come back like....
  • Today, when Indie laid an egg (?!). I have been trying lots to get her to NOT lay an egg but clearly that didn't work. She has been super insistent on building a nest lately which I've been removing, but to no avail.
Here's the questions!
  1. Her nose was running after she laid her egg. It's a lot of effort, I understand, but is that something to be worried about? I am planning on calling the vet tomorrow to let them know she did lay an egg. The vet said she's a little too young (just barely over a year) and, as of two weeks ago, her pelvis wasn't open and she didn't have any eggs on the way.
  2. ImI working on rearranging her cage next. She has a UV bulb and a humidifier, but is there anything else I should add or remove? All the shreddable toys are coming out, but the thing is, she doesn't play with anything she can't shred! She refuses to touch toys that can't be easily destroyed. Do you have other options/favorite toys for your lovebirds?
  3. I've been reading that restricting food and foraging is really good, but Indie is the laziest, most active bird I've ever met. She gets bored of foraging in an instant, even when it's easy to do. Tips/tricks for easy homemade foraging options that don't involve shredding material? She got her beak stuck in a plexi foraging ball once and refuses to go near it now. Would it be an idea to put a ton of fresh veg and fruit in her cage in a foraging format and to take out her pellets and just give her pellets later?
  4. I know to expect more than one egg. How can I make sure she's getting the calcium she needs, other than cuttlebone, which she won't eat unless it's held in front of her face by me.
  5. Literally anything else you think I should know about eggs.
Thank you all, and thank you for reading this monster of a post!!
 

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Shezbug

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I believe they will instinctively consume the cuttlebone when they are in need of calcium but you can grind/crush some up and sprinkle a small amount on her foods.

I really do not know enough about egg laying to give you any useful advice so hopefully some of the others with more medical and egg knowledge will respond to your questions soon :)
 

JaclynBin

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Hello,

That’s too bad that Indie was feeling under the weather - I would definitely get that respiratory infection looked at again if she’s still got fairly frequent discharge, particularly if you notice an off colouring to it.

As for eggs, I feel your pain - that’s part of my least favourite season. My hen seems really similar to your gal in that she only likes toys she can shred. Though I can’t say for certain how Indie will react, when I removed a lot of her shredding toys while she was nesting, Gem took to her feathers instead until I put them back in. Maybe do so cautiously if that’s part of your plan.

Most recently, I’ve found that letting Gem lay all of her eggs (which she laid in an empty bird bath that I usually keep loose toys in) then removing the entire nest made her essentially turn back to her normal self immediately. In the past, I’ve also interrupted some egg laying by changing her lifestyle drastically - bringing her on a road trip to new environments, rotating her through different cages, substantially changing her cage decor and room placement. Ideally, her cage should not have any places to nest. Bigger cages that are on casters are nice for this since birds aren’t inclined to nest on the floor of the cage as it’s so close to the ground, unless they’re really dedicated.

If you’re really worried about calcium, you can ask your vet for a liquid supplement. It is injectible, but can also simply be added to their water. If Indie isn’t picky - you can try adding crushed egg shells and lots of leafy greens to her food.

Definitely a good idea with that humidifier right now - my vet usually recommends to keep the heat a bit higher than usual when my birds are going through particularly stressful times as well.

Good luck with the rest of egg time - keep us posted :)
 

faislaq

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How's Indie feeling today?
 

lisaraby

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Well, I took all of your advice and I think I've got it figured out. For now!

Indie now has a humidifier and a UV light. She laid one egg on Thursday and one egg on Saturday (last week,) but hasn't shown any signs of laying any more. I restricted her food, took away all shredding toys, did 12 hours of dark and took away all her hiding spots in the house and that seemed to make a difference! She forgot about the eggs almost immediately. She didn't interact with them or go near them for about three days, so I took them out of her cage when I cleaned it. She hasn't gone looking for them or even been in the bottom half of her cage for about 2 days, so I think we're in the clear!

Thank you thank you Shezbug and JaclynBin for your advice. Now I know what to look out for!

Here's a picture of Indie attempting to incubate her eggs. It really didn't work! Hahaha
 

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faislaq

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What an adorable pic! She's beautiful. :) I'm glad she's okay.
 

Garet

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I like to feed my birds scrambled eggs every now and then. For my entire flock, one egg is more than enough. Finely crush the shell and mix it in while you're cooking. I know it's a little morbid, but it helps.
 

lisaraby

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@Garet Indie loooooves scrambled eggs, and I've heard of crushing the shells to give to her. I never thought of mixing them in though! I'll do that next time, thanks!
 
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