first time egg (maybe?)

[birbs]

Hello! I'm new to the whole forum thing. I have had my budgies for about 1 year already. I have a beautiful female budgie and yesterday I found that her vent is swollen and noticed a small bulge on the belly. She has a partner for a long time and I've noticed that he's been feeding her more often than before. Her habits were a little strange because she would cope in a coconut house and only come to when she wants to eat and stretch. Before she would come to me when she sees me. She's been doing this for 2-3 weeks and this was after my trip to Disney (4/4-4/11). DON"T WORRY MY FAMILY IS HOME TO TAKE CARE OF HER. I'm worrying that she would suffer from egg-bound since I heard that it is common in small birds. I also felt her tummy (bribed her with food) and it felt a little soft? There is also a blueish spot in her tummy and I felt something hard but I'm pretty sure that's a bone lol. I think today maybe her 3 or 4th day and the nesting box is coming in today. She doesn't eat veggies or fruit (she only started exploring broccoli) and she eats seeds coated with calcium powder. However, that may a lost case since her mate is feeding it to her instead. So I'll try feeding her hard-boiled egg and eggshell. She also lives with 4 other birds and her mate.

Main Questions:
How long does it take for the eggshell to form and is it normal for her belly to feel soft in the beginning?
What's the chance of her egg being fertilized (never saw them mating but one attempt which was months ago)?
My parents won't be home in the next few days, I'm a young person and can't drive.
I'll make sure to update daily so help would be appreciated <3

 

[Zara]

Welcome to the Avenue!

I also felt her tummy

Remember to be extremely gentle, if at all handle her. If you break the egg, it is a serious problem.

the nesting box is coming in today.

Don´t give her a nest, she doesn´t need one. Let her lay the eggs in the coconut, then remove them. Once she has finished laying the whole clutch, remove the coconut entirely.

She doesn't eat veggies or fruit (she only started exploring broccoli) and she eats seeds coated with calcium powder. However, that may a lost case since her mate is feeding it to her instead.

Will he eat pellets?

So I'll try feeding her hard-boiled egg and eggshell.

A small amount of egg is a good idea. If you feed egg shell, be sure you grind it to a fine powder first or it can slice the crop.
You can also try offering some veggies, carrot, bok choy, dill, parsley, broccoli.

How long does it take for the eggshell to form

Eggs are created in approx. 24-48 windows. But the bird can swell before the eggs, and can stay swollen after eggs are laid.

What's the chance of her egg being fertilized

There´s always a small chance. But I would just remove the egg anyway, so it won´t make much difference. Just because you have a pair of birds and the hen lays eggs, doesn´t mean you need to allow them to breed. They can be just as happy having their eggs removed. Some birds may not want to be parents.

 

[Sodapop&Co.]

Great advice from Zara above. I just want to say, from the pictures I'd definitely assume there's an egg in there so you want to be watching her closely to see any changes in her behaviour that could indicate she's going downhill. Is she still flying? Does she seem to be preening around her vent/tummy/tail area a lot? Does she keep going back there as if it's bothering her? I always notice this in my Tiel if she has an egg that won't come out yet. Luckily she's gotten them out on her own every time.

 

[birbs]

Welcome to the Avenue! View attachment 381112


Remember to be extremely gentle, if at all handle her. If you break the egg, it is a serious problem.


Don´t give her a nest, she doesn´t need one. Let her lay the eggs in the coconut, then remove them. Once she has finished laying the whole clutch, remove the coconut entirely.


Will he eat pellets?


A small amount of egg is a good idea. If you feed egg shell, be sure you grind it to a fine powder first or it can slice the crop.
You can also try offering some veggies, carrot, bok choy, dill, parsley, broccoli.


Eggs are created in approx. 24-48 windows. But the bird can swell before the eggs, and can stay swollen after eggs are laid.


There´s always a small chance. But I would just remove the egg anyway, so it won´t make much difference. Just because you have a pair of birds and the hen lays eggs, doesn´t mean you need to allow them to breed. They can be just as happy having their eggs removed. Some birds may not want to be parents.

Yes I made sure I didn't hurt her and held her very gently. Thank you for helping so much. this is the first time I ever encounter this situation so I'm both anxious and very happy!

 

[birbs]

Great advice from Zara above. I just want to say, from the pictures I'd definitely assume there's an egg in there so you want to be watching her closely to see any changes in her behavior that could indicate she's going downhill. Is she still flying? Does she seem to be preening around her vent/tummy/tail area a lot? Does she keep going back there as if it's bothering her? I always notice this in my Tiel if she has an egg that won't come out yet. Luckily she's gotten them out on her own every time.

So yesterday It seemed bald but today it doesn't. My memory is fuzzing so I'm not too sure. She still flying around like normal but I'm restricting her from flying. She hasn't start preening her vent/tail yet assuming the egg hasn't been ready to be laid. I'm mainly scared that she will lay a soft-shell one or that she'll have trouble laying one.

 

[birbs]

Will he eat pellets?

No, they do not eat pellets but I bought one recently so I'm trying to change their diet slowly.

You can also try offering some veggies, carrots, bok choy, dill, parsley, broccoli.

Is raw ok? I gave her raw broccoli and she's nibbling/chucking them out.

 

[Sodapop&Co.]

OK; it's actually very good for laying hens to fly - they really need the exercise (being physically strong gives them a better chance of laying without issue, and not declining healthwise while they nest) and it makes it easier to judge their condition. When they stop being able to fly and just sit around, generally flat on their bellies (will look different from a nesting hen sitting), it's not generally a good sign.

 

[birbs]

OK; it's actually very good for laying hens to fly - they really need the exercise (being physically strong gives them a better chance of laying without issue, and not declining healthwise while they nest) and it makes it easier to judge their condition. When they stop being able to fly and just sit around, generally flat on their bellies (will look different from a nesting hen sitting), it's not generally a good sign.

OOoooh okay, that makes sense. She did fly and she's very energetic. I was scared that she'll bump and falls that's why I restricted it for the time being.

 

[birbs]

Will he eat pellets?

Today, I hand-fed her crushed pellets (too big for her) and she seems to be eating. I can't really tell if she's eating or grinding it since I saw a lot of crumbs falling out. The pellets are for medium-sized birds and they are from the brand Zupreem. I searched on google the other day and it said I can feed budgies the pellet.

 

[Sunni Tiel]

Always have a dish of pellets in the cage so she can eat them if she wants. Try to do the same with veggies, just hang some from toys, chop them into a dish, or clip them onto the cage bars. Take them out after a couple hours so they don't go bad.

She's trying the pellets, that's a step! Even if she's not eating them, she's tasting them. Budgies are often messy eaters, and I'm sure it would be hard to eat a whole pellet with no teeth without dropping any.

 

[birbs]

Update: She laid the egg with no problem. Unfortunately, the egg cracked. Will she be laying another egg? I am so sad

 

[Gigibirds]

Oh I'm glad that she was not egg-bound! Well if she didn't lay it in a proper nest then I wouldn't be surprised that it cracked. Don't be sad - she will probably lay a couple more

 

[birbs]

Oh I'm glad that she was not egg-bound! Well if she didn't lay it in a proper nest then I wouldn't be surprised that it cracked. Don't be sad - she will probably lay a couple more

Thank you for the comfort! <3
I got her a nesting box but it seems there was some sort of accident that caused her egg to crack. We have 6 birds total would I need to separate her and her mate from the rest? There doesn't seem to be any problem with her and her cagemate and they get along pretty well.

 

[Gigibirds]

Did you make sure that the nest was lined with something so she didn't lay her egg on bare wood?

would I need to separate her and her mate from the rest?

It depends! Do they ever fight, can they all get food, are any birds disturbing the nest/the nesting couple, etc. If it is a large cage and they are happy enough, they should be fine. My lovebirds have raised babies in a little aviary with other birds around, and there was no problem! But if there does appear to be a problem, I would separate them from the rest. But they should be able to stay with the others as long as the cage is large enough for them all. If it's not, it would be easier to get them their own cage, and then if the eggs did hatch, there would be no space issues.

 

[birbs]

Did you make sure that the nest was lined with something so she didn't lay her egg on bare wood?


It depends! Do they ever fight, can they all get food, are any birds disturbing the nest/the nesting couple, etc. If it is a large cage and they are happy enough, they should be fine. My lovebirds have raised babies in a little aviary with other birds around, and there was no problem! But if there does appear to be a problem, I would separate them from the rest. But they should be able to stay with the others as long as the cage is large enough for them all. If it's not, it would be easier to get them their own cage, and then if the eggs did hatch, there would be no space issues.

Yes, the cage is large enough for them and they have plenty of food. They only fight with food once in a while but they are fine. Thanks for the extra help! Yes, I did make sure she didn't lay the egg on bare wood. I lay fabric and shredded paper.

 

[Zara]

Here is another thread, there´s a list of equipment you will need to purchase. Just caught my budgies mating!

It is not recommended to allow birds to breed that are not on a good balanced diet, and having a vet visit before breeding is always highly recommended.

 

[birbs]

Here is another thread, there´s a list of equipment you will need to purchase. Just caught my budgies mating!

It is not recommended to allow birds to breed that are not on a good balanced diet, and having a vet visit before breeding is always highly recommended.

Thank you so much TTwTT
Yes, I started to give the birds a healthier diet a few days ago and she tried hard-boiled egg yolk and shells today. I also made sure to crush them small enough for her to eat and consume. She made an effort to tr pellets but she didn't seem to like it as much but at least it's progress. I separated her and her mate from the other budgie for extra precautions and plan to buy baby bird items maybe when in 2 weeks. She hasn't laid an egg today so I will be expecting the second one tomorrow. Currently, her belly is a little swollen but not as much compared to yesterday (before she laid egg) so I will be keeping an eye on her tomorrow. She's been going in and out of her nesting box and the male has been feeding her. She doesn't eat the seeds unless it's the one her mate feeds her. I also heard some quiet squeaking sound but google said it's normal for budgies to do that when they want food from their mate. She still chirps like normal bu occasionally I hear some squeaks.

Questions: Is it normal for her to want to eat from her mate? And is it normal for her to squeak?
Thank you guys for the help! I appreciate it so much <3

 

[Sunni Tiel]

Make sure when you crush egg shells you have them into a fine powder, the bigger bits can cut their crops.

When the females nest, they mostly stay inside the box to keep the babies warm so they rely on the males to feed them.

 

[birbs]

Yeah, she laid an egg again yesterday in the afternoon ad she didn't incubate it. I heard it's normal for that to happen as budgies usually don't incubate unless they lay 2 or more or sometimes until she laid the entire clutch. Her egg has a very light pink hue and it can't be noticed when taken by the picture. So today, I am going off to the pet store to provide her calcium blocks so she can get that extra calcium that she needs.

 

[Sunni Tiel]

What's her diet like?