How will I know it's coming?

[Xoetix]

Egg laying animals give me such anxiety I've nearly lost a snake before to egg binding so I'm just a ball of freak out from the potential now.

OK, Isadora (SC2) is 15 years old, 16 in April. She's lately, in the past week or so, gotten more clingy with me than usual and more insistant on grooming me - face, eyebrows, hands, hair (or fuzz, since I shaved it off), etc. She's not doing the body dip and showing me her butt or anything, and not getting busy with any toys yet, and a gentle palpation of her cloaca gives no feel of a lump of a coming egg.

Per her previous owners, she's laid off and on since she was a few years old - one egg per year. I've had chickens before, but they're *supposed* to lay eggs, so I didn't worry about it really, and they never had any trouble. But I've never dealt with an indoor female pet bird.

What do I need to be aware of?

I guess what I'm really asking is, what's the best way to put my anxiety at ease regarding this? Is there any reason to be anxious ahead of time?

 

[Wally&Eva]

I feel you lady, I’m dreading seeing an egg on the floor

 

[Pixiebeak]

If you weigh regular. You will see a big jump in weight . Flr your size e bird about 60 grams if she makes an egg.

Healthy females in a good diet should do fine. Unhealthy they can have weak shells and that to issues.

You can have fake eggs in hand if she lays and you want to trade out

 

[Xoetix]

If you weigh regular. You will see a big jump in weight . Flr your size e bird about 60 grams if she makes an egg.

Healthy females in a good diet should do fine. Unhealthy they can have weak shells and that to issues.

You can have fake eggs in hand if she lays and you want to trade out

Good to know about the weight jump. I've been weighing her two to three times a week now, and so far no major weight movement.

Per her previous owners, she'd literally drop the egg on the floor of the cage and that'd be that - she apparently had no maternal instinct. There was never nest building or anything, they'd just come in one morning and there would be a (usually broken) egg on the cage floor.

 

[Shezbug]

If you weigh regular. You will see a big jump in weight . Flr your size e bird about 60 grams if she makes an egg.

Healthy females in a good diet should do fine. Unhealthy they can have weak shells and that to issues.

You can have fake eggs in hand if she lays and you want to trade out

Are you sure it is that much of a weight hike?? Just seems a bit much for a bird Isadora's size?

I honestly do not know what kind of weight increase would be seen in a 2 just before laying as I have never had a laying parrot but 60g sounds like a huge increase for such a small bird and egg- I am thinking of chook eggs that weigh 60g and their size which is way larger than a 2 egg, I just really would not expect to see that much of a weight jump.
I wonder if there are some charts showing the usual weight, then the weight right before laying and straight after.

 

[AussieBird]

Are you sure it is that much of a weight hike?? Just seems a bit much for a bird Isadora's size?

Out of curiosity I went and weighed two chicken eggs from the fridge. One of the store bought ones weight 60g one of Elly's (Smallish chicken) 50g.
Now I am seriously curious how big a 'too egg is.

Also I don't know if it the same for bigger birds too, but they're poop size generally increases before laying an egg.

 

[Shezbug]

Out of curiosity I went and weighed two chicken eggs from the fridge. One of the store bought ones weight 60g one of Elly's (Smallish chicken) 50g.
Now I am seriously curious how big a 'too egg is.

Also I don't know if it the same for bigger birds too, but they're poop size generally increases before laying an egg.

The ones I have seen are probably much less than half that weight. I would be guessing 10-15 gm for the smaller 2's.

I have no clue as I have never weighed a 2 egg but they are much much smaller than chook eggs lol.

 

[FiatLux]

Just happened to have read this. Hopefully you can see the text below the photo. Doesn’t have weights but the photo comparison is interesting.

 

[Shezbug]

Just happened to have read this. Hopefully you can see the text below the photo. Doesn’t have weights but the photo comparison is interesting. View attachment 425390

Curious if there are any weights listed in your article?

Lmao- I just re-read the whole sentence you wrote properly so that it sunk into my thick head

 

[Xoetix]

So maybe a 20g weight jump? Lmfao this seems silly @Icey how big are cockatoo eggs? When did Dolly last lay?

 

[Pixiebeak]

Are you sure it is that much of a weight hike?? Just seems a bit much for a bird Isadora's size?

I honestly do not know what kind of weight increase would be seen in a 2 just before laying as I have never had a laying parrot but 60g sounds like a huge increase for such a small bird and egg- I am thinking of chook eggs that weigh 60g and their size which is way larger than a 2 egg, I just really would not expect to see that much of a weight jump.
I wonder if there are some charts showing the usual weight, then the weight right before laying and straight after.

A person I know with a too( not sure species) , who did weigh had that jump, and weighed egg after passing. It would be great to have more data
But for my quaker I get 20-25 gram jump before egg...and they are about 1/3 the weight of a too .
I did some research on breeding gcc female weight changes ( I read way to much) if memory serves they had a 15 gram jump.. and they are half the size of my quakers .
So I think it's definitely in the ball park to be that high
Not all of it will be egg weight. The ovaries really increase in size, and their is weight change

 

[Pixiebeak]

Just happened to have read this. Hopefully you can see the text below the photo. Doesn’t have weights but the photo comparison is interesting. View attachment 425390

Nice

 

[Pixiebeak]

Hormonal weight gain? – Lafeber® Pet Birds

Is there anything known about female parrot weight year cycle? I have an adult female blue headed pionus and she gains weight every spring (when the daylight hours increase) and then decrease again in weight less starting from mid-summer. I have made a excel -diagram for her weight spanning...

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