mangodango
Checking out the neighborhood
- Joined
- 9/11/20
- Messages
- 3
- Real Name
- Gabriella
Hi there! I was hoping if I could receive some advice regarding my sun! I hope these are not too many questions, this is my first time using the forums. She is due to go to the vet soon, but I'm hoping for some advice until then so I can do my best for her!
My gal Mango, who is my first bird, is about 5 years old and has recently begun egg-laying, and I'm afraid I might possibly have a chronic egg layer on my hands. She's laid about 2 clutches so far with one lone egg in between the two in a short amount of time, with the lone egg being due to having her stay at my sister's for a week. I have tried a few things already to get her to stop, such as rearranging her cage, adding new toys, removing her happy hut (for good!), setting her bed time to around 6:00PM (with the cage covered) and have already bought dummy eggs for future use. She's currently on Zupreem fruit-blend (she's a very picky eater, converted from seeds) and I've supplied her with a cuttlebone for extra calcium which she's thankfully started chewing. I do have some questions about her behavior lately and was wondering if anyone could offer me some insight or personal experience as all this new behavior does make me anxious and I tend to worry about her a lot!
1. Is it normal for her to be sitting on the eggs all day non-stop? She does get up to eat, and when she does, she eats a lot! I was actually fearing the worst when I saw her crop get so big, but thankfully it just seemed to have been her going to town in her food dish. Otherwise, she is obsessed with them and refuses to leave them for too long.
2. I've noticed she's developed a bit of weakness/stumbling when climbing, and will flap her wings like crazy sometimes as if she's spooked. Is it possible this is a result of her muscles being weakened from disuse? Her food bowl is just right above her so it's a short climb and she hasn't been perching much in weeks, so I'm hoping this is something minor and just due to the lack of exercise? She does have a cuttlebone and I know calcium-deficiency can lead to weakness, but is this sufficient or should I be providing her with something else? (For context, her 'nest' is in the bottom corner on the grate.)
3. When she does come out, her body language is a bit puzzling to me. Her tail feathers are constantly fanned out now, and she paces a lot, almost as if she wants something, only to return back to the cage and sit on her eggs.
4. She makes these weird sounds when she's on her eggs, as well as bobs her head. They do sound like happy sounds, almost like a purring-growling, but she'll do it nonstop! I don't mind it personally, haha. Just curious.
5. Should I be replacing the eggs with the dummy ones or should I leave her eggs alone? She already laid her full clutch and has been sitting for about 2-3 weeks I'm guessing? She did start to eat some of her last eggs, so removal was necessary then. She thankfully hasn't repeated it on this clutch, but I do have the fake eggs ready!
6. Regarding clutch size, she has only laid up to 3 eggs only so far and was wondering if this will stay consistent? Or should I have gone for the 5 dummy eggs pack after all?
Sorry for the long post and all the questions! I do understand that all these eggs in a short amount of time can be draining to her body, so I'm definitely looking to break her cycle as soon as possible! Thank you for your time! <3
My gal Mango, who is my first bird, is about 5 years old and has recently begun egg-laying, and I'm afraid I might possibly have a chronic egg layer on my hands. She's laid about 2 clutches so far with one lone egg in between the two in a short amount of time, with the lone egg being due to having her stay at my sister's for a week. I have tried a few things already to get her to stop, such as rearranging her cage, adding new toys, removing her happy hut (for good!), setting her bed time to around 6:00PM (with the cage covered) and have already bought dummy eggs for future use. She's currently on Zupreem fruit-blend (she's a very picky eater, converted from seeds) and I've supplied her with a cuttlebone for extra calcium which she's thankfully started chewing. I do have some questions about her behavior lately and was wondering if anyone could offer me some insight or personal experience as all this new behavior does make me anxious and I tend to worry about her a lot!
1. Is it normal for her to be sitting on the eggs all day non-stop? She does get up to eat, and when she does, she eats a lot! I was actually fearing the worst when I saw her crop get so big, but thankfully it just seemed to have been her going to town in her food dish. Otherwise, she is obsessed with them and refuses to leave them for too long.
2. I've noticed she's developed a bit of weakness/stumbling when climbing, and will flap her wings like crazy sometimes as if she's spooked. Is it possible this is a result of her muscles being weakened from disuse? Her food bowl is just right above her so it's a short climb and she hasn't been perching much in weeks, so I'm hoping this is something minor and just due to the lack of exercise? She does have a cuttlebone and I know calcium-deficiency can lead to weakness, but is this sufficient or should I be providing her with something else? (For context, her 'nest' is in the bottom corner on the grate.)
3. When she does come out, her body language is a bit puzzling to me. Her tail feathers are constantly fanned out now, and she paces a lot, almost as if she wants something, only to return back to the cage and sit on her eggs.
4. She makes these weird sounds when she's on her eggs, as well as bobs her head. They do sound like happy sounds, almost like a purring-growling, but she'll do it nonstop! I don't mind it personally, haha. Just curious.
5. Should I be replacing the eggs with the dummy ones or should I leave her eggs alone? She already laid her full clutch and has been sitting for about 2-3 weeks I'm guessing? She did start to eat some of her last eggs, so removal was necessary then. She thankfully hasn't repeated it on this clutch, but I do have the fake eggs ready!
6. Regarding clutch size, she has only laid up to 3 eggs only so far and was wondering if this will stay consistent? Or should I have gone for the 5 dummy eggs pack after all?
Sorry for the long post and all the questions! I do understand that all these eggs in a short amount of time can be draining to her body, so I'm definitely looking to break her cycle as soon as possible! Thank you for your time! <3