Eclectus hen broody but no eggs?

[Kinny]

So my Red sided Eclectus pair, Tai (male) and Sen (female) are 9 years old proven breeders.

Sen has been super broody/clucky for months and spending most of her time in the nestbox. Tai has been a bit wary of her lately since a tiny tif they had about a month ago (Tai stepped on her foot on the perch so she nipped his feathers, so he swung on the perch with his beak but on his way back up he grabbed her foot and perch to get up, so Sen bit half of one of his toes off.)

They are cuddly etc now..but my concern is that Sen is not laying eggs... Over a month ago we changed the nestbox to a 'perfect' eclectus type as their old one was FAR too big.

Why is she not laying eggs when she's so incredibly broody? Is she infertile now? Or could something else be going on?

 

[Kinny]

Because if she is infertile I will separate them (for sale reasons *cough*hubby*cough*). Tai is happy to be an indoor pet (was originally hand-raised) and honestly, is just as happy away from Sen as he is to be with her. And Sen at the moment seems to enjoy a lot of alone time... so I'm beginning to wonder if they'll ever breed again...

 

[Kinny]

Anyone? ^^

 

[henpecked]

I know zero about elkies. I do breed amazon though. I find i have much better results if i don't leave nest boxes year round. In most cases i can get them to breed regardless of time of year or season. Mainly by introducing the nest box. However , it does take two to tango. Stimulating the males is often the biggest issue. Hens seem to always ready but the males i need to stimulate. For zons chewing wood, "fixing" the entrance and chewing up small wood blocks for nest material seems to do the trick. I also change their diets in prep for breeding by feeding high fat/protein (seed/nuts instead of veggie/fruit) . Sorry i can't offer better advice for elkies. BTW using x-pets for breeders is a whole other thread,LOL. (can of worms IMO)

 

[Kinny]

Thanks for responding! ^^ Yeah I've been feeding them the higher fat/protein, more fresh foods and a calcium supplement for over a month..

Haha yeah, but I wasn't the one who put him with the female someone else did that 9 years ago. He's bred with her successfully before many times..so I just don't know what the heck is going on now...

I spoke to a Dr Pin Needhan (Avian Vet) and it could be due to a few things. Sen could be infertile and unable to produce eggs, or there could be something new in the environment which she doesn't like, or she just needs egg-laying motivation so he recommended we get a fake egg to put under her in the nest and see if that works, so we'll probably do that first cos he said she may just need some 'motivation'. But yeah, he gave me a few things to do (writing down breeding history etc etc) and then talk to him again.

However.. which would be better? A plastic fake egg, or a Ceramic one?

 

[SilverSage]

My first thought is, when you said they were proven, do you mean you saw actual offspring? Generally saying "proven" just means they have been seen mating, it doesnt always even guarantee they are of opposite genders (though with Eckies that much is always pretty obvious). Also, infertility would not necessarily prevent egg laying, as infertile birds can produce infertile eggs. Sorry I don't know more, these guys are lovely but really are not my area of expertise!

 

[henpecked]

I would disagree with your definition of "proven". Proven means they have had successful clutches and at least laid fertile eggs. Many birds now days have eggs pulled and incubated so proven doesn't always mean they raised chicks. Mating means nothing.

 

[Kinny]

Yes saw them. I meant infertile/sterile as in her ovary stopped working perhaps. As henpecked stated ^^

GREAT NEWS! SEN ISN'T A WEIRDO! Of course, we just got 2 different offers on the pair (both of which seem a bit, odd...) and we decided to try putting a fake egg under Sen today, and what do we find? She's laid 2 eggs since yesterday! :O *squees* And Tai has been feeding her and being really close to her today.. OOOH I HOPE WE GET SOME BABIES! *snuggles them* Cos i like my Eckies..i really was dreading selling them because I love them so much...especially Tai.

 

[Kinny]

I caught Tai doing a sneak 'mating' attack on Sen today...naughty boy! Took advantage of her being still as she chowed down on egg and veggies haha. Fingers crossed the eggs hatch!

 

[Kinny]

Eeeh the eggs should hatch in a week! Can't wait!

 

[SilverSage]

So exciting!!