Egg binding? PLS REPLY!

[Featherii_Fids]

Alright, so this is the second egg snowii's going to lay. Her and yuko have been having business, And snowii has created herself a nest on the corner of the cage, constantly laying there, yet eating and drinking on her own and in a healthy manner, but she has wanted to eat more recently. I felt her near-vent area, and she is quite hard there. It may be an egg, but She hasn't layed it. I am utterly concerned about this. Her tail has been going up and down too, breathing hard. I need to know the massage immediately as this is early, And I need to know what to do before getting her to a vet.

thank you.

 

[Greenhouseparrots]

Do you want them to breed and are you prepared for it? Are you feeding her lots of calcium rich foods and a healthy diet to prevent issues like egg binding? What will you do with the babies? A lot of the time people breed birds and lose them because they haven't done their research and do it on a whim. If you don't want babies and the problems that come with it then you need to start discouraging her from laying eggs at all as it comes with so many risks it's not worth it unless you want babies.

Is she pooping fine? As long as she's pooping fine then she's probably not egg bound. It can take a while for the egg to come out as well. Don't handle her much because the stress isn't good for them when laying eggs. Do they have a nest box for privacy? An open nest is stressful for them, even in a tree they're surrounded by leaves and it's private. If you're very concerned then book an emergency appointment at an avian vet

 

[Featherii_Fids]

Do you want them to breed and are you prepared for it? Are you feeding her lots of calcium rich foods and a healthy diet to prevent issues like egg binding? What will you do with the babies? A lot of the time people breed birds and lose them because they haven't done their research and do it on a whim. If you don't want babies and the problems that come with it then you need to start discouraging her from laying eggs at all as it comes with so many risks it's not worth it unless you want babies.

Is she pooping fine? As long as she's pooping fine then she's probably not egg bound. It can take a while for the egg to come out as well. Don't handle her much because the stress isn't good for them when laying eggs. Do they have a nest box for privacy? An open nest is stressful for them, even in a tree they're surrounded by leaves and it's private. If you're very concerned then book an emergency appointment at an avian vet

Thank you for replying! Thankfully, snowii wasn't egg bound, and she's the only lovebird. Yuko's a budgerigar who's mate passed away recently. I hand-raised Snowii from 2 months, therefor we have a good bond. But now she's being rather distant from me now that she layed it. And yes, I would like to discourage her hormonal behaviour towards our budgerigar. She layed the egg, it was healthy in shell and such, but its most likely infertile. We live in an apartment, and she is in a large room (known as the birdroom) where she and my budgie fly around. The room as good access to sunlight and view as it has wide windows. at night, it is completely dark unless we on the lights. As in diet, we give her a pelleted diet with little access to seeds, and I give her chop everyday. What must I change to get rid of the hormonal behaviour?

 

[hiriki]

It is most likely infertile, but you should still might want to remove it? Idk if cross breeding is possible between budgies and lovebirds, and if it is possible it's certainly not likely, but maybe you want to avoid the eggs spoiling in the cage? Here's a listing for fake eggs that should be the right size: https://www.amazon.com/FOIBURELY-Hatching-Lovebird-Lineoleated-Eggs（22mm18mm）/dp/B08NJT15XZ

When a bird is laying in my home, this is my process.

1) Calcium supplements. The easiest calcium supplement, if your bird will use it, is cuttlebone. My most prolific layers are doves, so they get calcium grit. But they do have powder calcium supplements you can sprinkle on food. Feeding egg or eggshells to your birds (scrambled eggs with the shells mixed in, no salt/pepper) is a good option for calcium as well.
2) Replace the eggs. While the bird is eating or playing, the moment she leaves her nest, quietly swap out the eggs. My doves are capable of fertilized eggs, so that's why I do this, but you may not need to. Some birds are too clever and reject fake eggs... you can try to fool them by microwaving the eggs for a few seconds so that they're warm.
* Do NOT just take eggs away without giving her eggs to sit on! She will just keep laying more to replace what you've taken away. If she rejects fake eggs, you might as well just let her sit on the real ones until she gets bored. If you're worried about the slimmest possibility that you might have unlikely crossbreed fertilized eggs you can candle them real quick.
3) Don't take it personal, but she's not going to want you anywhere near her cage right now. Laying female hens, or hens that are "incubating," can be mean as all get out. They hiss and throw a fit if you approach. Just let her get it out of her system. Don't try to touch or handle the eggs while she's sitting on them, if you need to for any reason wait until she leaves.

You do want to prevent laying whenever possible, so if you notice that she's particularly "fond" of any toys (masturbating on them)... remove those toys. If you notice she's shredding paper and starting a nest in a basket or something, take the basket away.

 

[Featherii_Fids]

It is most likely infertile, but you should still might want to remove it? Idk if cross breeding is possible between budgies and lovebirds, and if it is possible it's certainly not likely, but maybe you want to avoid the eggs spoiling in the cage? Here's a listing for fake eggs that should be the right size: https://www.amazon.com/FOIBURELY-Hatching-Lovebird-Lineoleated-Eggs（22mm18mm）/dp/B08NJT15XZ

When a bird is laying in my home, this is my process.

1) Calcium supplements. The easiest calcium supplement, if your bird will use it, is cuttlebone. My most prolific layers are doves, so they get calcium grit. But they do have powder calcium supplements you can sprinkle on food. Feeding egg or eggshells to your birds (scrambled eggs with the shells mixed in, no salt/pepper) is a good option for calcium as well.
2) Replace the eggs. While the bird is eating or playing, the moment she leaves her nest, quietly swap out the eggs. My doves are capable of fertilized eggs, so that's why I do this, but you may not need to. Some birds are too clever and reject fake eggs... you can try to fool them by microwaving the eggs for a few seconds so that they're warm.
* Do NOT just take eggs away without giving her eggs to sit on! She will just keep laying more to replace what you've taken away. If she rejects fake eggs, you might as well just let her sit on the real ones until she gets bored. If you're worried about the slimmest possibility that you might have unlikely crossbreed fertilized eggs you can candle them real quick.
3) Don't take it personal, but she's not going to want you anywhere near her cage right now. Laying female hens, or hens that are "incubating," can be mean as all get out. They hiss and throw a fit if you approach. Just let her get it out of her system. Don't try to touch or handle the eggs while she's sitting on them, if you need to for any reason wait until she leaves.

You do want to prevent laying whenever possible, so if you notice that she's particularly "fond" of any toys (masturbating on them)... remove those toys. If you notice she's shredding paper and starting a nest in a basket or something, take the basket away.

I'll do the microwaving as she hangs out in my computer room. She has started a nest on the bottom of the cage, how do I discourage this?

 

[hiriki]

Also, when it comes to an egg bound bird, DO NOT try to massage the egg to help her pass it. Hens will sometimes struggle to pass an egg, you'll see their vent and they'll be heavy breathing, and it can be incredibly stressful. If you have any reason to believe they're truly egg bound, the vet is the only option at that point.

Read this page: https://www.thesprucepets.com/signs-of-egg-binding-in-birds-390494

If you try to remove the egg yourself, you might break the shell. This is ESPECIALLY true because a bird that is egg bound is likely calcium deficient, and the shell might not be a proper hard shell! If you break the egg inside of your bird, it can cause death very quickly.

 

[hiriki]

I'll do the microwaving as she hangs out in my computer room. She has started a nest on the bottom of the cage, how do I discourage this?

What did she build the nest from? Did she just start piling paper shreds on the bottom of the cage, or is there a bowl or basket that she built the nest inside?

If she literally started a nest from nothing in the corner of the cage, there's no easy solution that I can think of. Maybe someone else might have an idea. My birds typically start nests inside of things (bowls, baskets, as I mentioned), so if I notice nesting behavior, I just take the thing away. However, there are some birds who just decide they're going to lay once or twice a year, and they'll make a nest literally anywhere. If you dismantle their nest they just make another one lol.

At this point, since she's already laying and she's already got her nest, I would just leave it. You can replace the eggs but don't try to take anything away. I would just monitor how things progress from here. If she starts a new nest the second she gets bored of this one and lays again the moment she realizes her current eggs aren't going to hatch, then I'd be concerned. They do make shots to decrease hormones in female birds that your vet might recommend. But again, some birds just lay once or twice a year, and if it stays limited to once or twice....... I don't think it's anything to be worried about.

Edit: do you put your liner/newspaper/whatever you use on top of the grate in Snowii's cage? Maybe if you put the liner in the tray below the grate and leave the grate uncovered she'll be less likely to nest? It would be marginally harder to build a nest without the nest material falling through the grate, and it would be a bit less comfortable, so it might help to discourage her lol.

 

[Featherii_Fids]

What did she build the nest from? Did she just start piling paper shreds on the bottom of the cage, or is there a bowl or basket that she built the nest inside?

If she literally started a nest from nothing in the corner of the cage, there's no easy solution that I can think of. Maybe someone else might have an idea. My birds typically start nests inside of things (bowls, baskets, as I mentioned), so if I notice nesting behavior, I just take the thing away. However, there are some birds who just decide they're going to lay once or twice a year, and they'll make a nest literally anywhere. If you dismantle their nest they just make another one lol.

At this point, since she's already laying and she's already got her nest, I would just leave it. You can replace the eggs but don't try to take anything away. I would just monitor how things progress from here. If she starts a new nest the second she gets bored of this one and lays again the moment she realizes her current eggs aren't going to hatch, then I'd be concerned. They do make shots to decrease hormones in female birds that your vet might recommend. But again, some birds just lay once or twice a year, and if it stays limited to once or twice....... I don't think it's anything to be worried about.

this is her second egg this year after maturing. I've had her for over 8-6 months ever since I've got her. The last egg she layed was abandoned in the nest, she ignored it and acted like she never layed it. We then took it away from her as she got Her hormones turned off. But now they're starting again- and here it is, her second egg. I'll let this be, she may abandon it after some days.

thank you for replying!

 

[hiriki]

this is her second egg this year after maturing. I've had her for over 8-6 months ever since I've got her. The last egg she layed was abandoned in the nest, she ignored it and acted like she never layed it. We then took it away from her as she got Her hormones turned off. But now they're starting again- and here it is, her second egg. I'll let this be, she may abandon it after some days.

thank you for replying!

Sounds like a good plan. FYI, a lovebird clutch (clutch is what they call the group of eggs a bird sits on) tends to be 4-6 eggs. If she's serious about incubating, she could lay 6 eggs, and it would still be "normal." Or, she could get bored after the second egg and abandon the nest. Don't panic either way.

 

[Featherii_Fids]

Update: Snowii sat on the egg for 24 hours, then lost interest and abandoned it- But her vent/butt area still looks like it holds an egg. I felt the area, its a bit squishy but firm, and snowii's cloaca isn't prolapsed or anything. I think this is early lipoma from what my local avian vet says. She told to get snowii iodine supplement and a more vegetable-filled diet and this may be reversed. If you parronts have some iodine supplement reccomendations that I could order, feel free to reply.

 

[Featherii_Fids]

oh and! if your bird has had lipoma too, please share the story as it calms me down