Egg Help

[Bandespresso]

I was out of town for work this last week and left Espresso in the care of my boyfriend. She did okay but she layed some eggs which is something I have 0 experience with hahaha. We have been feeding her eggs with the shell, watching for egg binding, and making sure she gets lots of calcium and other nutrients but, as far as how to handle it behaviorally, we are completely lost. So far, we let her tend for the first one for a little bit until she started ignoring it then took it away, threw the second one away right away, and the third one cracked. She probably has another one on the way because she keeps making a beeline for the bathroom at every chance. Everywhere I look, I get different answers....some say throw them right away, some say let her keep them, and others say get her fake eggs. Additionally, how can I "turn off" her breeding cycle? Most say increase nighttime hours but greys breed during the winter so wouldn't that give the opposite effect? Help please!!!

 

[JerseyWendy]

OY, I'm sorry to hear Espresso is feeling so 'maternal'.

You could either leave the eggs with her or replace them with fake ones until she loses interest in them. If you remove the egg shortly after she lays it, she may just be inclined to continue to lay more to replace the one that was 'lost'.

You could also try and completely re-arrange her cage. Take out all the 'old' toys and either replace with new ones, or leave the cage 'bare' for a little while, until she snaps out of it. Is there a particular place where she drops those eggs? Is there a toy that she's possibly 'courting'? That toy should then be removed.