GCC laying for the first time

[lupomortale]

Hi all!

My GCC Kiwi has laid an egg after having her for 7 years. I noticed a couple weeks ago she was shredding the newspaper I put at the bottom of her cage even more than usual, I suspected she was nesting so I removed all the paper shreds and continued taking care of her like normal. I still let her for time out of her cage but I reduced petting and cuddling with her to try to not escalate. She had a cardboard toy she would rub up on and 'mate' with, but I have now since removed the toy from the cage.

Unfortunately, yesterday, she laid an egg and today when I pick her up and check near her cloaca I can feel something firm, so I'm assuming it's another egg. I'm not really sure how to proceed. I made her a warm bath and tried to make her sit in it to help push the egg out since I know people do that when the bird is eggbound, so I'm trying to be proactive, but I don't really know what to do. I know that egg laying is super stressful for birds, and very draining for them, so I'd like for her not to lay at all, preferably. Any advice you guys can give me? Either for now, or for the future to avoid egg laying?

tl;dr: my gcc conure layed an egg after 7 years of owning her, need advice.

Thanks a lot,

Lydia

 

[zERo]

I don’t have any experience with egg laying birds but I know if she’s showing interest, as in trying to sit on it or being protective, allow her to incubate it, even though it’s not fertile.
You can also order dummy eggs for green cheeks and replace the real egg with the fake one.
It takes away the risk of her breaking the egg and/or the egg going bad.
If I remember right, birds usually lay every other day.
I’m not sure how many she’ll have but the average for small species is 4-6 generally speaking.
Who knows, maybe she’ll just have 2 and be done!

As far as preventing it further, all of the things you’ve done so far are going to help.
What is her diet like? Diets high in carbs/fat/sugar can cause a bird to start laying.
I also recommend maybe getting a hormone avian tea or calming tea.
It can be as simple as marigold or chamomile.

Sorry you’re going through this, egg laying is stressful for both you and your bird

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Hi all!

My GCC Kiwi has laid an egg after having her for 7 years. I noticed a couple weeks ago she was shredding the newspaper I put at the bottom of her cage even more than usual, I suspected she was nesting so I removed all the paper shreds and continued taking care of her like normal. I still let her for time out of her cage but I reduced petting and cuddling with her to try to not escalate. She had a cardboard toy she would rub up on and 'mate' with, but I have now since removed the toy from the cage.

Unfortunately, yesterday, she laid an egg and today when I pick her up and check near her cloaca I can feel something firm, so I'm assuming it's another egg. I'm not really sure how to proceed. I made her a warm bath and tried to make her sit in it to help push the egg out since I know people do that when the bird is eggbound, so I'm trying to be proactive, but I don't really know what to do. I know that egg laying is super stressful for birds, and very draining for them, so I'd like for her not to lay at all, preferably. Any advice you guys can give me? Either for now, or for the future to avoid egg laying?

tl;dr: my gcc conure layed an egg after 7 years of owning her, need advice.

Thanks a lot,

Lydia

She looks EITHER proud (or astonished)! "Look what I made!" Or "Did I make THAT?"

 

[lupomortale]

I don’t have any experience with egg laying birds but I know if she’s showing interest, as in trying to sit on it or being protective, allow her to incubate it, even though it’s not fertile.
You can also order dummy eggs for green cheeks and replace the real egg with the fake one.
It takes away the risk of her breaking the egg and/or the egg going bad.
If I remember right, birds usually lay every other day.
I’m not sure how many she’ll have but the average for small species is 4-6 generally speaking.
Who knows, maybe she’ll just have 2 and be done!

As far as preventing it further, all of the things you’ve done so far are going to help.
What is her diet like? Diets high in carbs/fat/sugar can cause a bird to start laying.
I also recommend maybe getting a hormone avian tea or calming tea.
It can be as simple as marigold or chamomile.

Sorry you’re going through this, egg laying is stressful for both you and your bird

She is sitting on it sometimes and is making weird squeaking/screeching noises, but she allows me to touch the egg and her, and she wants to still come out and fly and be with me around the house, so I'm not seeing any big changes in behavior thankfully. (the only thing is she is super uninterested in baths, which is very out of the ordinary for her cause she loves water).

I'm currently feeding her Zupreem Veggie and Nut pellets, with some african parrot mix and some cockatiel seeds mixed in, but I'd say her diet is 70% pellets. The seeds are like a treat and are small so usually they filter to the bottom to encourage her foraging and digging through her food

I didn't even know tea existed but I'll look into that, it'll for sure be better than the pellet soup she makes herself everyday lol.

Thank you so much for the advice, I really appreciate it <3

 

[lupomortale]

She looks EITHER proud (or astonished)! "Look what I made!" Or "Did I make THAT?"

I actually wanna give her egg the easter egg treatment after this and keep it, it's just so cute, and I'm so proud of her for laying an egg, even though my hair is falling out from the stress haha

 

[zERo]

She is sitting on it sometimes and is making weird squeaking/screeching noises, but she allows me to touch the egg and her, and she wants to still come out and fly and be with me around the house, so I'm not seeing any big changes in behavior thankfully. (the only thing is she is super uninterested in baths, which is very out of the ordinary for her cause she loves water).

I'm currently feeding her Zupreem Veggie and Nut pellets, with some african parrot mix and some cockatiel seeds mixed in, but I'd say her diet is 70% pellets. The seeds are like a treat and are small so usually they filter to the bottom to encourage her foraging and digging through her food

I didn't even know tea existed but I'll look into that, it'll for sure be better than the pellet soup she makes herself everyday lol.

Thank you so much for the advice, I really appreciate it <3

Okay then if she’s still paying attention to it definitely leave it with her for now.
Does she normally bath herself or like spray baths?
My tiels and budgies prefer spray bsths while my GCC and Quaker bathe themselves.

Does she eat vegetables or fruit? I would maybe look into different pellets because Zupreem pellets have sugar in them, as the 5th ingredient, and can cause hormonal issues like egg laying, especially if it’s a large part of the diet.
I would try to cut back on those pellets and maybe try to offer her sugar free ones. Brands that are better are TOPs, Caitec Oven fresh bites (also called All living things), and Lafebers.

I’m not saying scramble to change her diet, but it’s something to consider as a hormonal factor. Also, when/if you decide to change her diet be sure to weigh her daily on a gram scale, and at the same time of day too.

Your little girl is very cute by the way!

 

[DonnaBudgie]

I actually wanna give her egg the easter egg treatment after this and keep it, it's just so cute, and I'm so proud of her for laying an egg, even though my hair is falling out from the stress haha

You should enter that photo in this months Parrot of the Month contest- the theme is What is your parrot's job? Your girl's job is Egg Producer! She looks so cute posing with her Work Product!

 

[lupomortale]

Okay then if she’s still paying attention to it definitely leave it with her for now.
Does she normally bath herself or like spray baths?
My tiels and budgies prefer spray bsths while my GCC and Quaker bathe themselves.

Does she eat vegetables or fruit? I would maybe look into different pellets because Zupreem pellets have sugar in them, as the 5th ingredient, and can cause hormonal issues like egg laying, especially if it’s a large part of the diet.
I would try to cut back on those pellets and maybe try to offer her sugar free ones. Brands that are better are TOPs, Caitec Oven fresh bites (also called All living things), and Lafebers.

I’m not saying scramble to change her diet, but it’s something to consider as a hormonal factor. Also, when/if you decide to change her diet be sure to weigh her daily on a gram scale, and at the same time of day too.

Your little girl is very cute by the way!

Usually she likes to swim in the sink haha, she loves taking a bath herself. Sometimes I force her to come in the shower with me for a little steam and a little bit of a mist bath, so maybe ill just do that. I'll definitely look up those pellets, maybe I can get em online and save myself the treck to the pet store! She likes fruit so I'll give her a bit more fruit to give her some vitamins and minerals more.

She is super easy to switch over from foods, I just do a gradual change and she doesn't mind ^^ Thank you so much for the info, I really appreciate it. I was never sure which direction to go for food so I really appreciate the brand names and suggestions.

Thank you!

 

[lupomortale]

You should enter that photo in this months Parrot of the Month contest- the theme is What is your parrot's job? Your girl's job is Egg Producer! She looks so cute posing with her Work Product!

she actually laid another one this morning!! which one is cuter? haha

 

[zERo]

Usually she likes to swim in the sink haha, she loves taking a bath herself. Sometimes I force her to come in the shower with me for a little steam and a little bit of a mist bath, so maybe ill just do that. I'll definitely look up those pellets, maybe I can get em online and save myself the treck to the pet store! She likes fruit so I'll give her a bit more fruit to give her some vitamins and minerals more.

She is super easy to switch over from foods, I just do a gradual change and she doesn't mind ^^ Thank you so much for the info, I really appreciate it. I was never sure which direction to go for food so I really appreciate the brand names and suggestions.

Thank you!

Aww how cute! Definitely boring her in the shower, just being in the steam is getting moisture on her feathers.

Good thing she’s accepting of new foods, that probably one of the biggest problems people have.

If you have any more questions don’t hesitate to ask

 

[DonnaBudgie]

she actually laid another one this morning!! which one is cuter? haha

OMG! She is really good at her job and proud of it! You Go Girl!
Seriously, I hope she doesn't do this chronically. You should obtain a bottle of Calcivet ASAP!
IF she becomes egg-bound and you can't get her to an avian vet immediately you can administer a few drops by beak and her blood calcium will quickly rise enough to allow her exhausted vent muscles to contract and expel the stuck egg. Blood calcium is essential for egg shell formation AND for proper muscle function. If temporarily depleted while in the process of laying, her cloacal muscles will be unable to contract with enough force to pass the egg. Swabbing the vent with olive oil is good for lubrication, and warm steam is good too, but the added calcium in an oral dose of Calcivet could save her life.

 

[mybluebirb]

Hi all!

My GCC Kiwi has laid an egg after having her for 7 years. I noticed a couple weeks ago she was shredding the newspaper I put at the bottom of her cage even more than usual, I suspected she was nesting so I removed all the paper shreds and continued taking care of her like normal. I still let her for time out of her cage but I reduced petting and cuddling with her to try to not escalate. She had a cardboard toy she would rub up on and 'mate' with, but I have now since removed the toy from the cage.

Unfortunately, yesterday, she laid an egg and today when I pick her up and check near her cloaca I can feel something firm, so I'm assuming it's another egg. I'm not really sure how to proceed. I made her a warm bath and tried to make her sit in it to help push the egg out since I know people do that when the bird is eggbound, so I'm trying to be proactive, but I don't really know what to do. I know that egg laying is super stressful for birds, and very draining for them, so I'd like for her not to lay at all, preferably. Any advice you guys can give me? Either for now, or for the future to avoid egg laying?

tl;dr: my gcc conure layed an egg after 7 years of owning her, need advice.

Thanks a lot,

Lydia

Hi! how is she now?

my indian ringneck is going through the exact same thing and i’m worried sick! she’s laid two eggs so far, the second being today at like 2am (she’s keeping me on my toes!) I’m not sure if she’ll have another or not, if she does it’ll probably be due tomorrow night. Unfortunately both of her eggs cracked but I bought fake eggs that I can replace her next (hopefully there is no next) eggs with

Any updates and advice? I’m stressing more than my birdy!

 

[lupomortale]

OMG! She is really good at her job and proud of it! You Go Girl!
Seriously, I hope she doesn't do this chronically. You should obtain a bottle of Calcivet ASAP!
IF she becomes egg-bound and you can't get her to an avian vet immediately you can administer a few drops by beak and her blood calcium will quickly rise enough to allow her exhausted vent muscles to contract and expel the stuck egg. Blood calcium is essential for egg shell formation AND for proper muscle function. If temporarily depleted while in the process of laying, her cloacal muscles will be unable to contract with enough force to pass the egg. Swabbing the vent with olive oil is good for lubrication, and warm steam is good too, but the added calcium in an oral dose of Calcivet could save her life.

Thank you!! I will buy one as soon as I can! That helps a lot with the worries of her being egg bound, so thank you, that was my main worry!!

 

[lupomortale]

Hi! how is she now?

my indian ringneck is going through the exact same thing and i’m worried sick! she’s laid two eggs so far, the second being today at like 2am (she’s keeping me on my toes!) I’m not sure if she’ll have another or not, if she does it’ll probably be due tomorrow night. Unfortunately both of her eggs cracked but I bought fake eggs that I can replace her next (hopefully there is no next) eggs with

Any updates and advice? I’m stressing more than my birdy!

Hey! She's doing fine, she layed a total of 3 eggs haha. She has since stopped (thankfully). I've left the eggs in the cage so she can brood em if she wants. She's very slowly losing interest, before she would never leave the bottom of the cage, but now she comes up to come out of the cage more often and wants to be out with me. So I think a couple more weeks and I can remove the eggs without the risk of her laying another clutch!

I think the baths helped her push them out because after the shower we had together she had her third egg so quietly I didn't even notice haha. Also I always check her belly to see if ever it's firm like when she was laying eggs but nothing so far. I think she's done for now, thank god.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Hey! She's doing fine, she layed a total of 3 eggs haha. She has since stopped (thankfully). I've left the eggs in the cage so she can brood em if she wants. She's very slowly losing interest, before she would never leave the bottom of the cage, but now she comes up to come out of the cage more often and wants to be out with me. So I think a couple more weeks and I can remove the eggs without the risk of her laying another clutch!

I think the baths helped her push them out because after the shower we had together she had her third egg so quietly I didn't even notice haha. Also I always check her belly to see if ever it's firm like when she was laying eggs but nothing so far. I think she's done for now, thank god.

It's so scary when your female bird starts laying eggs without a mate (or even with a mate). So much can go wrong, so it seems. Sometimes this is when the owner first learns they have a girl bird! It looks like it's painful for an egg to come out of our little birds' vents.

 

[clark_conure]

THis is a thread I had a bit ago with AVN Vet advice involved, I hope this helps.

well crap.....clark laid some eggs...

I had noticed Clark spent an inordinately amount of time under the side table. Near my bed...the bedstand I guess. Today she wouldn't come out as soon as I got home so I took a look and um yeah three eggs (I don't have a male) so they are infertile. I called my vet. She wasn't available but...

www.parrotforums.com

Oh and it worked out fine, good advice...

 

[clark_conure]

since this went silent it's good advice?

 

[lupomortale]

since this went silent it's good advice?

Thank you for your thread!! My little green chicken is doing well, thankfully. And fingers crossed for no more eggs.