Wishing there was birdy birth-control...

[christine]

Hey guys I have a boy & girl lovebird, they are starting to try to mate with each other. What sort of birth-control options do I have? I can't keep them separate and I do not want to become responsible for more birds.

I heard about dummy eggs. If she does lay eggs should I just replace them with dummy eggs?

Or should I just take away any eggs that she lays at all? And do what? Put them in the trash? That seems sad and weird...

She doesn't have a nest box but she does have a coconut and a few other places that I'm sure she would lay if she had to.

Whats your advice if I'm not ready to become a grandma?

 

[hacatta]

i like you have the same problem right now.
I would take out the things she can lay in.
Also replace the eggs with dummies,do not trow the eggs always without replacing this may cause her to lay even more and could trigger something you don't want.
This was the advice i received,i now to am going to experience for the first time.
Thanks too wrong advice from my breeder i already had an baby bird last year(wouldn't trade her for the world).

 

[Sterling1113]

Really the only way from having babies is to separate them. Separate cages right next to each other would do just fine. Even if you're worried that they're too "bonded" to split up, they'll be fine in neighboring cages.
Otherwise you'll have to worry about complications of egg laying, and what can happen even after you place the "dummy" eggs. Some birds will pick up that they're fake, try to rush new eggs and become egg bound or have weak eggs that break before their laid. Any of those things can cause excess amounts of stress on the birds, which as we all know, is definitely not healthy.

And taking out "nesting" places doesn't always work. I've heard of birds laying eggs outside of their cage and becoming aggressive of their new "nest" when the time comes for them to go back into their cage, and some will just lay on the bottom of the cage. I had a cockatiel who would lay an egg every so often on the bottom of her cage, but she never sat on it or anything so it was simple to remove once she had forgotten about it. And she was an only bird too, no other birds to provoke any sort of egg laying activity.

Best of luck with your birdies, I'm personally too paranoid to get a bird if I know 100% it's female just because of the health issues. I call my conure a she, but she hasn't been DNA'd and I feel like she'd be laying eggs by now if she was a girl. But oh well. Rambling now, hope I helped a bit!

 

[hacatta]

Seperating them is something not everybody can do.
I for 1 don't have any space left for a cage ,i already cleared most if my stuff out for their cages.

 

[Dinosrawr]

Hacatta, have you thought of stackable cages? The expense isn't too terrible, but buying a new cage all together can be costly. But, it may be less costly than losing a bird to being egg bound.

Christine, try giving your birds raspberry leaf tea. One of our members, Jenphilly, has recommended it to others to prevent egg laying in birds. The best option, however, is to simply stop any opportunity of breeding at all, and that can be done by either removing any spots that look like safe nesting spots or to separate the birds. Unfortately, not always possible. Another option is to simply make breeding "difficult" - breeders will provide their pairs with sturdy branches that can be easily gripped on to, and do not allow swings or small branches because it can prevent proper fertilization from occurring. But, with them being lovebirds, once again not sure.

If they do start laying, you'll have to see how they react. Sometimes birds are just horrendous parents and don't sit on the eggs or accidentally kill them to begin with. If they do, all the easier. If they don't, you may want to try removing and replacing... hmm.