lovebird-chronic egg laying-help (eggs, lovebirds, cockatiels, parrots)

[nicolepsy]

i have a lovebird that will not stop laying eggs (infertile). she does not have a mate. if she did then i would have a ton of lovebirds right now! she lays a clutch of 6 every other month it seems. any ideas to prevent (is probably impossible but still would appreciate any thoughts). my main question though is what to do with the eggs (take them away immediately or not until she has lost interest?) i want to make sure that i am not contributing to this chronic egg laying. i get different responses so i would like to hear your opinions.
thanks for your advice/ideas.

[riveree]

Have you spoken to your Avian vet?

Continual egg-laying can be damaging to your bird (depletion of calcium, for one).

The reason is usually emotional. I would change your bird's routine a bit - maybe move the cage to another room (preferably one where your bird can spend more time with you). More attention, more baths, more treats (salad-type stuff is good), more/different toys, more distractions.

Also, if you've provided your bird with some sort of nest, you might need to remove it. A nest will inspire egg-laying. Some people give their birds those little cozy tents to sleep in......that's a nest . I prefer "Bird Buddies" because they're still soft and cozy, but the bird can't get inside them.

Definitely speak to your Avian vet though, a check-up might be in order.

[nicolepsy]

thank you for your reply. yes i did think it was hard on her body and that's the main reason why i would like for her to stop. she came to me from someone else (who was a bird expert) with already established routines and habits such as sleeping in her tent. i dont necessarily provide her with nesting material but she does make her own out of the newspaper in her cage. maybe i should stop using newspaper. i purchased some type of bird litter (sandy stuff) for her once but it stunk to high heaven straight out of the package so i returned to using newspaper. she has never in her life been to a vet. she's never seemed ill in any way so i havent taken her since i've adopted her. do you think i should continue to let her sit on any eggs she lays or remove them right away? a bird shop owner that i spoke with told me to always let her keep her eggs until she becomes bored with them. the reasoning behind this is that (she said) birds have a set number of eggs that they plan to lay and if you remove one egg they will just lay another to replace it until they have the amount they originally intended. i do worry about her calcium level during these episodes and do my best to supplement but i just wish i could get her to stop. i will try big changes in her routines and see if it helps. thanks for your advice. anything more you can think of would be appreciated. (whenever i have looked this problem up on internet i only find instances where people are happy their birds are laying eggs (i suppose it is because they are fertile eggs).

[riveree]

The tent will encourage her to keep laying eggs, unfortunately.

It may sound cruel, but if need be you might have to have her sleep without a tent. Bird Buddies really are ldeal for that, they sort of envelop the bird in a warm, fuzzy "half-tent", but they don't encourage egg-laying - take a look at the Bird Buddies .

Newspaper on the bottom of the cage shouldn't cause any issues, even if she shreds it. I use newspaper on the bottom of my female's (African Grey) cage and I have no egg-laying. I even giver her paper bags to play in and shred and it does not encourage nesting/egg-laying. I think the key is that she does not get to keep these things - the newspaper is changed daily and the paper bag is a "treat" that she gets occassionally and it is removed the following morning. I space out the paper bag "treats" specifically because I don't want to encourage egg-laying.

Much like feather-picking or any other undesirable behavior, it can be hard to stop once it starts. Bird Talk magazine is a good resource for bird behavior techniques. A good Avian vet is priceless though, so if you haven't sought one out yet, now might be the time.

p.s.: Farmers use "fake" eggs for certain behavior issues, you might want to look into a fake egg .

[nicolepsy]

thanks for all your help. i know they do sell fake eggs and ive even read of some people boiling them and giving back to the bird in order to avoid certain spoiled egg odors (though i dont see how that would really help). i am thinking that she just really wants a mate but she has been a loner since her beginning and i have witnessed her wishes to kill my other birds so i dont feel safe introducing a new lovebird friend to her. poor thing. any advice re: a friend for her? i picked up a fake friend for her recently and she sits next to it and rests her head against it's head sometimes. im afraid to get her a "true" friend for fear she will attack it. i then would be stuck with two lone lovebirds in separate cages and then feel guilty because they dont have a friend/mate. also i dont want any babies and have heard that 2 hens would just glare at each other instead of bonding. sigh (i see now why the family that gave her to me thought she was a major bother) but she is beautiful even if she is a pain. i just want to do right by her.

[riveree]

My birds don't share a cage. Their cages are right next to each other which is close enough for them.

They can still "eat" together, sleep together, talk to each other (they do this a lot ) and generally keep each other company when we're not around.

Most importantly, they're safe from each other. It's generally recommended that birds are not housed together unless they are an established breeding pair that gets along.

My male bird was a year or so when we took in the female bird (she was 3). if we had put them in the same cage together, it would have been mayhem ! Now mine are different species, if you can find a male of the same species for your female, then maybe you'll have some luck......

.......but, we can't really spay/neuter birds, so you're back to separate cages again .

A thought about the "fake egg"......maybe you could find a marble the same color as your bird's egg???

[nicolepsy]

i remember the family that gave her to me mentioned how they thought she would enjoy being around some other smaller birds. her original family had larger birds (amazon parrots and a couple of others) but knew i had some smaller birds and thought that would please the lovebird. i take it they sensed she needed more bird companionship but like i said she only wanted to kill my other birds so that is why i cant consider a cage mate for her. her cage is next to the other bird's cage though but i fear that is not enough for her. i really think she wants to be able to snuggle and kiss and play with another bird. she would make a darn fine mother though and seems determined to accomplish this. this is why i suppose it is important to buy a pair that has been raised together from the get go. thanks for your ideas!

[riveree]

I forgot to add, the egg-laying can have some danger if your bird becomes "egg bound". It happens sometimes in parrots, lovebirds, etc.

Here's a bit of info on egg-bound:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egg_bound

http://www.cockatielcottage.net/binding.html

Also, on your Lovebird's previous family's advice, I would not put a Lovebird in with smaller birds (finches, or whatever you might have). Despite their name, Lovebirds can be quite aggressive.

These kind of birds are not like dogs or other pets, they are still quite wild and they go through some heavy hormonal episodes. Something as simple as too much or too little sunlight can greatly affect a bird like yours where a dog or cat would be unaffected by such subtleties.

So Lovebirds, parrots, etc. can't be trained to "be sweet" with other birds - it's either a fit or it's not. But by all means, house birds near each other if it seems to be going well.

Again, I strongly advise to remove the tent and find a different sleeping arrangement for your bird. Try a few things, and if you can't get her to stop laying eggs, you'll definitely need an Avian vet consultation .

[elston]

I believe that if you keep removing the egg, she will keep laying them--very much as chickens do. If you just leave it alone she will eventually stop laying them. I think!

[nicolepsy]

thanks again for all your advice. i have heard of eggs getting stuck which i think can be a life or death situation and that is yet another reason why i want her to stop. though she is obviously a pro at laying! she has always been in a separate cage and i would never put her in the same cage as my other birds. i had them out on the playgym together once and that is when i learned that "lovebird" is a misnomer. sigh, she is a vicious one. cute but deadly.

Originally Posted by riveree

I forgot to add, the egg-laying can have some danger if your bird becomes "egg bound". It happens sometimes in parrots, lovebirds, etc.

Here's a bit of info on egg-bound:

Egg bound - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Egg Binding in cockatiels, Egg Bound birds, what to do for an egg bound bird, symptoms of egg binding, treatment for egg binding in cockatiels, parakeets, canaries, finches, parrots, Emergency Medical treatment for egg binding birds

Also, on your Lovebird's previous family's advice, I would not put a Lovebird in with smaller birds (finches, or whatever you might have). Despite their name, Lovebirds can be quite aggressive.

These kind of birds are not like dogs or other pets, they are still quite wild and they go through some heavy hormonal episodes. Something as simple as too much or too little sunlight can greatly affect a bird like yours where a dog or cat would be unaffected by such subtleties.

So Lovebirds, parrots, etc. can't be trained to "be sweet" with other birds - it's either a fit or it's not. But by all means, house birds near each other if it seems to be going well.

Again, I strongly advise to remove the tent and find a different sleeping arrangement for your bird. Try a few things, and if you can't get her to stop laying eggs, you'll definitely need an Avian vet consultation .