she is about 3 years old and last year started laying eggs. They are empty, but i don't know how long i wait till i take them out of the cage. I also wonder if she will stop laying them. She has layed 18 eggs in 10 months.
2007-03-08 19:18:01 · 9 answers · asked by corizac 1 in Pets ➔ Birds
It sounds like she is starting to become a chronic egg layer.
Make sure that you let her sit on the eggs until she gives them up. If you keep taking them, she will just replace them which is very hard on their system.
To help get her to stop, lower the ammount of light she gets every day. This means, cover her cage so it is dark. Start with 12 hours only and decrease it until she stops laying. After a couple of weeks, you can increase the ammount of daylight she gets. This will take her out of the breeding cycle.
If that doesn't work, see your avian vet. They can give her a hormone shot to keep her from laying.
You do want her to stop. If she lays too many, she can become eggbound and die a very painful death.
Make sure that she is getting pleanty of calcium. Cuttlebone is good, but make sure she is getting sunlight for vitamin D or it doesn't absorb well.
2007-03-09 12:49:25 · answer #1 · answered by Christie D 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
When she lays her eggs leave them in the cage until she loses interest in them( 2 or 3 weeks usually) if you take them out as she lays them she will just lay more. This can exhaust her, deplete her calcium stores and bring on early death. It is quite common for females to lay without a male in breeding season. You can reset her breeding clock by covering her cage around 6 at night and leaving her covered until around 7 in the morning, this tricks her into thinking its winter and therefore not breeding season. Make sure you feed her well, a good quality seed and or pellets, fresh veggies and fruit every day and a cuttle bone for calcium.
Have a look at the site below lots of good advice.
2007-03-08 20:11:07 · answer #2 · answered by Kazzbar 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Just like chickens.. the eggs are sterile.. unless there is a male available to breed with. Read up on breeding cockateils and if you want to try it.. Buy a male or make contact with a bird club and find a 'stud' cockateil.. My daughter raised many a cockateil but now raises huge parrots like the military mccaws, and belongs to a local bird club. They are very nice people and share many interests other than birds. You may find a whole new group of friends.
2007-03-08 19:32:20 · answer #3 · answered by ricketyoldbat 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Sounds like she wants to be a mama.
Make sure that you provide her with a calcium block or cuttlebone, It takes a lot of calcium out of her to make those egg shells.
Since she is in a seperate cage; go ahead and discard the eggs.
2007-03-08 23:22:31 · answer #4 · answered by Rev. Two Bears 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have a female cockatiel that lays eggs and I allow her to sit on them for a week or so as she is less "musical" and she is in my husbands office, however she does become very territorial during this time and tries to bite me. Otherwise you can take them from her right away. I have found that if I feed her 2x's a day she will produce more eggs than 1x's a day (I feed her 3/4 cup of food each day and is fed very well and birds like to forage through their food droppings and like it for animal enrichment). Plus I put her on vitamins during her egg laying period. Best of luck to you!
2007-03-08 19:36:15 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Without a male you can take them out as soon as she lays them and dispose of them. Make sure that she is getting vitamin supplements, especially calcium. It takes a lot of nutrients to make those eggs and most birds need extra during this time. There's no telling how long she'll continue to do this, just bear with her. Good Luck
2007-03-08 19:21:59 · answer #6 · answered by tylw85 4 · 1⤊ 2⤋
you should breed that bird....shes ready but without the male all those are is infertilized eggs, but they could be 50 to 75 bucks a pop for hand fed babies times 18 is quite a profit check it out my friend
2007-03-09 07:03:13 · answer #7 · answered by Jaimee k 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Well you can either create a nesting environment or as soon as you see them just take them out. don't make a big deal to the bird just remove them.mating is a process and even in zoos it takes time and the right set up. are you wanting babies? go to a pet shop.but its nature its an animal.
2007-03-09 00:19:01 · answer #8 · answered by blue2602001 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
ummmm...birds lay eggs. The males just fertilize the eggs, but your birds eggs are unfertilized if there is no male around. Remove them as soon as you want, it is like removing eggs from a chicken. No biggie.
2007-03-08 19:26:31 · answer #9 · answered by CBJ 4 · 0⤊ 2⤋