Expert: Marie Charon - 12/7/2009

Question
QUESTION: Hi Marie-

We rescued a love bird 4 years ago and this morning there is an egg in the bottom of the cage.  Is this normal?  Why did it take 4 years?  Can this event help us determine how old LB is?  I have read that we should just leave it there, right?

Thanks for any info you can provide.

Diane

ANSWER: I take it she is in the cage by herself? She is laying an unfertilized egg. This isn't abnormal at all. She is just following her natural instincts to nest and rear young.

Yes, you should let her keep the egg until she abandons it herself, or remove it in about 2-3 weeks. This will let her feel like she has "done" something so she won't feel a need to lay eggs over and over again which is hard on her health.



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: So is there an age that they start laying eggs?  We are trying to determine her age.

Answer
The only sure way to age her is to have your vet give her a blood test and approximate her age. A love bird can begin to lay eggs at around 10 months of age. If she has a pinkish beak still you can assume she is pretty young still too.

Does she have a band?