Expert: Chrys Meatyard - 4/28/2007

Question
I have two conures, one laid in feb. and now is laying again, she just chatters all the time while she is laying on the eggs, does this mean she is irritated?  Conure two I thought was a boy well she has a big bulge and looks ready to lay, should I get her a separate box? They are four years old. How long will the egg laying go on and is there anyway to stop it?

Answer
Hi, Bobbie.

It would help to know what subspecies of conure you have.  When you say she "chatters," do you mean she is saying something or do you mean she makes a noise with her beak  like she's cold?  I'll bet she's doing this because she knows the other bird is female and this is her way of telling the other female to stay away (without getting off her infertile eggs).  Females don't like other females around their eggs/babies.  

I wouldn't get a box for the other bird.  This would encourage her to lay eggs...you want to discourage her from laying.  In fact, if these 2 birds are in the same cage together, at the first opportunity, I'd remove the eggs from female 1 and take that nesting box down OR move female 2 into her own cage.  Female 1 is going to be VERY protective of her eggs, nesting box and might attack the other female (depending on the personalities of the individual birds) just for being in the same cage.  I'd watch for aggressive behavior.  To help discourage egg laying, limit their available light to 8-10 hours per day and keep nesting boxes down.  

These birds could continue to lay infertile eggs.  Be sure they have plenty of cuttlebone available (or some type of supplemental calcium).  A certified avian vet can give them a hormone shot to stop them from laying for about 9 months (can differ between birds).  However, you can help control some laying by keeping light hours down, keeping room cool (so they think it's still winter), etc.

Chrys