Expert: Chrys Meatyard - 2/5/2007

Question
I do have a cuttlebone in her cage. Is there a food you could recommend to help with the calcium deficiency?  Also took the mirror out when she became egg bound but she became depressed, she wouldn't sing or mimic and was mopey so I put it back.  Thank you in advance for you input.

Nancy
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The text above is a follow-up to ...

-----Question-----
I have a female parakeet and this will be the third time she has laid eggs.  We do not have a male bird but she does have a mirror - we think she is in love with herself - lol. Anyway my question is do I leave the eggs in with her or do I take them out as she lays?  She went eggbound the last time she laid, I thought it was because I left the eggs in with her - the DR was able to save her.  This time I am taking all but one out and it looks like she is working on egg #6.  I an afraid of her getting eggbound again.
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Hi, Nancy.  Thanks for posting!

You're very lucky...usually eggbound birds don't survive.

Do not remove any eggs...leave them all right where she has laid them until she abandons them on her own.  Otherwise, she'll just keep laying and laying and laying until she has a full clutch of eggs under her.  An avian vet can give your bird a hormone shot to stop egg laying for a while, as excessive egg laying can shorten a female bird's life.  If your bird went eggbound, she isn't getting enough calcium.  You must ensure she has a cuttlebone available at all times.  In order for calcium to be properly absorbed into the body, your bird needs to also have vitamin D, which comes from direct sunlight (not sunlight through a window).  If you can't provide direct sunlight, you need to provide full-spectrum lighting via a Vitalight or other brand of light.  Also, you must limit the amount of corn provided, as corn binds with calcium in the body and doesn't allow absorption.

Your bird thinks the bird in the mirror is another bird, not that she is in love with herself!  Birds don't have any conception of what a mirror is, so she thinks it's a male bird in the mirror.  This is why she is laying eggs.  You might want to consider removing the mirror.

Chrys

Answer
Hi again, Nancy.

Calcium rich foods are as follows:  broccoli, spinach, collard greens, peas, brussel sprouts, soybeans, turnip greens, kale, corn bread, eggs, calcium fortified breads and dry sugarless cereals, and baked beans, just to name a few!

If your bird has never eaten any of these type foods, s/he will most likely not try them at first because birds won't eat anything they don't recognize as food.  Just keep offering every day until eventually the bird tries the new food.  Keets particularly seems to like wet greens...they munch on the greens and roll around/play in the wet leaves.

Chrys