Expert: Chrys Meatyard - 5/12/2007

Question
I have a single peach faced lovebird that I adopted after one of my clients found it flying around outside.  I have had her (as I now know) for about a year, and she is extremely affectionate to my partner, and will sometimes put up with me.  I noticed she wasn't feeling well today, just quiet and hunkered down in the corner of her cage.  When I opened the cage, she came right out and had a bath in the sink.  She seemed better, and I put more paper in her cage (she shreds it into little strips and sticks it under her back tail feathers).  She crawled under the paper and laid an egg!  I removed the egg and put a soft hat and tissues in the cage and she's been "nesting" the rest of the day.  My question is, is there a chance that she may have another egg in the next day or so?  She keeps preening her tail feathers as though she doesn't feel good.  Thanks in advance!
Rachel

Answer
Hi, Rachel.

Your single female lovie may lay up to 6 eggs before all is said and done.  The eggs will all be infertile, so just let her do her thing.  Don't remove the eggs...let her abandon them on her own before you attempt to remove any of them.  She may not abandon them for a month or longer.  

Your bird is under a lot of stress at the moment, so she'll act differently.  She'll likely be very aggressive during this time, so just let her be her mean self until this passes.  It's breeding season, your lovies' hormones are running rampant, and this is normal behavior.  She may lay 1 egg every other day until she's laid 4-6 eggs.

Chrys