Expert: Chrys Meatyard - 5/19/2006

Question
Hi Chrys,  I have a 14 year old conure and she has recently laid 2 eggs and it looks like she still has another one to lay.  She has been laying on the 2 eggs for almost a week now but yesterday needed a lot of attention from me.   She now refuses to go into her nest area and tend to the 2 eggs already laid.  I can tell she needs to lay another one but won't go into the nesting area.  Do I remove the 2 eggs that she has abandoned before she lays another one.  I feel that I should remove them so she can lay this other one.

Thank you so much !
Tracey

Answer
Hi, Tracey.  Thanks for posting.

If she has another egg to be laid, she'll lay it regardless of the 2 already in the nesting area/nestbox.  She may lay it on the cage bottom, drop it from a perch, etc., but it will get laid!  Can I ask why there is a nesting area/nestbox if she's a single female?  The presence of a nesting area/nestbox is a trigger to a female parrot that she should go to nest.  If you don't want babies, and for her continued good health, I'd remove any nesting area/nestbox to try and prevent further egg laying.  If your conure enjoys sleeping in the comfort of a confined/enclosed space, like most conures do, I recommend you buy your conure a happy hut or similar (or make something yourself) so your conure sleeps comfy through the night...but avoid something completely enclosed like a nestbox.  

As far as the existing eggs are concerned, I'd leave them where they are at or your conure may continue to lay and lay until she has a full clutch.  See what happens in the next day or so...she may start a new clutch altogether if she has abandoned these eggs.  If this happens, then you can pull the 2 eggs and destroy.  When a single female lays infertile eggs, I recommend you leave them and let the female abandon them on her own in due time.  If you pull the eggs as they are laid or before the female abandons them on her own, the female will likely continue to lay and lay, thus, possibly depleting her body of needed vitamins and nutrients, especially calcium.  Allowing the female to nurture infertile eggs will temporarily satisfy her maternal instincts and spread out the time between clutches.  Pulling eggs too soon may result in the female laying too many eggs in a short amount of time, which can be physically demanding for the hen.  

Come back if necessary.

Chrys