Expert: Chrys Meatyard - 7/27/2006

Question
I've had this parakeet for over a year now and the whole time we thought it was a male. Well, yesterday we found an egg in the cage! My daughter said she noticed it two days ago but didn't tell me about it because she thought it was a piece of the cuttlebone. To my shock and horror it seems she is trying to have another egg. We noticed last night that there is a large bulge under her tail and the area has become transparent(we can see the poop, but no egg). What is going on? If she is trying to pass an egg, how long does it normally take? She is otherwise acting normal. She is singing and playing with her toys. She is also eating and drinking. Her only behavioral change is she is being aggressive when you go near the cage. Please help, I have no clue what to do. Thank You,  Steph

Answer
Hi again, Steph.  I read your comments in the rating.  I didn't want to confuse you in my initial post...females can also have a blue cere, but you should see white "framing" around the nostrils and/or around the area where the beak meets the face.

Chrys  


Hi, Steph.  Thanks for posting.

Male keets have blue ceres (area above the beak); females have white/brown/tan/beige.

If this is a single female, she is laying infertile eggs.  She may lay a full clutch of about 6 eggs.  If you noticed the large bulge last night, and the egg hasn't been laid yet, she might be egg bound.  However, egg boundness doesn't usually occur with a second egg...it's usually just a first egg.  Another however...if she's otherwise acting fine, she is not egg bound.  Egg bound birds act very sick, sit/lay on the cage bottom, seem to have respiratory problems, etc...you'll definitely notice if she were egg bound.  The aggressiveness is normal for birds who are laying eggs/have babies...this is their way of protecting their offspring.  She'll revert back to her normal self after her hormones slow down!  

What you should do from here is just leave any eggs lay where they are until she abandons them on her own.  They won't hatch since she doesn't have a male mate (right???).  If you remove the eggs as they are laid, she will likely continue to lay and lay until she has a full clutch, so leaving them alone will ensure she doesn't do this.  She'll eventually abandon them and when she does, you can remove them and throw them away.  

Come back if you have other questions.

Chrys