Expert: Chrys Meatyard - 6/9/2007

Question
i have too parakeets and this morning i found a small egg in there cage so i went out and bought a nesting box and a bunch of things so they could  build there nest. when i got home she layed another egg. but there aren't doing anything  i hope they use the nest. how long does it take to get use to it? it's taking up most of there cage. i don't know what to do  thanks, christine

Answer
Hi, Christine.

Your birds aren't doing anything right now because I believe they are a bit confused!  Usually, the nesting box goes up first, the birds prepare the nesting box the way they want it, then the eggs are laid in the nesting box.  

Since they have already laid 2 eggs outside the nesting box, they may abandon these eggs altogether OR they may continue laying eggs (up to 6) outside the box.  Do not put any nesting material in the nesting box....keets don't like substrate in their nesting box.  What you need to do is position the nesting box outside the cage (in order to provide more room inside the cage) so that only the entrance hole to the nesting box is available to the birds inside the cage.  Depending on the type of cage you have, you may be able to accommodate this by using a cage door/opening...attach the nesting box so the box hole fits at one of these cage doors/openings.  Otherwise, you'll need to cut some cage wire to make an opening for the nesting box entrance hole.  Once the birds have prepared the nesting box the way they want it, you could try moving any laid eggs into the box.  However, the birds may abandon these eggs and only incubate eggs they lay in the box (this depends on the individual birds).  

Keets usually don't start incubating their eggs until the second egg is laid, sometimes the 3d egg.  If they don't start incubating these eggs, it's because they have been laid outside the nesting box.  

If you don't want these birds to lay eggs, remove the nesting box.  Raising baby parrots (your keets are parrots) is a big responsibility.  You'll need to decide if you will handfeed the babies and what you will do with any offspring that hatch.  Handfeeding allows the birds to imprint on humans, thus, making them tame.  Otherwise, any babies won't be tame and will be difficult to sell or give away.

Visit my website for more information:

www.angelfire.com/falcon/birdinfo/index.html

Chrys