Expert: Chrys Meatyard - 1/11/2007

Question
Hi, i have a one budgie pair and I would like to breed them. I put a nesting box in there cage and 13 days later the hen started going in there and ripping up the paper towel i put in there. Shes been going in the box lots during the day and staying in it for hours but its been 20 days scine she started going in a still no eggs. I see the male feeding her a lot when shes in the box, and they preen each other lots too. Do you think they will ever breed and lay eggs or i need more budgies around them?  

Answer
Hi, Jessica.  Thanks for posting!

Sometimes it takes time for a pair of birds to get everything just the way they want it before they lay their eggs.  I recommend, however, that you remove any substrate (the paper towel) from inside the nesting box.  Budgies don't like anything in their nesting box.  This might be why they haven't laid yet.  Some budgies breed better when other budgies/keets are around, but this just depends on the individual birds.  I wouldn't go out and buy more budgies!  

Your birds sound like they are doing all the right things.  I would suspect eggs will soon arrive.  However, how knowledgeable are you about this entire process?  Many problems can crop up and you need to be knowledgeable enough to handle these problems when they arrive.

Chrys