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About Rev. Dr. S.August Abbott
Expertise
Certified Avian Specialist; Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council member; Own animal rescue org; National Wildlife habitat #66378; bird care, nutrition & behavior consultant; International Assoc. of Animal Behavior Consultants Associate; National Wildlife Federation Leaders Club member; published bird care, info and behavior articles and guides. Ongoing education in exotic bird behavior and nutrition I can answer behavioral, nutritional, environmental, characteristic/personality questions as well as general health and health care. No animal emergency can ever be addressed on the internet. We cannot see your animal, perform an examination, provide necessary care or medication. Please value your companion for the priceless, living creature they are; not for what you might have paid for them.

Experience
Certified Avian Specialist. For more than 30 years I've worked with veterinarians, protective facilities, nature centers, preserves and on my own in providing care and education with regard to multiple animal species, including raptors (hawks, kestrals, owls, etc) and marsupials. In recent years I've focused on parrots, usually rescued from abusive or less than ideal situations and helping educate owners as to proper care. Expert in behavior studies and modification of problem behavior.

Organizations
4AnimalCare is the organization I run as an animal ministry; World Wildlife Association, Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, National Wildlife Federation Leaders Club and more

Publications
Bird Talk Magazine articles about rescued and problem macaws.

Education/Credentials
Doctorate, Ordained Minister

You are here: Experts > Animals/Pets > Pet Birds > Parrots > Meyers parrot keeps laying eggs

Parrots - Meyers parrot keeps laying eggs

Expert: Rev. Dr. S.August Abbott - 11/3/2009

Question
She has always successfully layed eggs. And always just one She is approx 12-15 yrs old. Last week she squirted the contents of egg. Later passing shell. Then 4 days later. Passed another opened shell egg. She seems to lay when she is snuggling in blankets and confined places. Should I remove all blankets where she likes to nest. Vet said to increase calcium. Which will help keep egg shells intact. Allowing normal laying. How old is to old for her to safely lay eggs. Don't want to hurt her. She IS my baby. HELP. HELP. HELP

Answer
OK, you're right - this is something we need to stop in order to preserve her health. It sounds like she's over-laying and these malformed eggs are a symptom.

As you know, egg laying is something that every female bird can do without benefit of male birds. Of course eggs laid without a male to mate with are not fertile and will not hatch.   Laying, in birds other than chickens and other food source poultry, is not healthy and shouldn’t be ignored. All steps you can take to stop this behavior should be taken and right away.

When a bird lays she’s got a very increased risk for egg binding or Dystocia, both potentially life threatening situations that would require immediate veterinary intervention.   Even if it’s in the middle of the night on a weekend or holiday.

You have to have a vet who knows you and your bird, ready to open their office for this emergency; or have an urgent care clinic you know about and know how to get to.

Whether the bird is laying or not, make sure you provide fresh cuttlebone to females at all times to help maintain calcium.    Other good sources of calcium are in fresh foods such as kale, broccoli, chard tops, spinach and collard greens.

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By leaving laid eggs with them it should discourage laying more for a while.

If you notice any egg cracked or broken, however, it must be removed since this is a breeding ground for bacteria and other potential infectious problems. Remember, eggs are the number one modality to grow viruses in development of vaccines; they grow other things as well!

Putting in some fake eggs, often available at craft’s stores, is an idea too.   Just be sure to use plain wooden types or enamel, plastic - a type that has nothing dangerous for a bird to possibly gnaw on.

There are online sources that provide fake eggs for the species. One example is right here   http://theeggshop.com

You might want to increase her nighttime hours to 13 or even 14 sleep instead of 12+12.
Another option is to move things around inside the cage. Change out her toys, switch perches, rearrange feeding and water cups - make it look 'new' to her. Even moving the actual location a little bit can help.

Other precautions are to not pet her under her wings or touch consistently from the mid-back down (this can trigger egg laying).

No feeding her from your mouth, which is just a good idea anyway since we have far too much bacteria there to be safe for a bird.

No feeding soft foods from your fingers which may be perceived as regurgitation, another mating behavior.

If egg laying continues or becomes chronic, you must consult with an avian vet or other vet who is well experienced with birds. Chances of severe health complications exist in over-layers.

For more about nutrition, behavior modification and overall problem solving
http://www.4animalcare.org/birds

I'm confident you can get this handled. Good luck,

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