What makes cockatiels lay eggs

Budgerigars or parakeets, though very different in other ways, are similar in their reproductive strategies. Some other forms of stimulation appear to be involved as well. Birds can be seen masturbating on toys, cage accessories or on people in the household. Mirrors or favorite toys can be objects of desire for the bird. The bird can be stimulated by other birds vocalizing in the home or merely by gently petting the bird. The bird must be comfortable in its environment and relatively free from stress so that a cycle can begin.

Significant changes could upset the cycle. Because reproduction is such a complex process with so many inputs, owners must understand that controlling unwanted egg laying must include control of many aspects of the bird's environment and physiology. In the normal situation, most psittacines or parrots will lay a clutch varying from eggs, then sit on the eggs until they hatch. On occasion, a solitary bird may lay a clutch of eggs and then sit on them as if they were fertile.

This is why many people recommend leaving the eggs in the cage with the bird. However, more frequently, the bird lays one egg after another, usually ignoring the eggs that are laid. If the bird clutches and sits on the eggs and does not lay anymore while she sits on them until she tires of this they should be left in. Conversely, removing the eggs to eliminate the stimulus usually does not work by itself. Other means must be undertaken to stop this activity.

Egg laying is dangerous for the bird and excessive egg-laying can lead to calcium depletion which could result in egg binding dystocia , weakness, fragile bones with a great risk of fracture and even seizures. If your bird is having difficulty with any of these issues then she will need to see the veterinarian right away.

Egg binding or dystocia can sometimes be difficult to recognize as the initial symptoms may be barely detectable. Technically egg binding is defined as failure of the egg to pass through the oviduct at a normal rate. Typically, most pet bird species lay eggs at intervals greater than 24 hours - zebra finches at one day and most parrots at days.

This is caused by uterine exhaustion secondary to chronic egg laying and or nutritional deficits such as calcium, vitamin E and selenium deficiencies. When an egg does not descend properly it can cause pressure on the pelvic nerves and causing rear limb weakness and even paralysis or shock.

It is essential during egg-laying, desired or otherwise, that increased vitamins and especially calcium are added to the diet. If the bird is not using the cuttlebone or mineral block, it should be scraped over the food or provided with a mineral supplement in the water. If the bird is already on a balanced diet the dangers are not as severe. However, most birds are on unbalanced diets so the stress of egg laying can have grave consequences. There are varying degrees of aggressiveness in the control of egg-laying behavior.

If the egg is unfertilized, the egg should look more or less transparent except for the faint shadow of the yolk. Once you determine that the egg is fertile, you can either return it to its mother for incubation or utilize an incubator. The incubation time should be about 20 days long. If you are going to let your cockatiel incubate her own eggs, consider providing her with a nesting box.

Once the eggs hatch, you should keep the chicks with their parent until they can feed themselves, at about weeks old. Give your adult cockatiel more food during this time so she can adequately feed her chicks and talk to your veterinarian about whether or not it is appropriate to give her any nutritional supplements. If you have a male cockatiel and want to keep breeding your birds, it is important to know that they should not breed more than once or twice per year.

Keep your cockatiels in separate cages to limit opportunities for mating until your female has had plenty of time to rest. If you determine that the egg is infertile, you should still keep it with your cockatiel for the time being; if you remove it too early, your bird may lay more eggs to replace those she lost.

There will usually be more than one egg, so make sure you have removed all potentially viable eggs and replaced them with sterile or fake eggs. Then, one by one, you can begin removing them from the enclosure.

Eventually, your cockatiel will realize they are not viable. After a while, she should abandon them. Some cockatiel owners are surprised when their bird lays an egg because they did not realize it was a female bird. Your vet should be able to easily tell you the sex of your bird. Knowing that you have a female bird can help prepare you for the possibility that it might lay an egg. If you think your bird has inappropriately bonded with something in its environment , try removing that object.

If you find that the behavior reoccurs, talk to your vet to figure out the best solution. When producing an egg, females will also start drinking much more water because eggs are made up of so much water.

Chewing activity will also increase, as females start to shred more paper, perches, wood, toys etc. Females may also become very protective of their cage, backing up into a corner, chirping softly. Prior to and during the egg laying process, the female will have very large, loose and odorous droppings. This is also normal. Droppings are retained in the cloaca and they are eliminated by the female in the morning.

A total absence of droppings indicate egg binding. Click Here. You can place the eggs on top of a non-looped wash cloth on the bottom of the cage, or inside of a little basket, box or other container that has been lined with white paper towels. This will make your bird more comfortable and it will prevent the eggs from rolling around.

If an egg breaks or your bird starts pecking at them, remove the eggs and replace them with white marbles or wooden dummy eggs.

Clean the area thoroughly to prevent bacteria from growing. Allow your single cockatiel to nest sit on the eggs for days. This means that the species does not lay a set number of eggs. If 1 egg is lost, broken or removed, a cockatiel will just replace it by laying another egg. If you remove the eggs, your bird will go right into another breeding cycle and start laying more eggs.

This will lead to chronic egg laying. The average size clutch for a cockatiel is eggs. Sometimes cockatiels wait until a few eggs are laid before nesting on them. So don't throw out eggs if your bird is initially ignoring them. What Stops Egg Laying? When the first egg is laid, her level of prolactin is low. The level will increase with each additional egg laid and the amount of time she nests on the eggs.

Vol 2, Number 3. The University of California also reported that clutch size is influenced by hormones and that clutch size can be controlled to a certain extent. If one egg is removed from the female' s nest, 1 additional egg will be laid, increasing the clutch size.

If 1 additional egg is placed in the nest each time the female lays an egg, clutch size is reduced by 1 egg. Nesting Phase Care: Nesting on eggs is both physically and psychologically stressful for your bird and any type of stress impairs the immune system. Sometimes females that are nesting on eggs are reluctant to move out of the nest to eat food, drink water and exercise. Keep an extra set of food and water dishes close to your bird.

Females that are laying eggs will also lose calcium. Provide plenty of extra calcium in her diet from fresh, dark green vegetables such as kale, cilantro, parsley, beet greens, turnip greens, endive, chard, mustard greens, watercress, broccoli leaves and stalks. Also offer her bright orange foods, like baked yams, sweet potatoes and carrots, that are rich in Vitamin A to boost her immune system.

Offer her other calcium and vitamin A rich foods as listed on this page Healthy Table Foods and this page Table Foods. Birds that are not eating pellets need this type of lighting in order to metabolize calcium.

It's normal for your bird to be more aggressive with your during while nesting. She'd doing her job and protecting her nest. When the eggs are eventually removed after 21 days, the aggressive behavior subside. Cockatiels living in the wild only produce 1 or 2 clutches of eggs each year. More than 2 clutches would be considered unnatural. Chronic egg laying in pet cockatiels is described as laying more than 2 clutches of eggs per year. The stress and physical demands of excessive egg laying include some of the following health problems.

Preventing Egg Laying : Avian veterinarians usually consider it safe for an adult, healthy, well nourished cockatiel to lay 2 clutches of eggs a year. Females that lay more than 2 clutches of eggs a year are considered chronic egg layers, having a condition which avian vets refer to as Chronic Reproductive Syndrome.

In most cases, chronic egg layers will seem healthy for years but eventually they will suffer from malnutrition and other serious health problems because of the progressive stress and physical demands associated with egg laying.

Stress impairs the immune system, making it easier for birds to get sick. Egg laying in excess of 2 clutches a year should be discouraged because it also compromises a female's general health and causes reproductive disorders. Once a female starts laying eggs, all future egg laying is influenced and controlled by hormones.

By interrupting, changing and removing the environmental stimuli that cause a hormonal egg laying cycle, future egg laying can be prevented.