PLEASE HELP ME!

:arrow: Hi, my name is Erin and I have had parakeets for about a year. I just got a new female bird about 2 mouths ago. My male parakeet (Baby) loves her and is always sitting next to her. About 4 to 5 weeks ago i seen them mating. And the 2nd week of mating I put a box in the cage. But they chewed that up, so i put another box in the cage. Booger( the female bird, the name sounds weird but i like it) has shown signs of being pregnant. I thought it was only suppose to take 3 weeks of mating for the female bird to start laying eggs? But has been about 5 weeks. Booger has been in the box but she doesn't lay down, she takes stuff out of the box.It is her first time so I know it would be hard. How can i keep her in the box? (with out being mean) Should I take her to the Vet? There is nothing coming out of her vent area besides poop. I know that it may take a little bit for the male to be able to fertalize the female.
Can someone help me? please? I don't want her to get sick or die.

 

Hi a male will still attempt to mate with the female even if she is not ready for mating.

To tell when she is in breeding condition her Cere ( skin part above the beak ) Will be a very dark brown colour.
If its been 4-5weeks since you saw them mating chances are she was not ready so will not lay eggs.

She should be given plenty of of cuttlefish bone and mineral blocks.
PLenty of fresh fruit and vegtables plus soft foods like boiled pasta and rice, wholewheat bread boiled eggs mashed up with the shell.

She will only lay eggs when she is ready how old are your birds as they both should be over 12months old otherwise you can cause problems such as Egg Binding ( egg being stuck in the oviduct ) which can be fatal if not noticed and treated asap.

The nest box should be made of wood and have a bottom with a concave in it as this helps the hen turn her eggs during incubation.

Budgies (parakeets) are not nest builders and most will throw nesting material out of the nest.
Plain wood shavings should be used to line the bottom of the nest.
Nests and plain wood shavings can be baought from any good petstore and is a must if wanting to raise birds successfully.

Mike

 

Thank you

:y_the_best: Thank you for the info Mike. My female Parakeet is between 7 and 8 months old. The cere on top of her beak has been dark brown since they have been mating but i think its starting to go to a lighter brown. I have a cuttlefish bone and i have been trying to give her fruits and vegtables, but she won't eat it. My male parakeet is over 12 months old.

Right now i have a card board, which they are chewing a hole in the top. I did have a wooden box, that my dad had made. It was like the one you get at the pet store. But they were chewing on the wood, so i took it out because i did not want them to choke on the wood or hurt them self. Do you think because they are chewing a hole in the top of the box that they are making a entrance for them (ever though i there is already in entrance) like they do in trees in the wild?

I would like to breed my birds again if she doesn't lay eggs them this time. Can i? If so,when do you think they will be ready again for mating?Should I take her to the Vet just in cast she is Egg Binding?

 

Hi the chewing of the wooden nest box is perfectly normal and safe as they do not eat the wood what they are doing when chewing on the box is to make it a more suitable home for raising chicks its also a mating ritual.

A female that is only 7-8months old is young to be laying eggs thats not too say she cant raise a healthy clutch of chicks.

For aslong as a proper nest box is available she will keep breeding.
When hens are egg bound they go off there food seem depressed and generally dont look well you can also if she is easily caught hold her gently in your hand and tun her over so her vent is exposed if she is egg bound you will see a really large lump that looks like a tumour but if there is nothing there you have nothing to worry about.

From the sounds of it she was just not ready this time thats also again not to say if you changed there nest box back that she would not have eggs as most hens wont lay until they are provided with a nest that they like.

Good luck and i hope it all works out for you..

Mike

 

Thanks again for the information Mike. Your help has helped me. Now I know who to come to, for Bird help.

 

Hi glad i could help i am here if you need anymore help or advice.

Good luck with your birds.

Mike