I found an egg

Hi, I have two parakeets one is a male and one is a female. On Friday I found an egg at the bottom of the cage but I don't really know what to do I know that I should buy a nest box, but I can't seem to find one in a store right now. Would a cardboard box work? Or a different kind of bird nest? Also, I found out that a parakeet lays an egg every other day, but she hasn't laid anymore yet. Does the male have to be in the same cage with the female? Mine are in two separate cages next to each other. Can someone help me?

 

Hi, a cardboard box is really no good since the birds like to chew on them which could result in the eggs being damaged.

If the male has never been in with the female then the egg is infertile.
If she does not bother with it then i would remove the egg, If she does not lay another one by tomorrow then it maybe she is just coming into breeding mode.

I suggest buidling a nest box if its possible i will give you a website that has different nest box designs on.

You will also have to make sure that there is constant supply of cuttlefish bone and mineral block in her cage.

If she has been with the male chances are her eggs will be fertile and they may hatch so you will need to have her put on soft foods, such as boiled brown rice, boiled pasta, boiled eggs crushed with the shell, wholewheat bread..

If you plan on breeding and allowing them to raise a family then i suggest you get everything ready as listed above, I always keep my males and females together when its breeding season as the male helps incubate the eggs aswell as feed the female and her chicks.

You can try putting a a dish on the cage floor with some plain woodshavings in the bottom and with clean dry hands gently place her egg in there she may use that as her nest.

If she lays anymore once you have done that and she starts to sit on the properly which they don't do until 2nd or 3rd egg has been laid, Then incubation will be 18-21 days after the 2nd egg has been laid.

She will usually lay every 2days but every 3days is not unusual with her laying a clutch of 4-6 eggs sometimes more sometimes less.

Hope this helps a little...

http://www.birdshelpline.bravehost.com/Nestboxes.html

Mike

 

Ok, thanks for the help If we don't have plain woodshavings would newspaper work too?

 

Aslong as its black and white non glossy paper it should be ok.

Mike