Need Bird Owner's advice please!!!

[Darth_Kitten]

Murphee, my cockatiel, has been laying eggs. So far, it's been 4, and if she has any more, it will be tomorrow morning. (every 48 hours I've heard)

Question, she seems to be "favouring" one leg over the other. Is this normal, or should I be concerned? Is she ready to have another egg, or is having some trouble with this one?

I'm a tad worried, this is all such a new experience for me. :(

[boobooday]

1. Wow! You got them to lay eggs!

That's cool.

Maybe it hurts to squeeze them out. Egg stretch soreness?

Ouch.

http://www.wgoeshome.com

[Kat45]

2. Keep an eye on her,

Egg-binding is a possibility in birds; it's when the bird is having trouble getting the egg out, the egg can get stuck inside and cause serious (even possibly fatal) problems. Make sure she has cuttlebone around so she'll get her calcium. And make sure she's eating a good, balanced diet and getting her nutrition because that is a strain on her body. Don't remove the eggs or she'll keep laying more. Leave them where she laid them; she may sit on them for a while but she'll eventually get tired of it.

I'm sure you can find info about pet birds laying eggs online. (I think it may be common for cockatiels, but I'm not sure.) Here's a link to my friends web site, to a story on several birds' bouts with laying eggs. Within the anecdotal tales is some info on potential problems. The page is about parrotlets, but I think the info is general enough to apply.

http://lmkandtux.homestead.com/Rbook4Ueggs.html

[bigwillq]

3. "Don't remove the eggs or she'll keep laying more"

Don't remove them from inside her or don't remove them from the cage?
How many eggs can they lay at one time?

[eyesroll]

7. From the cage -- the eggs should come out of her unassisted

If they don't -- if one seems stuck, or she's swollen and past due for an egg, call a vet. (If she doesn't lay tomorrow, she's probably just finished laying, but check for swelling, lethargy or straining.) Egg binding requires immediate attention. But from what you've said, Murphee seems to be taking laying in stride.

[Darth_Kitten]

9. Thanks.......

she's just a baby herself (one year old?) and 4 eggs in a week. Phew!!!
I will watch out for her tomorrow, for any signs of pain or distress.

She's a toughie, my Murphee. ;)

[Darth_Kitten]

4. She's been on target.....

duplicate post.

[Darth_Kitten]

5. She's been on target.....

with the egg laying. Her first was last Saturday (I removed that egg but have left the others), then Monday, Wednesday, and Friday(yesterday) If there is a 5th one, it will be tomorrow. She eats a bit, and there's a mineral stone and broccoli with her. :) Maybe she's a little pooped out. :( poor little sweetie.....it must be tiring.

[eyesroll]

6. Keep an eye on the leg, and Murphee in general

Remember egg laying is totally normal. Cockatiels tend to be prolific about it. She may lay one or two more. If it keeps up beyond that, call the vet for guidance. Favoring a leg isn't something I've heard of as a laying complication, but again, if that keeps up, or if she seems at all lethargic or out of it, call the vet.

What notmyprez said is dead on, and I second her link -- I know those people as well. They're good sources.

One thing you may notice is that Murphee will become very interested in her eggs, and less interested in you. This is normal, so don't try to fight it. Let her be. She'll tire of them in a few weeks, when they don't hatch.

Also: She's probably making elephant-sized poops, or will start doing that soon. That's normal, too.

[Darth_Kitten]

8. thanks for all the advice.....

she hasn't pooped today, but before today very watery dumps ;) I'm giving her some of her mineral stone, and some hard-boiled egg for calcium and protein. She's been munching a bit on that. :)
She does sit on her eggs a lot, I know about letting her sit on them for a week or two. :)

[Ladyhawk]

10. One thing I thought of...

If she doesn't have enough calcium in her diet (as well as the vitamin D necessary to metabolize it) she could suffer from bone loss, which might explain the leg problem.

At this point, I think she's fine. Usually a calcium deficiency will present itself with egg-binding or eggs with thin or non-existent shells.

[Darth_Kitten]

11. Happy update!!!!!

Another egg this morning, right on target. :thumbsup:

And Murphee was happily chowing down on breakfast this morning. :) Man, that's 5 eggs in total so far!!! :crazy: :silly: :D