I have a Grey cockatiel that is 17 months old and about 2 months ago started to lay eggs. She isn't with any other birds. After laying the egg she is very nasty and it takes a day or so to take the egg away. Is there any thing I could do to stop her from laying the eggs?
I give her a good seed diet with mineral oil added to it so she has an easier time passing the eggs. She doen't like veggies or anything like that. I also keep a cuttle bone and a mineral block for her, which she does eat a lot of.
Am I doing all the right things to keep her healthy and not get egg bound? I thank you in advance for your help.
JoAnn B.
JoAnn,
Concerning the diet, everything appears okay, but she must "learn" to eat
veggies. The seed, cuttlebone and mineral blocks are good, however, seed
has very little nutritional value. Keep offering the vegetables daily, if
possible, and we'll bet you eventually they will become her favorites.
Decreasing the amount of light will sometimes discourage egg laying. If that doesn't work, there would be no harm in letting her sit on eggs for a week or two as sitting may satisfy her motherly desires. We believe immediately pulling the eggs may encourage more egg laying.
Other helpful information on this subject can be found in Incessant Egg-Laying In Cockatiels.