Excessive egg laying

Question
Charlie is 6 yr old Amazon Panama parrot. I have had her for 14 months. She doesn't have a mate, but have really bonded with me. She is so happy with me that she has started to lay eggs since 20Dec07. So far she has laid 12 eggs. I want her to stop because I was told it is bad for her health all this egg laying, but I have tried everything to stop her e.g.increase her sleep in darkness, put her in a different cage and room, keep her eggs with her, do not touch her tail end, no nesting material in her cage and I have even tried ignoring her. I have ran out of ideas and feel all I can do now is to make sure she has a good diet with plenty of calcium, but am I simply encouraging her to lay more eggs by feeding her nutritious diet?  She is very determined. What if I take her to a friends house for a week or two?  Do you have any suggestions. I've already contacted others who could not help.  I'd be really grateful if you could offer me some guidance.  Many Thanks

Answer
Hi, Sally,

I found your post in the question pool this morning.  Whomever you originally sent your question to could not answer for some reason.

Charlie has just recently reached sexual maturity.  If the bird is bonded to you, her hormones become active when you interact with each other.  If you have done all the things you've mentioned in order to stop her from laying eggs, but she's still laying, a certified avian veterinarian can give her a hormone shot that will stop her egg laying for about 9 months, depending on the bird.  Usually, reducing the amount of available light per day to 10-12 hours or 8-10 if necessary resolves this problem.  

It's true that one cue to a bird that breeding season has started is an abundance of food, not just a nutritious diet.  There is no way around feeding your bird properly, so I do not advise changing her diet at all.  Your bird has to remain in top health, particularly if she is laying eggs.  Be sure to incluce supplemental calcium in her diet by some method.  Are you sure you are providing enough calcium in her diet?  Along with calcium, the bird needs the right amount of natural sunlight in order to process the calcium in her body.  Visit this website for more information regarding supplemental calcium:    http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww22eii.htm

I would not recommend moving her location.  This may result in additional problems due to stress and being apart from you.  In addition, often times a move to a new location encourages egg laying.

Chrys