egg

Question
after ten years, my Jenday/Sun conure laid an egg!  it's not fertilized...she is very protective of it...should i discard it right away?  it's obviously not fertilized.

Answer
Hi Carole,

You should leave the egg with your bird until she looses interest in it. Removing it will signal her body to produce more eggs. A bird that continually produces eggs will deplete her body of calcium leading to becoming egg bound, a potential deadly condition.

You can also take steps to reduce her hormones levels to where she may not produce more eggs. The biggest trigger is light. Increase her dark uninterrupted sleep time from 10-12 hours nightly to 12-14 hours. Don't allow her access to any perceived nests or nest material. Limit your petting of her to head scritches only. Any other contact to her back, wings, or tail area is sexual to her.

Hope this helps.

Jennifer
www.feathersandscales.com