one egg laid, no more so far

Question
QUESTION: Hi,
My parakeet laid one egg 2 days ago on the bottom of the cage. It didn't look bluish or opaque ( fertile ) in the sunlight, and I accidentally dropped it and it cracked. She had been ignoring it anyway. We got a nest box after this egg was laid, but she hates to go down near the bottom of the cage where it is. (It is a style that fits in the cage without the wires having to be cut.) She hasn't laid any more eggs. How can I encourage her to check out the nest box? Is it possible this was it for the eggs this time? How do I know she doesn't have to lay more?
ANSWER: Linda,

Is there a way to attach the nest box at the top of the cage? She may not feel safe going into the box on the floor of the cage.

Wayne

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QUESTION: I don't think so. There were a couple of loose clamps on the bottom of it, but they fell off as my husband was putting getting it ready to put in the cage. We could try, but I'd think if she had to lay an egg, she'd go down there. There are no eggs on the bottom of the cage, either, as there was before ( 3 days ago now. )
ANSWER: It is not uncommon for a bird first time laying to have a longer span between eggs. Also some birds don't lay the average # of eggs. She may only one or tow, where the average is 4 to 6. Is her mate interested in the nest box at all?

Wayne

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QUESTION: No, not really. She has sat on the top of it and explored around the side and front, but not near the hole! We may try to wire or screw the little holes on the nest box so it can hang higher up, hopefully securely. Petco said that egg I dropped, even though it wasn't bluish or opaque, may have been fertile. Oops! I feel badly!
ANSWER: It does take time for them to get up enough courage to go into the nest box. Give her a little time, I don't think she will let you down. Petco is correct, the egg will not show any signs of being fertile until they start to incubate it. So yes it could have been fertile.

Wayne

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QUESTION: Wayne,
My parakeet finally went into the nest box, now over a week from her 1st and only egg! By the way, how do I find buyers for the babies, should they actually be hatched and survive? I am not a large scale breeder, so Petco says they don't buy from individuals like me. How much should I ask for each? $5-7.00?

Thanks,
Linda
ANSWER: Linda,

The price for parakeets vary from state to state, but in general I would ask for $7.00 to $14.00 if parent raised depending on the color or type of parakeet. If you are going to hand feed and make them tame, you could ask as much as $25.00.

Wayne

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QUESTION: Great, but how to find buyers? An ad in the paper costs, maybe more than I'd make. Any sites??? ( safe ones, of course!)

Linda
ANSWER: Linda,

I would post flyers at local feed stores, grocery stores, pet stores, etc. Maybe even a sign in front of your house. Once you start selling, word of mouth will be a big part of your $0.00 cost advertising. To help sell birds I sometimes sell bird cage and bird as a package.

Hope this helps, thanks for the questions.

Good Luck,

Wayne

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QUESTION: Thanks for your ideas, Wayne! How much do you ask if you also provide a small cage with a parakeet? I'd hate to buy a bunch of cages and be out the $ if they don't sell though. I'm not too computer saavy to make up nice signs or anything. But maybe I'm counting my parakeets before they're hatched! She goes into the nest box a lot, but might just be playing in there. Nothing more in almost 2 weeks now!
ANSWER: You should have no problem finding on the internet nice med size cages for about $8.00 each. (normally sell in cases of 8 to 10 per case) One of these cages with one parakeet should get you $24.00. Two birds one cage special price of $30.00 That is how I sell most of my birds and I have a hard time keeping up. When i attend bird shows to sell my birds I always run out by end of the first day at these prices.

Hope this helps,

Wayne

p.s. We always count our parakeets before they hatch, we have just learned not to name them. :>)


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QUESTION: Hi again Wayne,
I know there hasn't been the time to get your reply yet, but by surfing the net and keying in "parakeet cages" I don't see anything nearly as cheap as $8.00. About $ 20.00 is the cheapest I saw, and mostly way, way more! Also, where are these bird shows you attend to sell your birds?

Answer
There are bird clubs that have bird shows & marts all around the area where I live. Each one of these clubs has at least two of these events per year. I previously told you the price for the parakeet cages were $8.00 each they are actually closer to $5.00 each. Look at the website I sent to you under bird cages page #9.

Wayne