is it taking too long for single tiel to lay egg?

Question
Hi Chrys,
Our single female is trying to lay an egg, and we're wondering if it's taking too long. On Tuesday morning I noticed she was squatting and straining but nothing came out. It only lasted a few minutes and then she stopped. She became agressive as we walked by her cage and was rubbing her rear end on a knotted rope perch. This behavior has continued for the past few days, but when we called the vet Thursday, he said she was just trying to lay an egg, and that it would take a couple of days. When I asked if she could be egg bound, he said as long as she was still stooling, she was probably ok. Should I take her in? It's been 5 days and counting. She's still acting normally, but does continue to squat and strain occasionally as well as rub against her perch. She is on a mostly pellet diet with some seed and has been chewing her cuttle bone. Help! Thanks so much, Brian

Answer
Hi, Brian.  Thanks for posting.

Are you sure this tiel is female?  Males will rub their private area on things in their cage when they are feeling "frisky" if you know what I mean!

A female that is eggbound will normally sit on the bottom of the cage looking and acting very ill.  You'll usually see the tip of an egg or 1/2 an egg sticking out from her vent (cloaca).  You might also see some blood around her vent.  You might only see a large lump between the legs just before the tiel's vent.  If it's been 5 days and she's not on the cage bottom, I'd say she probably isn't eggbound.  A bird that has been eggbound this long would most likely have died by now or at least shown symptoms.  If you suspect your tiel is eggbound, you have to get her to an avian vet immediately...she will not get better on her own.  An egg that won't come out is a serious problem for a hen.  If the shell breaks inside her body, it will kill her.  The egg shell is the last thing that develops around an embryo just before it is laid...the shell doesn't travel down the body, so a problem expelling it would happen quickly and you would need to take action quickly to save the bird.  The vet is correct...if there were an egg stuck inside her, she wouldn't be able to pass anything else through her vent.    

The squatting and straining you mention bothers me a little.  Sometimes parrots squat to defecate, but "straining" could indicate some type of problem.  If she's chewing her cuttlebone, I'm wondering if perhaps she is deficient in calcium and might be having problems producing an egg shell.  Let her have as much cuttlebone as she will chew.  

Also be aware that sometimes, with hormones running rampent, which is what is happening with your tiel, a hen wants to have babies so badly that it becomes a psychological issue.  In other words, perhaps she's going through the motions, but not actually producing eggs...at least yet!

If you're sure she's a hen, watch her close and she how she behaves.  The first egg in a clutch is usually the hardest to lay.  The minute she acts ill, stops defecating, and stays on the cage bottom, get her to the bird vet.  

Chrys