hi

Question
hi i have a budgie that's 1yrs n 2month i've been having her with with a male for 11months. i've breeded them but they never had kids. now the male is gone and she's all alone. she keeps laying eggs i removed the nesting box but now i found an egg at the bottom of the cage. what should i do. now since is easier to tame one paraqueet i wanna tame her.when i put my finger outside of the cage next to the bar, she comes from the inside and nibbles it a lil. she never used to do that what does it mean?? and how can i stop her to lay eggs. how can i tame her. i will be waiting for your answer.
thankx

Answer
Part of the reason the female probably never had babies is that she was too young.  They CAN have babies at about 6 months, but this often leads to eggbinding, or unfertile eggs.  Just like even though humans can get pregnant at 13, doesn't mean its best for them, or their baby. Its best to wait until they're about a year, before even considering getting them a mate.

She may continue to lay eggs, having bonded with you.  It sounds weird, but it happens, especially if she loses her mate.  She now sees you as her mate.  Keep the nest box out, this will only encourage laying.  The eggs she is laying are duds.  Don't worry about the one you found, there's sadly nothing you can do for it.  Try reducing the amount of light where she's at.  This might signal to her that breeding season is over.  Also, keep a cuttlebone in her cage, so she can replenish the calcium she's losing from the eggs.  If she keeps laying for too much longer, take her to an avian vet.  They can give her a shot of hormones to make her quit laying.  This can become very serious, very fast.  I lost a bird a few years ago in a similar case, and she had never had a mate.

Her behavior regarding nibbling is normal.  She might be just bored.  It can also be a sign of affection, as long as she's not trying to rip off your finger (like my demon bird)!  Hand taming is pretty difficult once they reach a year or older.  Its best to start when they're chicks.  Its possible, but you may just end up frustrating yourself and the bird.  I wouldn't recommend trying anything until she's through with her egg laying; she's under a lot of stress, and probably not in the best health either.