parakeet poop

Question
QUESTION: our budgie is approx.3 months old. She was hand raised and very loving.
recently she has become a bit of a terror. She started biting HARDER about a
week ago and the last couple of days she has been somewhat, um, bound, or
saving up, until she lets a poop bomb as big as her head go!! It isn't hard or
dry, seems quite normal to be exact. Her bum is a bit pinker than
normal...ahem. She would be so embarrassed if she knew I was making this
public!! Does this have anything to do with her egg production kicking in???
What should we watch for, besides getting bombed on??? Any advice  Thanks,
Cindy

ANSWER: Hi, Cindy,

Your bird is too young to think about egg laying.  She is not sexually mature yet and is still trying to discover her world.  Your bird may be starting to show signs of digestinal/intestinal problems.  What type of diet is your bird on?  Is your bird showing any other signs of possible illness (sitting with feathers fluffed up when bird isn't sleeping, listlessness, abnormal behavior)?  Birds hide symptoms of illness until they can't hide them any longer.  They will continue to eat and drink and they will try to act as normally as possible.  When we notice symptoms of illness, the bird has usually been sick too long, and avian vet assistance is required ASAP. The increased intensity of the bite could simply mean your bird is trying to see what you will allow her to get away with, but could also mean your bird isn't feeling well.  If your bird is constipated, this could also be the reason.  But then if your bird is constipated, why is the bird constipated.  This could be related to the diet the bird is on.

I need more detailed information about what is going on or you can consult with a certified avian vet.  I am not a vet and can only offer advice based on my knowledge and past experiences.  

Chrys

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Chrys!
Well, guess what? I must have been misinformed about the age of my Bebop, she
presented us with a perfect little egg just a day after I wrote you about her condition.
Her diet is a store bought budgie seed mix and she does have a cuddle bone and grit,
fresh bottled water and fresh veggie choices when i prepare our meals. she really is a
sweet thing, but does an egg layer turn slightly savage during this time, and how long
will the laying go on, is it a regular cycle? Like a monthly??? blush blush. And just what
age is a bird that starts laying? I guess I should know so I can better guess her age.
Thank you for your informative and speedy answer. I will be looking forward to your
next reply.         Cindy

Answer
Hi again, Cindy,

Budgies can lay eggs when they are about 5-6 months old, but we should not allow this to happen if at all possible!  Egg laying is hard on a bird and can shorten their lifespan.  This is similar to a 11 or 12 year old human girl....they can get pregnant when they start their periods, but they aren't old enough yet to have babies!  Since your bird is a single female (I think?), she is laying infertile eggs....they will not hatch.  However, you should just leave any eggs right where she has laid them until she abandons them in her own time.  An all-seed diet is a poor diet for a bird.  She needs to be on a variety of healthy, nutritious human foods, as well as pelleted food.  Make sure she eats her healthy foods before you allow her to have the seed.  However, don't change her diet right now.  She's under too much stress with the egg laying.  A cuttlebone is great for replacing any calcium loss, but parrots (your budgie is a parrot) do not need grit.  Grit can become impacted in their crops and can require surgery to correct.  Only birds that eat their seeds whole need grit...birds like pigeons, doves, etc.  Parrots hull their seeds and eat the soft food inside.  Remove the grit!  The pet store may have recommended grit, but they are wrong.  

Yes, birds tend to become aggressive when hormonal/with eggs.  This is how they protect their offspring from whatever.  It's Mother Nature's way!  Just let her be her mean self until all this is over...there's nothing you can or should do to change her behavior.  Your bird may lay up to 6 eggs, one every other day.  She may incubate them for 18 days or longer, then abandon them eventually.  After this cycle, yes, she can go into another cycle shortly thereafter!  Be sure you do not have any nesting box or anything that can resemble a nest in her cage and keep her available light source down to 10-12 hours per day, 8-10 hours if necessary, in order to discourage egg laying.  You want to simulate wintertime with the light, not springtime (when daylight hours become longer).  This is the start of breeding season and your bird is hormonal.

My website:  www.angelfire.com/falcon/birdinfo/index.html
Another good site:  www.birdchannel.com

Chrys