Lisa Shea Forums Parakeets Parakeet Breeding Female Parakeet Isn't Laying On Her Egg?

My female parakeet laid only one egg last year, but it broke since she was standing on a perch.

She is starting a new clutch now. She and the male were mating on Friday/Saturday and I saw the first egg in the nesting box yesterday.

She goes into the box often, but only for a minute or up to 10 minutes at a time and comes back out. I don't think she's sitting on that first egg. Does anyone have an idea what she might be doing in those 1-10 minute increments inside the box and why she isn't spending that much time in there?

I'm currently giving her some calcium powder along with her usual cuttlebone. But in terms of food, what should I be feeding her and what should I avoid? (I know to avoid broccoli and spinach) She's quite a picky eater though.

Thank you!

avoid parsley as well...and a female sometimes wont sit on the first egg or two right away and thats ok...just when they go to hatch ...then you may have two hatch at the same time...

she needs her protein levels at this time brought up as well and i recommend hulless barley ORGANIC of course you can shop ebay for that ...and you dont give to much but more importantly you dont ORDER too much at once as the shelf life is very short ...i suggest for the two birds mom and dad ordering only 8 ounces at a time that should last a month mixed in with your regular diet you feed...then of course more...all thru this time BUT..take parents OFF it when the babies have fledged but then put babies into a SEPARATE CAGE when they are feeding themselves and KEEP THEM ON IT...till 7 months of age they should be on this...

welcome to the forum btw...

give some nice green fresh veggies being sure to always rinse with ACV first then re rinse with BOTTLED SPRING WATER...BEFORE offering...things like...kale..carrots cooked...brown rice...orzo..STEAMED sweet potatoe beat leaves...***some corn not always tho as it is high in sugars those are all excellent...do NOT feed chard either...

i recommend ONLY during this time also PETAMINE BREEDERS or the NESTLING food...you however wont find it in petstores so ebay that as well

OK its been brought to my attention by someone i should of said and meant to say ....hulless HEMP.... not barley and i just wish they would of made the correction for me when they saw it and knew what i meant to say...

Illusive Fantasy,
Thank you very much for your reply. (And thank you to the mysterious user who pointed out that mistake!)

I fed her cooked carrots and sweet potatoes, but she doesn't seem to like either. lol In fact, she poked it and jumped away so fast! I'll keep trying to persuade her to nibble on some. Is there a better method of feeding her "strange" foods aside from putting it close to her beak? I've always had a hard time introducing my keets to fresh food...

Hi wolfie,
I am the mysterious user, and you are welcome

I think the key to getting them to eat veggies is persistence. Offer them every day so they are used to seeing the strange things in their home.
These guys/gals are also very curious and their curiosity sometimes gets the best of them if they see YOU eating the veggies and saying mmmmm making a big deal out of how good they are.

Some like them chopped, some like them in a dish, some on a plate(like my guys with their chopped veggies)...clip leafy greens to the side of the cage at the end of a perch they frequent. You might even try clipping to the OUTSIDE of cage for a while so they can nibble through the bars. Might seem less threatening on the outside?
Kale is an excellent choice nutrition wise as are beet greens if you can find them. Mine luv both
My 2 don't like cooked carrots, but they love them raw and chopped up fine in a mini chopper, or by hand if a chopper is not available.
Mine won't eat their sweet potatoes fully cooked and mushy, so I partially cook them in the microwave so they are still a bit crunchy. Sweet potatoes are more nutritious cooked..and more nutritious still cooked with skins on
I chop carrots or sweet potatoes and kale..sometimes a little brocolli. They prefer them on a small saucer or cool whip container lid over putting them in a dish.
You might also try sprinkling a little of their seed on top while they are watching. Again..curiosity gets the best of them sometimes. lol
Again...just keep on trying, and if one way of presenting them doesn't work after you've given it a good go, try another way of presenting them.

Good luck..and keep us posted on the babies to be and the parents

you just make believe eating it yourself...usually BUT NOT NOW LOL id say remove early in morning seed and place MIX of several colorful veggies into a small crock bowl and place it on the bottom on n on wont go there any more now ill just say DONT remove the seeds but DO place a nice garden mix like...some corn ..some rice...so orzo ..some bell peppers...and steamed sweet potatoe ***without the skin ...and bean sprouts...allll in one and OFFER IT EVERY DAY first thing in morning in a bowl at bottom of cage and try it all with a pinch of seed on top ...take it out late afternoon and discard repeat each day...maybe alternate corn with some carrot and also some kale..when you can dandelion leaves all in SMALL beak size pieces...cilantro too...all good things and dont forget the PETAMINE..

it took cappy and im sure giggle some folks tired of hearing 8 months before he would try ANYTHING after that and NOW omg...

YOU MAY also find hulless HEMP i always mess up with those ..at a local store but ebay does sell the ORGANIC ALWAYS ORGANIC.

Hi all.

I would like to add something about microwaving veggies. Using a microwave to cook or partially cook food leeches out all the nutrition from the food. We are taking such care to feed our birds and ourselves fresh and when able organic veggies, steam them to keep all the nutrition intact.

Just wanted to share. I used to do all my cooking in the micro, even my Thanksgiving turkey. But when I found out that doing so KILLED my food, we have stopped using it.

Here are two articles that explains it. I know that there are also many articles saying exactly the opposite, but as Illusive always says, when in doubt, don't do it.

Microwave ovens destroy the nutrient value of your food

The hidden hazards of microwave cooking

Thought you might be interested.

Kksuns & Illusive Fantasy
Thanks for the replies! I gave her some kale and beet leaves earlier. She loves both of them. I don't have trouble giving her leafy greens. It's just everything that's NOT green that poses a problem. lol I'll do what you guys recommended and be persistent with feeding different fresh foods!

Lady Vyz,
Thank you for the tip. I personally never microwave any of my birds' foods, so it's good to know that I don't have to worry about that. lol

I'm worried about my female keet though. I found her first egg on Monday night (close to midnight) and so far, I haven't seen another egg... Shouldn't there be a 24-48 hour gap between each egg laid? Do you guys think there might be something wrong? It's really stressing me out...

awwww wolfie relax a bit it is all ok...some will only lay one ...one to 6 or 7 but when its more ..then worry...this is after all her very first clutch. And even if only one in essence thats great ..as you wont be overcrowed with birds that are cute but later wondering how your going to house all those birds or find homes...the birds ususally lay every other day one egg but again ive known of rarely but sometimes it may go a bit longer with the first couple of egg but generally not more than two days apart and what is laid thats it for ...that time.

its also great she wont be depleting her own calcium with just one or two keep that in mind.

and i think all our birds with a few exceptions start with the green leafy veggies at first and eventually will graduate with persistence to the other types.

micro waves ewwwww...only thing i ever use mine for is to quickly heat some water for coffee ...tea ..cocoa and to defrost something..there is too much wrong with micro waving foods especially in their own specific grocery store wrappings as ALL that should be removed and placed on a regular plate or into a reg bowl and never cooked either in the manufacturers wrappings...as all the chemicals from that cooks right into your foods.

i generally will unwrap any foods and meats then use my trusty vacuum food sealer to reseal and freeze so when i go to need something bingo i can just defrost right in that bag and either then pop into a pan of water and cook that way or remove it from the bag and cook.

This isn't her first clutch; it's her second, but the first clutch also only had 1 egg... I'm worried because her bottom still looks tender and her tail is bobbing up and down. However, her appetite is normal and she seems very active and happy... The male, I noticed, is eating a LARGE amount of food to regurgitate to her. lol He usually doesn't eat that much!

Yes, I've always been a bit wary about the microwave... I hate reheating things; sometimes I see people stick food still in its plastic package/wrapping into the microwave! It's really off-putting. :\