Thursday, June 2, 2011

Li'l Girl Laid An Egg!

It is the height of breeding season and apparently my pet quaker, Li'l Girl wanted to get in on the act! She had been acting "breedy" lately which is normal for her this time of year. During this time for about two-three weeks or so, her hormones get the best of her and she gets very moody and territorial around her cage. Li'l Girl and I have a system to communicate during her hormonal time. I ask her if she wants to come out. If she nods her head yes, and lifts her foot that means yes. If she puffs up and lowers her head, that means no. If she says no, I just leave her be.

Well imagine my surprise when one morning I found an egg at the bottom of her cage! 
Li'l Girl's Egg
I laughed when I saw this and started calling her my little green chicken. She had no interest whatsoever in her egg and came right out of the cage. Here she is, being her little "rug-rat" self.



I left the egg in there for a couple of days. She just pushed it aside and that was that. She did not lay any more eggs. I wanted to post this because I get a lot of calls from people telling me their bird has laid an egg and they automatically think they should get a mate for it.

If your beloved pet lays an egg, understand this is just a biological function. Your bird is not pining for a mate, nor is it dreaming of starting a family. Environmental conditions were such that stimulated her to lay an egg. Let her go through her cycle, then remove the eggs and you will have your pet back again.