Take the mommy out of her

[Mandolin]

Well Kameko (my 1 and a half year old lovie incase some don't know) is on clutch number 2 of 4 eggs and is 23 days into sitting. For Kameko's last clutch, 6 months ago, around this time she started losing some interest in sitting on them and starting to come back to us. This time she is being a very dedicated mommy and showing no signs of abandoning them. Normally it is not a big deal for them to keep sitting on their eggs but for Kameko this round of eggs hasn't been quite as easy as last time. The day after laying egg #1 (Mickey :D) she had a couple of hours where she got a bit sick. She ha mucus in her nose, was kind of weak, breathing quickly, etc. so i was panicking. But everything turned out ok, the vet said she was just stressed from the eggs and it is likely that egg #2 (Minnie :D) was a bit bigger. Anyway all went well but then she started sneezing and coughing a bit a week ago in her box which made me do a complete clean out of her cage to get rid of anything that could be irritating her. She hasn't really sneezed or coughed since. So with these problems we are hoping to get the eggs out ASAP but still with her naturally abandoning them so she doesn't try to replace them. From what i remember it is 28 days since the last egg that she should start to realize they won't be hatching, right? Meaning 5 more days but i am wondering if there is anything that will make her start this process on her own? We have stopped giving her ANY paper to shred and we try and get her out of her cage as much as we can but she is still such a good mommy that she dashes any of our attempts. Any ideas or should i just wait it out? :confused:

[graushill]

Hi Mandolin!

If Kameko doesn't abandon the nest on her own, I would say to go ahead and take the nest box out and rearrange the cage, 'cause what you really don't want is for her to go into another egg laying cycle right off the bat. My hen Pontus loves to be in her nest box and I always end up having to take it out because she doesn't abandon it on her own. I do feel a bit guilty, because she looks for it for a while, but in my experience at least, after a few minutes she will accept that the nest box is not there anymore and go back to more important things, like eating a lot, taking a luxurious bath, getting her mate to give her a much needed preening and generally making herself look pretty again :).

Good luck with Kameko!

Gloria

[bellarains]

Mandy,

My first thought was, what is the humidity level in your house? If a bit dry, you might offer Kameko a bath, or just sit a dish of water near her. You can also hook up a humidifier to add moisture.

If it comes down to her health, and her sitting on eggs though, I would definitely call the vet, and take her on in. I did take Lacey to the vet once while she was on eggs, and she didn't skip a beat. I brought her home, and she went straight back to sitting. Kameko may however abandon them, and since that's what you want, it wouldn't hurt anything.

Now giving her meds was not an easy feat, but we managed. I got a "ouchie" or two taking her out of her nest box when it was time for meds, but it had to be done.

I don't know if it's her health, or just wanting her off eggs that you are inquiring about, but hope this helps. You can take away the box, but if it's just five more days, I'd wait a day or two to see how it goes.

[graushill]

She ha mucus in her nose, was kind of weak, breathing quickly, etc.

Oops, I guess I didn't react to this part of your post like Lori did. Since my lovies' cages are in my bedroom, I have heard my lovie Pontus lay eggs, the occasional time she has done that in the middle of the night. I'm not sure how to describe the sound she makes, maybe like a combination of panting and sneezing, but you can definitely hear it. Even if by now it has happened a few times, I still get nervous cause even when the egg is so tiny, I know it still must require a lot of effort on her part to lay it. I have also checked on her apparently just getting ready to lay an egg, and she does seem to breathe more rapidly. I've also noticed she flies a bit funnily while in laying mode (a bit more weakly and definitely more slowly), and my birds do sneeze occassionally, so I took what you described to be more or less normal. However, I think Lori's advice is completely on the mark, and if you suspect Kameko is not doing as well as she should, a vet visit is definitely in order.

[Mandolin]

I did talk to the vet after her breathing issues and such and since they passed quickly the vet was not concerned.
I was reading another post and it said that they will leave after 23 not 28 which would be today, is that right?
I am sure her overall health is fine because she is alert, her grip is strong, she eats like a horse and drinks normally, and her poops are fine. But i do know that being on eggs is a stressful time for a little birdy and i am finding Kameko to be a little on the stressed side this time and i would like to just get the eggs out as soon as i can (with the least amount of trauma) to make sure she doesn't stress her self into any health problems.
If it is 23 days not 28 i think i will make sure my b/f is here to take the box out sometime this weekend. He is the distracter and i am the remover.

[bellarains]

Mandy,

Time wise, it is approximately 23 days after the last egg laid, but of course each bird is different. If you see Kameko coming out of the box more, maybe pushing an egg out of the clutch, or becoming more vocal, she is starting to abandon them. At this point, you and your b/f can play tag team and remove the box.

I hope she does well. Of course they look for that box for a little while, but it passes, and all will be back to normal:)

[Mandolin]

Thanks for the advice. My only question is, when is the egg-sitting cut off point? As of right now Kameko is showing absolutely no signs of leaving her eggs and it is day 23. Last time by day 23 she was showing definate signs and we had no problem taking the eggs away. Since all birds are different and 23 days is just an approximation, when would be a good time to take the eggs away even if she shows no signs of leaving them. I really don't want the hormones to kick back in and have another round of eggs.

[bellarains]

Mandy,

You know Kameko better than we do, so if you think she might have it in her mind to double clutch, then yes, I would go ahead and take the box away.

Just to clarify, it is 23 days since she laid the last egg? If so, then by Sunday, I would go ahead and take the box, especially if you think she is going to lay more. A girl needs her rest;)

[Mandolin]

Thanks a bunch for the advice! Yes it is 23 days since the last egg laid, well 24 today. I will keep an eye on her and see how she acts then take her box away in a day or two. :D