# Do eggs change colour?



## timtam

My tiels are currently sitting on 4 eggs, 3 of which are/were fertile and 1 infertile. I can't recall the exact date they were laid but it has been 16 days since the 1st one showed signs of being fertile when candled. Eggs 2 and 3 showed signs of fertility within a few days.

Until today, I haven't been able to check on the eggs for about a week because the parent birds rarely leave the nest and they get stressed if I try to look while they are in there. 

Today I finally got to have a look and the eggs seem a different colour. They are a pale grey shade rather than the stark white of last week. It is a uniform colour not patchy at all if that makes a difference. Does this likely mean DIS? When I candled them I could still veins close to the air sac but the lower part of the egg shows as a dark red where I can't make out much if anything. All 3 of the previously fertile eggs look the same.

This is my first time breeding so I'm not sure what is normal and what isn't.


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## Darkel777

Gray means DIS if we are talking about the color of the shell. If we are talking about the interior of the egg during candling this is normal. As the fetus grows it gets more and more difficult to candle the eggs.


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## Renae

Usually eggs turn a dark grey color when they are DIS, the veins also turn brown. There is some more information on a illustration done by Susanne here: http://www.internationalcockatielresource.com/uploads/1/5/2/0/15203836/6018027_orig.jpg. I am not sure about your eggs since you still see a red glow.

Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## tielfan

If you still have red color inside the eggs are probably viable. I've heard that eggshells can darken a bit shortly before they hatch, although I'm not very color-observant and haven't noticed this myself. It's hard for inexperienced people to judge what's going on in an egg, and after 8 clutches I still include myself in this category. So just wait and see. The red color is a good sign. The dark area where it's hard to make anything out is probably just the embryo filling up the egg. Babies aren't very translucent lol.


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## timtam

Thanks for the responses. 

I had another look today and one is still very rec looking when candled but 2 are looking a lot darker. Not holding out a lot of hope but I guess only time will tell. Fingers crossed.


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