# HELP! Trilly is at it again! (egg laying)



## bobobubu (Dec 12, 2011)

With Yoghi so sick, this last month I have been very much concentrated on him and in making him as much comfortable as humanely possible.
New food was introduced in great abundance, mineral blocks, dietary supplements.. and the temperature in the bird room is now tropical most of the time.
The effect on my Trilly has been enormous. She is a mommy by vocation, nothing makes her more happy than having her own eggs, and while the bird room is completely devoid of dark corners, boxes etc., she has been trying hard to find a nesty situation.
Yesterday she spent hours with her head hidden under a newspaper sheet. Just the head... It was quite funny until you tried to get her out of it and she'd angrily chase you away.
When I put her in her cage last night she immediately hid the head under the paper lining on the cage bottom. Still funny, but it filled my heart with foreboding.
This morning, there she was, with an egg on the bottom of the cage and both her and Frank trying to sit on it. 
I don't know how to act on this. 
She is a very determined young lady and I don't think she will stop laying. And seeing how Frank likes to be involved maybe this might work.
I doubt the eggs will be fertile because Frank hasn't got a clue what making babies involves. Yoghi is the only one who knows how-to and right now I don't think he is in the mood for any of that.

What are my options?
I might give them a nest box and see what happens;
I might ignore her needs and make her miserable;
I have no other ideas 

Please please someone tell me what to do!
I don't think breeding is fair, when there are so many unwanted cockatiels who need a loving home. But I don't want to make my Trilly unhappy.


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## bobobubu (Dec 12, 2011)

No thoughts? suggestions? nothing at all?


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## catalinadee (Jan 1, 2011)

If you want, try giving her a nest box and perhaps put some dud eggs in there? It can really, really help. I had a constant egg-laying female but unfortunately it was the death of her and I'd never even considered using dud eggs. If you do have babies, send them my way and they can go out into my aviary. That way they won't be passed around and you won't be adding to the problem


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## Haimovfids (Sep 19, 2012)

Have they mated? Are they both bonded?
You said she is young so I don't recommend breeding her yet
Don't remove an egg! It will make the female replace the missing egg, causing her to a health risk
Just shake/boil the egg to kill the embryo so the egg won't hatch then give them back the egg so they can continue sitting on it. Leave the egg their for at least 21 days and after that they will give up on them 
Then you may remove it
I recommend taking a look at this sticky. It will lower their hormones so they will think breeding season is over and they'll quit trying to make babies 
http://talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=32330

Also I don't recommend that you should put in a nest. It will only encourage her to lay more


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## bobobubu (Dec 12, 2011)

Baruch, thank you very much for the reply. I try to answer to your questions:

They have mated, in the sense that she lets him on her, then he hops on and stays there, not sure what to do next. Usually will fall off after a couple of minutes.

They are bonded, yes. He has been her shadow since her George died, singing to her etc, very devoted. Se accepts him as mate. It's not the kind of strong bond I saw with Trilly and George, but still they go well together.

She is about 2 and 1/2 year old now, not too young.

About the hormone reduction, I think it's too late now because she laid another egg a few hours ago. I was hoping not to see one until tomorrow but maybe the first one she laid was from the night before and I only noticed it in the morning.

I knew that I couldn't remove the eggs, they are still there.

This afternoon I went to buy a nest box because I couldn't bear to see her dropping eggs everywhere and being so unhappy.
I attached it to their cage and they have been both inside that box all the time! I am worried because they don't come out to eat 
The roof is removable so I take a peek sometimes, and they are so cute!
The nest box is so deep, will they be able to come and go as they please? Or I better add a little ladder just in case?

I never thought of boiling the eggs but that's definitely what I will do! I am also trying to find a place that sells dud cockatiel eggs. Maybe Amazon or eBay I guess?

If all that fails, Daisy I will take on your generous offer, it would be awesome to know that the babies will be able to live relatively free in an aviary!


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## Haimovfids (Sep 19, 2012)

She isn't too young at all! And they are bonded so this choice is up to you


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## bobobubu (Dec 12, 2011)

I added a tiny ladder just in case they get stuck in the hole... Trilly is ok but Frank seems less agile coming in and out of it.
Now all the girls are jealous and want their own nestbox! They spend all their time trying to find ways to get in. Dream on, girls


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## Tequilagirl (Mar 4, 2013)

Did you put bedding in the box? It's meant to cover a few inches so it's not so deep.


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## Haimovfids (Sep 19, 2012)

will you let them hatch the eggs?
if its to deep than I would put more bedding


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

Since you don't want to breed her you can also ramp up the long nights treatment to try to calm her hormones.


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## bobobubu (Dec 12, 2011)

There is about 4 inches bedding on the bottom, still very steep to come and go. I was thinking of filling the bottom with something hard, like cardboard cut at measure so that it acts like a fake bottom, and then the normal bedding on top of the cardboard. This way I should be able to make the box about 3 inches shallower.
Roxy, they are already covered 14-15 hours, I guess the only thing I could do is the 24-7 Light but I am not sure that would do good to Yoghi, unless I move him in my bedroom...


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

Do you move the cage around the room weekly and rearrange the toys and perches in the cage? This helps mine when the 12-14 doesn't fully stop them.


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## bobobubu (Dec 12, 2011)

Yes, I do that. Actually what I do is moving them to different cages every few days and put them to sleep with a different. Bird every few days. 
Is that wrong? I thought this way I'd be reducing routine. Frank and trilly have been alone in the same cage only for the last three days. 

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