# Female Keeps Pushing Eggs Out Of Nest



## SftWrmRain (Sep 8, 2009)

Why?? She has a nice large nesting box that was filled 2 inches with pine shavings. She keeps first throwing out every single piece of shavings, and now today she's thrown both of her brand new eggs out, twice. She just laid one of them today and the other 48 hours ago.

I put them back and she pushed them out again. I have a soft "snugglie" under her box so they land softly and won't crack, but why is she doing this?

I replaced the shavings with corn cob bedding and replaced the eggs - guess we'll see what she does now.

I have researched and planned for this pairing for a long time, but missed finding info out this issue. I'm concerned now about their viability. Neither mom or dad is staying on the eggs constantly yet, although they are taking shifts and sharing the responsibility.

Cage contains a variety of foods including fresh, cuttle bone, bath and drinking water, a few small toys and 2 sturdy perches. Nest box is located outside the cage.

Thank you for any help!


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

Can you post a pix of the nestbox?


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## SftWrmRain (Sep 8, 2009)

*Nest*

Yes I sure can tomorrow. The birds are sleeping now but until then I'll describe it: sturdy cardboard box in the shape of a rectangle cube. Door is flush to cage with no lip (maybe the problem). Double lined with heavy soft paper towels and layer of pine first, later corn cob. Space inside can hold both parents easily with turnaround room, even with long tails. I built the box custom as a breeding box with entry from the top for nest care by me. Top hasn't been used yet though since she just began laying. 

More I think about it, the more I realize the box should have been cut with a little lip in the entry to prevent her from rolling them out.


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

Yes...it sounds like the problem is that the opening is too low. It should be high up on the box so that the parents have to climb in and down. Also the cat litter is going to be problematic because it is going to rob moisture from the eggs and cause them to lose too much moisture which results in DIS (dead in shell). It will also make the eggs harder to turn properly.


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## SftWrmRain (Sep 8, 2009)

You were right... once a "lip" was created to prevent the eggs from rolling out, everything has gone perfectly. They emptied the nest of any material, so just in the past day or two I cleaned it good and placed white paper towels down on the box bottom so the babies won't develop splayed legs when they hatch. There are 5 fertile eggs and 1 infertile. By my calculations the first is due to hatch anytime now. I see pip marks on one so hopefully within 24 hours or so.

Thank you for your help!


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