Hi,
Since you don’t want to breed birds, I would remove the nest box and discard the eggs. Birds do not need a nest or nest box unless you are breeding them. And the nest box should be taken down after each clutch of eggs, whether they hatch or not. In the wild they only breed once a year, and they only use a nest when breeding. Your birds are not eating an adequate diet, especially for breeding. A seed diet provides almost nothing in the way of nutritional value. They should be eating a nutritionally balanced diet, like pellets, along with dark leafy greens, chopped veggies and some fruit. Regular lettuce, especially iceberg, is not good for them – it is mostly water and something fun to chew on. For the male to lose two mates within 6 years is not typical. Unfortunately it was likely due to poor diet. With a good diet, parakeets can live 15-20 years. I’ll give you the link to our page on diet & nutrition. You may want to go ahead and take them to an Avian vet to have them checked out and discuss nutrition. I would not allow them to sit on these eggs or breed in the future, especially since you really are not wanting to breed birds. Right now, focus on their health and getting them on the right type of food. Below are some changes you can make to discourage more egg laying.
Keep in mind that to lay eggs, she needs longer daylight, warmer weather, abundant food, and a quiet, private environment. The goal is to reverse these conditions.
Limit her light to 8-10 hours by covering the cage early each evening
Do not give her anything to use as a nest – no bird huts or tents, no box, bowl, etc. If she decides to sit in a food bowl, remove it and replace with smaller cups.
Do not give her anything to shred such as paper or cardboard.
Rearrange the toys in the cage frequently.
Move the cage to a different place in the room. Move the cage about once a week, or whenever she shows signs of nesting – settling on the cage floor for example. This disrupts her idea of having a stable place to lay eggs and raise chicks.
If you feed a lot of fresh foods, stop offering any for a couple of weeks, and then only offer them in small amounts about 2 or 3 times a week. You can resume normal feeding later when the birds aren’t being hormonal.
If she is let out of the cage, do not let her get in any dark cozy places and don’t give her free roam.
When you handle her, limit any petting to only the head and neck – do not pet a bird on the body. Only a bonded mate is allowed to groom the body. We can’t be a mate, so touching the body is off limits.
If there is no metal floor grate, then do not use any bedding or paper in the cage tray – leave it bare and clean it daily.
Bird Food Guide
Thank you for asking Lafeber,
Brenda
