Hi – female white bellied just started to lay eggs inside of a cardboard shoebox that they like to play in. The male bird was bringing her fruit which prompted me to look inside! there is some paper towels that I put in so she can shred as they eggs are just laying on the bottom of the box – she is sitting on/near them and very seldom has left the box over the last 2 days. At this point I am not going to try to put in new nesting box etc and lets things play out ..thoughts?
Answer:
Hi,
Unfortunately, makeshift nests rarely work out. Cardboard and paper towels are not good for a nest at all, because they can support bacteria. They also get wet and start to fall apart. It’s not going to hold up for nesting, much less for chicks, if any hatch. Just as a hindsight comment, never give pet birds any type of box to “play” in. They are never playing – they are exploring it as a nesting sight. Having something to shred and a box to get inside of triggers hormones, and then nesting follows. If you want to get serious about breeding, then you should get a nest box and move the eggs. The pair probably won’t move right in and care for these eggs, but they might. The eggs at least have a chance in a proper box, and it is much less distressing & heartbreaking to lose eggs than to lose chicks later because of a flimsy nest. I can only advise based on experience, and I have had devastated owners write back because they ignored the advice and the chicks died because of not having a good nestbox. Also, sitting near the eggs isn’t doing anything. Unless she has been on the eggs for at least 48 hours around the clock, the eggs will not have even begun to develop, if they are even fertile. Most first clutches fail due to poor incubation or other issues, because the parents are learning. You also need to take into consideration whether you are willing to give these birds up as pets. Breeder birds can’t be pet birds. They need to focus on breeding, and most will not remain tame once they have eggs and chicks anyway. If you continue to handle the parents or let them out of the cage, this can cause a lot of confusion for them, and they can end up fighting with each other as well as biting you. There can be exceptions, but when the most likely scenario will result in birds getting hurt or killed, it is better not to gamble on your birds being the rare exception. I’ll give you the link to a recent webinar we had on hormones and triggers to avoid.
