Ask Lafeber

Conures laying eggs without a box?

I have two cages with paired birds. Both of them recently laid eggs in the bottom of their cages. I inherited these birds after my sister’s death recently and wasn’t expecting them to breed so quickly. I have nesting boxes but what do I do now? Do I set up the boxes and move their clutch for them? Do I place the box on the inside of the cage on the bottom and wait to see if they move them themselves? Do I place the box higher up on the outside? Will they be able to successfully move the eggs if I don’t put the box on the bottom? Please help! Thanks in advance ?

Hi Amber,

I’m sorry for your loss. Do you know if they bred for your sister before? The eggs will do best in a nest box. The nest boxes should be attached to the outside of the cage, as high as possible. Then go ahead and place the eggs in there and hopefully the pairs will move in and sit on them. Whether they sit on the eggs or not, a pair should always be rested for 6 months between each clutch, and limited to two clutches per year. In the wild they only nest once a year. In captivity, we maintain breeding conditions year round indoors. So you have to take down the nest boxes and make changes to get them to rest from breeding. Move the cages to a busy room, limit their light to 8-10 hours a day by covering the cage early each evening. Move the cages around the room once a week or whenever they show signs of mating and wanting to nest. Laying eggs is hard on the females, so this rest period is important for her to maintain her health.

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda