Thanks for reaching out to Ask Lafeber. If they seem to be taking care of the eggs in the coconut shell, they may be okay if there is some kind of substrate in the bottom of the shell and it’s on the bottom of the cage so if the babies crawl out, they wont’ have far to fall. Also, it’s important to keep it braced so it won’t tip over and cause the eggs to fall out or to adle, which means the eggs get moved around too harshly that the embryo dislodges from the shell and dies inside. The parents also need to turn the eggs throughout the day until they hatch in order to keep them viable, so there should be some cushion under the eggs, to keep them from breaking. I have always used Aspen shavings. Although it’s not the most ideal situation, it may be riskier to move the eggs into something else. Lovebirds can be very good parents but if there is a lot of interference or they are under stress, they have been known to abandon or mutilate their babies, especially for first time parents.
If you need to put substrate under the eggs, only do so when or if the parents leave them to eat or drink. You don’t want to force them off the eggs because they can break them while shooing them out or if they become protective and break them by accident. At this point it’s important to have very little interaction with the parents, so limit it to only feeding and watering and minimal cleaning when necessary. Again, Lovebirds can be a little sketchy when they are disturbed, so use a lot of caution and very little eye contact with them.
In the meantime, I suggest reading as much as you can on how to hand raise baby birds in case the parents are not doing their job efficiently. If you feel you need assistance with this, please reach back to our customer service department at 800-842-6445 and let them know you want to talk to me. They can get your contact information and I’m happy to call you back to walk you through the process.
If you have other questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out again. We are always happy to help.
Good Luck,
Debbie
