# Lovebird egg advice please



## catastrophyrat (Jul 8, 2009)

My 2 10 year old Lovebirds have laid the second egg -they laid one about a month ago but it was damaged and they discarded it .
I don't know much of their background -threy came to me in September.
Mango had apparently laid before but no nest box was provided and no eggs hatched.
I was under the impression both were female but now I am not so sure -only Kiwi feeds Mango not vice versa and only Mango has laid -I can't handle either of them but Kiwi is slightly less aggressive -Mango is very very cage terrritorial so sexing by feel of pelvic bones is a no no -however both are very relaxed in their cage -just object to me in it -I put a soft bed in for them as they spend a lot of time on the bottom and apparently it's a great nest and now ferociously guarded by Mango
her behaviour this time is different too -she is gently turning the egg and sitting on it -adding material to the bed and acting like the best mum in the world to eggy-
now for my real dilemma --egg if fertile and it is IF -takes about 23 days to hatch -we are going away in 20 days time and birds are due to be taken to a bird minder who looks after my Macaw--they can not go in the cage they are in -too big to transport so need to go in a smaller cage -how the dickens am I going to move eggy safely and do i run a big risk of the egg being harmed (of course it might not be fertile !!!) How long will she sit on it if it is infertile ?


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## Shellsfeathers&fur (Jan 18, 2009)

Bit of a problem there with going away etc.

I wonder if its worth having the pair of them dna sexed asap then if they are both female you'll know for sure! The results should be back relatively quickly.

She will sit on an infertile egg indefintely as she won't know any different and will go past the hatch date - sadly, we've had that with budgies.


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## carlycharlie (Jan 16, 2008)

Can you get close enough to find out of the egg is fertile by candling it with a light - this can be done with egg still in the nest. If you can then after around day 8 of incubation you should be able to tell for certain. At least then you would have more idea of what your next move will be.

2 female lovebirds will act very much like a true pair.........so all this activity means nothing with regards knowing their sexes. I used to have 2 females that laid eggs, feed each other etc but the clue I had was the amount of eggs being laid in one nest......it was often double the normal amount :whistling2:

If the egg is fertile & viable then moving them would not be a good idea - could someone pop in to feed these particular 2 birds if that does happen?


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## Zoo-Man (Apr 12, 2008)

I wouldn't move the Lovebirds & the egg, it would be much better for them if a friend or nieghbour could go in to feed & water them instead of taking them to your bird-sitter. I agree with Ken, you could try candling the egg with a strong small torch after about a week to see if there are signs of blood vessels formed inside the egg.


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## Shellsfeathers&fur (Jan 18, 2009)

I was going to say candling as you can tell if its fertile after several days, but reading what the OP said about the birds - I didn't think they would let her anywhere near the nest!


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## carlycharlie (Jan 16, 2008)

Stephen P said:


> I was going to say candling as you can tell if its fertile after several days, but reading what the OP said about the birds - I didn't think they would let her anywhere near the nest!


 
Yeah I agree but thats why I asked if they could get to check the egg or not. Or an alternative would be using one of these torches.........my friend uses one with her birds that wont let her look without loosing a finger lol

Mini Flex inspection LED - Flexible LED Torch - White | eBay UK


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## Shellsfeathers&fur (Jan 18, 2009)

carlycharlie said:


> Yeah I agree but thats why I asked if they could get to check the egg or not. Or an alternative would be using one of these torches.........my friend uses one with her birds that wont let her look without loosing a finger lol
> 
> Mini Flex inspection LED - Flexible LED Torch - White | eBay UK


Fair enough! - sadly, they don't seem the friendliest of birds, and particular so if sitting on a nest.:devil:


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## carlycharlie (Jan 16, 2008)

Stephen P said:


> Fair enough! - sadly, they don't seem the friendliest of birds, and particular so if sitting on a nest.:devil:


 
So much for them being called LOVEbirds eh :whistling2::lol2:

Some of my parrots when on eggs are very protective but if I go in with full confidence they usually dont over react.......in fact I have a similar job to do tomorrow - time to check & ring a chick under parents that get VERY stressed when u go in the nestbox!!


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## catastrophyrat (Jul 8, 2009)

thanks everyone -no way can i get to touch eggy but maybe with a flexible torch could get to see -really difficult as I don't have anyone close who could come in 
isn't 10 a bit old ? and also if they are related which i don't know ( one is lutino and one a greeny pinky bluey paley mix ) would eggy still be OK -I know in some birds they fail to thrive once hatched ?


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## pigglywiggly (Jul 19, 2008)

a lovebird is still a parrot,lol
i dont think 10 is old,
they make fab parents and it sounds like they`re taking good care ofthe egg. 
if you could get a torch near it so see if its starting to darken with the developing embryo, maybe use some thick gardening gloves just in case!


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## carlycharlie (Jan 16, 2008)

Sometimes yhou dont need to get right next to the egg to see if its fertile - as Piggly says, look for it going darker. If you use a bright pencil light that the beam can be made narrow, you can probably tell the state of fertility with just shining the torch on it.

Sometimes eggs can loose their shine when fertile & also change colour - but this can also happen when not fertile......its probably something people with more experience can do easiler than a begginer.

Good luck........and keep us posted.


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## catastrophyrat (Jul 8, 2009)

thanks -have ordered a flex torch and will check for colour change -so far still only the one egg


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## catastrophyrat (Jul 8, 2009)

:gasp: spoke too soon -number 2 egg has appeared from Mango helppppp-now I don't want to go away :blush:


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## carlycharlie (Jan 16, 2008)

catastrophyrat said:


> :gasp: spoke too soon -number 2 egg has appeared from Mango helppppp-now I don't want to go away :blush:


 
:lol2::bash::bash::bash:

Oh well, lets see what arrives in another couple of days :whistling2:

Can you postpone the holiday? :gasp:


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## catastrophyrat (Jul 8, 2009)

carlycharlie said:


> :lol2::bash::bash::bash:
> 
> Oh well, lets see what arrives in another couple of days :whistling2:
> 
> Can you postpone the holiday? :gasp:


 If only we could but once booked can't change it plus we have all the other critters booked in for boarding -tbh didn't expect this after the egg she laid a month ago was just rejected and broken and there was only the one
It certainly wasn't planned desite the fact I would love to see eggs hatch and develop -they adore each other -are very happy in a cage-very entertaining if not exactly people loving and could never be parted -just my error I suppose in giving them a bed -I read they like to sleep inside a tree trunk so was pleased when they liked their beds :blush:
Mango in the bed she's laid in 








Kiwi and Mango in the bed sheused to use


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## pigglywiggly (Jul 19, 2008)

i`ve never seen a bird in a fluffy igloo before, excellent piccies, really made me smile. :notworthy:

have they not build a nest at all? mine used to chew up the stalks from the millet sprays and carry them to their box in their tails.

shame your so far away, you could have popped them over here for holidays, do you think she`ll throw a wobbiler if you move the igloo into the smaller cage?


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## catastrophyrat (Jul 8, 2009)

well she does take in bits of sandsheet -doesn't like tissues or paper towel -does take in millett stalks but last one she ended up tucking a whole lump under her wing then ate it in bed :lol2:
originally the lady boarding them was using her own cage -we were going to try and risk life and limb and get them in a carrier somehow but now that idea has gone 
hubby wonders if we could get them into a smaller transportable cage now with a bit of cunning lol would they mind the journey too much ?

the firsrt laid egg is now just slightly darker than the second


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## HABU (Mar 21, 2007)

you need a nest box...

peach face lovebirds will breed like crazy... once they start.


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## catastrophyrat (Jul 8, 2009)




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## pigglywiggly (Jul 19, 2008)

and the bubbas look like testicles but slightly prettier 

:lol2:


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## catastrophyrat (Jul 8, 2009)

if we could get them safely into a more suitable cage would they mind the car journey do you think ?

think after this is all over I shall remove the cute bed :lol2: but will they still lay without any nesting facilities ?


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## pigglywiggly (Jul 19, 2008)

shame about taking out the bed, there must be room for the bubbas in your giant cage :whistling2: they`re really happy in a colony, honest


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## catastrophyrat (Jul 8, 2009)

Eggy number 3 has arrived this morning :gasp:


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## pigglywiggly (Jul 19, 2008)

:lol2:


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## catastrophyrat (Jul 8, 2009)

Egg number 4 has arrived this morning !!
All eggies are intact -have got my flexible torch but as soon as i get it she runs back and jumps on -I'm not allowed to look at them even for too long -
she is being a very devoted mum and Kiwi is feeding her most of the time
a couple do look a shade darker but perhaps I'm imagining it :lol2:


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## catastrophyrat (Jul 8, 2009)

4 it is then -no more been laid -still a very attentive mum !


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