Nesting Questions

[Ciro]

Hi there . . .

I own an African Grey - bought her from a breeder about 12 years ago only a few months after she was born - high maintenance but totally a part of the family and cannot imagine life without her.

So my questions are:

1. I'm not breeding but do I still need to get a nesting box for her?
(I imagine the answer is yes as I'd think it would be emotionally stressful for her to not have a place to lay eggs, but I wanted to verify)
2. I have a very large Kings Cage, so can I place the nesting box inside the cage?
3. How can I tell when she is getting ready to nest? Do I wait until I see this behavior before placing the nesting box in the cage or, since she is 12+ years, should I just go ahead and put it in now to be safe?
4. Where can I purchase a nesting box (the type that would fit in the cage?)
5. What will she do when the eggs don't hatch?
6. At what point do I remove the eggs and discard them?
7. Anything else I should know pre/post egg laying?

Thanks so much for any help!

Cliff

[Wolf]

As far as I know there is no need to supply her with a nest box. This doesn't mean that you can't give her one. If you do, and she lays eggs you will need to get some plastic eggs to replace her real eggs with, because she will just lay more if you just take them out and that is not good for her.

If you give her a nest box, then you should also make sure that you get her into physical condition to safely lay eggs, and this can only be accomplished by flight, as far as I know. Also egg laying will require that you supplement her calcium intake, possibly other vitamins/ minerals as well.

I would contact King Cages about the nest box as they probably make nest boxes for their cages.

Since this is not my best area, this is about all I can tell you, but there are others with much more experience in this area who will be happy to give you more information as well as correct anything that I have said if it is wrong.

[Pajarita]

You don't need to give her a nest box. If you see her going to a corner of a room or under a piece of furniture and scratching the floor when she is out of her cage (she will also get much more affectionate with you), put a clean, thick cardboard box in one corner of the floor of her cage and, when she chews it up, just exchange it for another one. But mine would lay anywhere, even without the box and promptly walk away and ignore the egg so it's not as if you really have to give her anything for her to use as nest. You also don't need to switch the real eggs for plastic ones unless she has a husband because they will be infertile, anyway. But you do have to wait until she abandons them to get rid of them, supplement her with extra calcium if she lays and allow her a couple of hours of flight every day to keep the abdominal muscles toned.

[Ciro]

Great information - thank you both.

However now, after reading your comments, I feel like not so good of an African Grey owner - should have read some books I guess because I never really take her out of her cage in the 12 years I had her. Once in a while I'll keep the food door open but she normally just climbs out and perches on top for awhile then climbs back in - that's about it - never flies. I pet her tummy and caress her back feathers a couple times a day, but reach my fingers in through the cage bars to do it - was always too afraid she would bite if I actually took her out and had her perch on my arm or shoulder - have never done it. She talks and sings a lot cuz I talk and sing to her a lot, but it sounds like she needs mobile activity and honestly that doesn't happen.

How should I proceed here?

PS I will get a nesting box cuz I'm afraid she's getting to egg laying age and would not want her to be emotionally damaged to not have a place to lay them. At this point they would just fall between the grate and crack on the bottom tray.

[Wolf]

She reached sexual maturity over ten years ago, as they reach that between the ages of 2 and 5 years old, and could have laid eggs during any breeding season afterwards, although she didn't. So I really don't see the purpose of one now.
You must have spent a lot of time with her, talking and singing, for her to be a happy bird with no time out of her cage to exercise and explore and play. I am truly amazed.
I would start out from the very beginning. So on that note, what does her diet consist of, and how often does she get fed? Do you know what her favorite food is and does she accept food from your hand?

[Pajarita]

Well, I had an African Grey that was thought to be a boy because she had never laid a single egg but she did it on the first spring she spent with me, she was 19 years old.

My dear, your bird needs to fly. It might be too late now because after so many years of not doing it, her muscles are atrophied and her tendons shrunken but, if she fledged properly when a baby, she should be able, through daily and gradual exercise, to fly a bit. She might never master it completely but it would benefit her greatly physically. It's very dangerous for female birds not to fly. It's bad for any bird but worse for females because the same muscles that move the wings cross the chest and go down to the abdomen to be used for laying the eggs. If the muscles are atrophied and have no strength, she might become eggbound and die a HORRIBLE death (like a woman who is in labor but cannot birth the baby).

You have to lose the fear of handling her and start exercising her. If she was aggressive, you would know it by now. And, please, do NOT touch her back or her abdomen, those are no-no caresses with parrots because they excite them sexually. Touching in those places is always bad for them but, in your bird's case (not flying), they can be downright dangerous (you do NOT want her to lay an egg in her poor muscle condition).

[JaydeParrot]

Start by getting the bird to step up onto a rope or large stick if you're too worried that she'll bite you, by the sound of it she'll be fine. The first time you try to get her onto your arm, close both your hands into fist so that she doesn't have a finger to grab/ you don't have to worry about her grabbing a finger and biting it.