My 2 year old (nearly 3) cockatiel began acting very strangely today. She's the first female I've owned, and she's never laid eggs before, so I don't know what's going on.
Three hours ago, she started by squatting down and assuming this hunched over pose, breathing hard and making strained noises all of a sudden. This went on for a while and occasionally she'd walk around (mostly to follow me) before she started getting extremely tired and eventually stopped whatever she was doing. To me, it looked like eggs, because I managed to inspect her and when she strained, there was a reddish "lump" seeming like it was trying to be pushed out of her vent. I was sure that she was going to lay an egg, but now, she's acting perfectly fine and is eating, drinking, and flying around (which doesn't ease my anxiety) as if nothing happened.
Naturally, I'm terrified of egg binding. She seems fine and seems to have recovered, but for safety I'm keeping a very close eye on her and have her some warm pads to rest on and hoping that, if it's an egg, she'll try again. But the thing is, she hasn't pooped since, which is unusual for her.
I worry that maybe she was constipated (she was rubbing her vent around against the bars of her cage and other objects the past few days, including a lot right before she started taking on that stance) or still possibly is. And, of course, if there's eggs in her.
I'm giving it 24 hours until I decide to take her to the vet, especially if her condition worsens or she doesn't lay.
Any thoughts?
Should I make a nesting box for her, or should I take her straight to the vet? I'm incredibly worried for her health, as I've never been in this situation before.
EDIT: I've fed her some eggs with shells in hopes of raising her calcium level, and she doesn't get a primarily seed diet although she is quite picky about any vegetables or fruits. She also has been grooming around her vent a lot. She refuses to let me touch her stomach, but she doesn't look bloated.