by mallagoodee on Thu Mar 18, 2010 4:38 am
When I got my rescued 'tiel from an old girlfriend, I was assured it was a male.
Well, about a year and a half later, this little bird started to want some scritching around its tail ... so I happily spent 3 or 4 minutes giving it some attention. It would squeak and squawk and then ... done! Then it would search out dark locations, exploring the kitchen cupboards as well as behind and under furniture. Curious, I thought.
About a month later, it had found a nice dark spot in the cupboard, beside the box of crackers. One day it flew into the kitchen and then ... got ... real ... quiet. I thought nothing of it. But looked in, a few hours later to see what it was doing in there ... and saw an egg. Well I'll be darned, my male was a female.
And now I was concerned. I went to see the vet, because I certainly didn't want to be a breeder, and after asking why she laid an egg with no male around, he looked at me as if I was kidding. He said, the egg isn't fertilized, right? So there won't be any chicks. Then when I got home, I thought, you know, even human females lay an egg once a month! If there's no male around, no worries!
So this little bird happily laid 6 eggs, sat on them for about 25 days ( she literally sat on them for 10 hours during the day, came out for a poop ( an ENORMOUS poop), and some food, water and exercise for about an hour, then went right back in for another 12 or 13 hours and did this routine for 25 days ) then she was back to normal, till she started laying another clutch about a month later.
And she's laid at least 2 clutches over the past 3 summers, in different locations in the kitchen cupboards. She'll usually lay 4 eggs now. Once she's decided on a location, I put a stack of 4 or 5 paper napkins where she'll lay, and she happily tears them up to make a nest for herself. I'm absolutely fascinated with her behaviour.
So, I would like to reassure you that there's nothing to worry about, but do keep an eye on her poops, and what she eats. She'll need a variety of foods and just watch her for any changes which could indicate problems laying her eggs.
Hope this helps
Pete