Is having 2 males and 2 females in the same cage 2 much?

i ask because one of females has laid an egg @ the botom of the cage for the second time and then the other female keeps braking the egg ..why? is this normal?

i have placed 2 nesting boxes after the first time it happend. the females are inside the boxes all the time and still ( Lunna ) lays her eggs on the bottom of the cage :angry2: ...why?.. what can i do?..

help is apreciated thank you in advance.....

 

my daughter ( 5 ) named 2 of the birds after their brother and sister one by her name ( lunna ) and one was named after one of her brothers friend ( michael ) :bluebudgie:

 

i wonder if the corn cob bedding is the reason why shes laying them there? hmmmmmmmmmmm should i put some of this inside the nesting box?...plase let me know thx

Edited January 27, 200520 yr by PICHY

from what i can see i dont think the cage is big enough for two breeding pairs

I'm not a breeder but was just wondering if the two nesting boxes were too close together?

Julie

Edited January 26, 200520 yr by Julie

For cage bedding DON'T ever use walnut shell bedding, corncob bedding, clay, kitty litter, clumping bedding, cedar or sandpaper bottoms. This all are very painful in a way and can cause death in your bird if digested or in some cases inhaled. You can use newspaper, wax paper, plain white paper or towel paper.

That being said....

 

I would separate the two pairs, since the cage looks to small and apparently they have some issues with eachother.

today i go out and get a new cage for the other pair...i hope this works...boths males fight too much....and the other female keeps popping the eggs...well no more of that today...i hope the hen is okay she has laid 4 eggs ever since.....hopefully now she can have childern...now is it okay to leave her partner with her if eggs hatch? please let me know...thx

 

the bird on my sig is gone with his parner...i bought a small cage and i gave them to my sister in law....... now its just a a matter of time for babies...i hope......

Hi, it sounds like you are trying to do your best for your birds, but PLEASE get your sister to purchase a big cage for the two birds you have given her, the biggest 'budgie-suitable' cage she can afford. No bird should be kept in a small cage unless it is an emergency nursing/hospital cage. To expect birds to live in small cages is akin to entrapping an olympic running champion in a straight jacket for the rest of his life. At the very least, a single bird should be able to fully stretch out its wings in any direction without then touching the sides of the cage, and it should have room to flutter from perch to perch, not just hop or scramble. This size should be at least half as big again if you are housing two birds. I know they can be pretty expensive to buy new, but scanning the local paper can often bring forth good opportunities to purchase a lovely cage at a very cheap price (but dont forget to sterilise cage well with AVIAN friendly disinfectant if you do this)

Anne

Hi, it sounds like you are trying to do your best for your birds, but PLEASE get your sister to purchase a big cage for the two birds you have given her, the biggest 'budgie-suitable' cage she can afford. No bird should be kept in a small cage unless it is an emergency nursing/hospital cage. To expect birds to live in small cages is akin to entrapping an olympic running champion in a straight jacket for the rest of his life. At the very least, a single bird should be able to fully stretch out its wings in any direction without then touching the sides of the cage, and it should have room to flutter from perch to perch, not just hop or scramble. This size should be at least half as big again if you are housing two birds. I know they can be pretty expensive to buy new, but scanning the local paper can often bring forth good opportunities to purchase a lovely cage at a very cheap price (but dont forget to sterilise cage well with AVIAN friendly disinfectant if you do this)

Anne

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yeah she said she was gonna buy a bigger cage..and i also told her that if they become a bother at her house.. to bring them back...but yeah im gonna get a bigger cage myself...thx for the response

i remove birds, put up nesting boxes, replace bedding and still she prefers the bootom to lay eggs........(Laughing out loud)

Is this her first time breeding? It sounds like it :bluebudgie: You would great a lot of help from searching the board for breeding topics and reading the posts.

 

But to answer your questions here, YES it is okay to leave the two together in fact you must for it is the male that feeds the hen while she is sitting on the eggs and when the chicks are older he starts to take over the feeding of them.

 

As to laying on the cage floor my girl did this to me and I was very worried, but she finally worked out where to lay them. If the eggs on the cage floor are broken remove them so as not to get bacteria in the nesting box with future eggs because that can kill the chicks inside. Is she going in the box? I'm not sure about this but I would think about shifting the eggs into the box so she gets the idea? Or if they are all broken but in a marble or two as fake eggs and she may start laying new ones with them.

 

Hope this helps you somewhat

Is this her first time breeding? It sounds like it   You would great a lot of help from searching the board for breeding topics and reading the posts.

 

But to answer your questions here, YES it is okay to leave the two together in fact you must for it is the male that feeds the hen while she is sitting on the eggs and when the chicks are older he starts to take over the feeding of them.

 

As to laying on the cage floor my girl did this to me and I was very worried, but she finally worked out where to lay them.  If the eggs on the cage floor are broken remove them so as not to get bacteria in the nesting box with future eggs because that can kill the chicks inside.  Is she going in the box?  I'm not sure about this but I would think about shifting the eggs into the box so she gets the idea? Or if they are all broken but in a marble or two as fake eggs and she may start laying new ones with them.

 

Hope this helps you somewhat

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i like the idea of the marble...but yeah she goes to the nesting boxes but lays the egg on the cage floor.... i did put one of the eggs in the box but somehow she threw it out and broke @ the cage bottom...idk whats wrong with her. today i found her latest egg broken . im concerned for her helth . i read the egg laying takes a lot of energy from these little birds....what would be a good bedding for the floor? i put paper she throws it out.....idk she is real picky...

I would give her more time, at least she is going in there. The hard part for them is the raising of chicks more than egg laying, As long as she has a cuttle fish or some other form of calsium then it shouldn't hurt her. Mine laided 13 eggs all up and she is fine. (only six in the box, four hatching and three living to full age)

 

I'm sure Hath will back me up with that He is the one that told be the laying of eggs is not what tires them out. How many has she had? Have you got anything inside the box for bedding? Some budgies like something in there others don't but by the sound of what she is doing with the paper she wouldn't. Taking from your first post date she should have only laided 7 eggs, they can laid up to nine in one clutch.

I would give her more time, at least she is going in there.  The hard part for them is the raising of chicks more than egg laying, As long as she has a cuttle fish or some other form of calsium then it shouldn't hurt her.  Mine laided 13 eggs all up and she is fine.  (only six in the box, four hatching and three living to full age)

 

I'm sure Hath will back me up with that  He is the one that told be the laying of eggs is not what tires them out.  How many has she had?  Have you got anything inside the box for bedding? Some budgies like something in there others don't but by the sound of what she is doing with the paper she wouldn't.  Taking from your first post date she should have only laided 7 eggs, they can laid up to nine in one clutch.

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you know what she did....she laid an egg inside the food tray.....ithink shes looking for some bedding...idk what to use...she doesnt like paper...the corn cob is not good but whaT is???

Wood shavings. You can get some from a pet shop they are useally used for flooring in rats or mise flooring, but it's okay for budgie. Some even have budgies listed as safe to use on.

Hi, it sounds like you are trying to do your best for your birds, but PLEASE get your sister to purchase a big cage for the two birds you have given her, the biggest 'budgie-suitable' cage she can afford. No bird should be kept in a small cage unless it is an emergency nursing/hospital cage. To expect birds to live in small cages is akin to entrapping an olympic running champion in a straight jacket for the rest of his life. At the very least, a single bird should be able to fully stretch out its wings in any direction without then touching the sides of the cage, and it should have room to flutter from perch to perch, not just hop or scramble. This size should be at least half as big again if you are housing two birds. I know they can be pretty expensive to buy new, but scanning the local paper can often bring forth good opportunities to purchase a lovely cage at a very cheap price (but dont forget to sterilise cage well with AVIAN friendly disinfectant if you do this)

Anne

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For people looking for an affordable cage, some petshops will sell their display cages at a cut cost - worth a try! Thats how i upgraded my budgies to their larger cage

Yes, you can get the same bedding that is used for hamsters to use for birds. They don't necessarily need anything, though a lot of people will use it.

Edited February 8, 200520 yr by Rainbow

Yes, you can get the same bedding that is used for hamsters to use for birds.  They don't necessarily need anything, though a lot of people will use it.

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very good i will buy that and give u an update :beer:

well here to fill u in....nothing works with this bird..in fact i gave up...since i did that she has laid 2 eggs on the floor... the best thing she liked for beding was tissue paper..idk why but as long as she is happy ill leave her alone....now its just a matter of time for these eggs to hatch....

Rainbow and Skittles didn't like anything in the nest box either. They kicked it all out of the hole. She happily raised two clutches on nothing but the bare wood floor of the box.

well i have accomplished nothing...she keeps laying eggs on the bottom of the cage.. idk if its the male that cracks them open or the female... she has laid to many eggs. the nest boxes dont work . im concerned with her healt... they mate all day almost ever day ( what a life )...(Laughing out loud)

what can i do?

i changed the bedding also..everything i was told to do i did...now what?

Edited March 22, 200520 yr by PICHY

Take the boxes away and seperate your birds for a while. Continous laying will weaken your bird. Have you ever watched a hen lay an egg??? It is very tiring for them. A healthy bird should be able to lay a normal clutch without incident, but from what you have said your birds need a rest.

I've never used nest box material before and i've never had any problems with breeding. I agree with Rainbow. It sounds like you're hen needs some time out from egg laying. I've never seen a budgie lay an egg but i've heard a chicken lay one. It sounds like hard work!!! :(Laughing out loud): I imangine it wouldn't be any easier for a budgie.

Maybe it would be good not to breed her? Laying eggs can get stressful, especially if she's doing it this often.

 

The following is my opinion which is apparently very different from what a lot of people here will suggest, so feel free to ignore what I'm about to say and please don't take it personally:

 

It doesn't sound like you or your birds are quite ready to breed. I don't condone casual breeding or breeding for fun because this is why our birds live such short lives and have so many problems. Breeding should be done to better the species.

 

That being said, please do a LOT of research before continuing to breed. There is far more to it than what anyone here could ever go over by just answering a question or two. Even if you don't believe me when I say that laying eggs is hard on a female, there's no denying that laying eggs increases the risk of egg binding in females. This is a common problem and can easily lead to death.

 

Your birds might even be too young to breed. There are just soooo many things that you should research if you want to do this the right way. If you care for your birds, please either don't breed or at least educate yourself as much as possible.

 

I'm sorry if that sounded preachy or if it offended you. That is the last thing that I want to do, I just get really passionate about this subject. There are so many homeless budgies out there in shelters and rescues that need homes. If you want more birds, that would be the ideal way to go.

Yes, i breed but i have researched a lot and i wouldn't be breeding if i had nowhere for the babies to go. Please consider everything devvle said and be sure to either have plenty of space for more birds or know of people who can give the babies loving homes.

okay ill do that

well good news guys after all this, she sucesfully had 2 baby birds ... one was out on 6-26-05 and the other hatched today 6-29-05.. now is there gonna be any problems as far as them choosing the oldest? or are they good parenting all hatchlings at once?

Edited June 29, 200519 yr by PICHY