Two days ago, Gracie and George were feeding each other. Yesterday, they were mating.

 

Now she's chewing the paper on the bottom of the cage.

 

She seems determined to have these babies.

 

I started covering the cage last night, trying to cut down on their daylight hours. It's a big cage, and really hard to do, but I'm going to try.

 

Is there anything else I can do to derail this potential train wreck?

 

If her age isn't bad enough, the vet did a throat culture on Twitter the day before yesterday, and I submitted an environmental swab to check, I think, for French Moult. I really don't want babies brought into this right now.

 

If I can't stop her from laying eggs (there is no nest box, but from what I understand, that doesn't always stop them) I've considered addling the eggs, so at least she won't raise a clutch of potentially sick babies.

 

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

Diana

Hi I'm not a believer in upsetting birds to prevent laying. If you can addle the eggs then that's your best option....B.J.

yes if any eggs appear remove or addle them to stop babies from growing. Removing them is 100% sure not to get any. but she might not lay either.

I do believe in "unsettling" birds to prevent laying. It doesn't always work, but if it can prevent her from becoming a chronic egg layer, then it is healthier for her growing body and it is worth a try. (Mind you, sometimes it can't be prevented anyway.)

 

Extra dark time at night is good. It can make a difference in her mood, if she is feeling crabby and hormonal.

 

You can also remove the paper from the bottom of the cage to take away her nesting site and materials. Removing any feed dishes that she could lay in might help. And rearranging all of her perches and toys can make her feel a little less sure that her environment is right for raising chicks.

 

All of these ideas are perfectly fine for normal care of budgies anyway, so they can't hurt, and they might help. And like Nerwen said, the signs you describe don't necessarily mean that she will start laying. It's normal for budgies to feed each other and mate all the time. And all hens chew stuff. Does she have enough stuff hanging up higher in her cage that can satisfy her urge to destroy things?