Surprise mating/breeding questions

Kendar

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Mar 17, 2017
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Victoria BC Canada
Parrots
1 female green cheek conure (Bailey)
1 female pineapple green cheek conure (Loki)
Hi there! I'm going to try to make this as short as I can, so sorry if it ends up being a bit long.

We just found out that our 4-5 year old male conure, is in fact, a female. SURPRISE! (Got her from an old friend from school that didn't want her anymore and she didn't have any paperwork for her, which kind of frustrates me. But that is another story).

I was in the bird room spending time with them and she laid an egg. it's still weird to call her a her.
They have taken a liking to the aviary and had been spending most of their time behind there. Come to find out that they were nesting behind there. I figured that since they have chosen their nesting spot, I would leave them be.

I had to get rid of the first egg because it was not viable, it was soft and one of them poked a hole in it, so I chucked it. Plus, she stopped showing interest in it pretty quickly.

She has since laid another egg. They are both sharing the responsibility of it. Bailey (male) is being a good papa and protecting that egg with everything the little guy has. I learned, the hard way, not to put my hand even near the nest if he is around. Loki (female) is a little more lovey towards me and comes out to see me and spend time with me, but still very interested in the egg. They only really come out to eat and try to graze off the floor.

Is there anything that I should do? Should I move the egg to somewhere else? I don't think there is anywhere they would feel more safe. Should I just leave them be? Should I be feeding her anything special? I tried making her scrambled eggs in coconut oil, with the shell, but she does not seem interested in any sort of calcium I have tried giving her. I would really like to accommodate them, so any help would be greatly appreciated :) Thank you so much!


So much for this not being long hehe
 

itzjbean

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Jan 27, 2017
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Hello!! Thanks for reaching out!

It's great you were able to determine that your conure was a female. Females of many species will lay infertile eggs and will sit on them, though they never hatch they still sit, lol. The inscint to reproduce is quite strong in birds.

I'm sure you were very excited to see the nest/new egg they are attending to! I was very excited for my first clutch from my tiels. With the location, it would be safer to move the egg into a designated nest box, its more of a safety factor than anything. You don't want the babies to fall and injure themselves, get stuck somewhere, and you want to be able ot easily access the babies at any time.

That being said, have you ever bred birds before? Breeding birds of any species is complex and shouldn't be attempted by anyone who doesn't have experience. So many things can go wrong, and you can easily lose your chicks without the proper knowledge. Do you have experience with hand-feeding?

It really is a must for those interested in breeding. Say your conure pair sits on the egg, more are laid, and then the chicks hatch. So exciting, right? But then, mom and papa bird reject one of the babies because its so small and the others are more demanding. It's not getting fed, it is starving, so what do you do now? An experienced breeder will then take the baby out of the nest and put it in a nice, warm brooder to keep it warm and will begin hand-feeding it formula around the clock. Baby lives! But....what if you've never handfed before? Or what if you work and can't be there to feed the baby when it needs it? The baby dies. It happens all the time with people who want to experience the miracle of life and let their birds breed, but it can also be SO heartbreaking if you aren't prepared. One baby in my clutch was in this situation and it absolutely would have died if I had not pulled it to handfeed and separated them from plucking the baby.

Hope that helps a little, I don't mean to scare you off or discourage you from breeding but I simply want to save you from the potential nightmare it could be for you.
 
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Kendar

Kendar

New member
Mar 17, 2017
71
0
Victoria BC Canada
Parrots
1 female green cheek conure (Bailey)
1 female pineapple green cheek conure (Loki)
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #3
Hello!! Thanks for reaching out!

It's great you were able to determine that your conure was a female. Females of many species will lay infertile eggs and will sit on them, though they never hatch they still sit, lol. The inscint to reproduce is quite strong in birds.

I'm sure you were very excited to see the nest/new egg they are attending to! I was very excited for my first clutch from my tiels. With the location, it would be safer to move the egg into a designated nest box, its more of a safety factor than anything. You don't want the babies to fall and injure themselves, get stuck somewhere, and you want to be able ot easily access the babies at any time.

That being said, have you ever bred birds before? Breeding birds of any species is complex and shouldn't be attempted by anyone who doesn't have experience with it. So many things can go wrong, and you can easily lose your chicks without the proper knowledge. Do you have experience with hand-feeding?

It really is a must for those interested in breeding. Say your conure pair sits on the egg, more are laid, and then the chicks hatch. So exciting, right? But then, mom and papa bird reject one of the babies because its so small and the others are more demanding. It's not getting fed, it is starving, so what do you do now? An experienced breeder will then take the baby out of the nest and put it in a nice, warm brooder to keep it warm and will begin hand-feeding it formula around the clock. Baby lives! But....what if you've never handfed before? The baby dies. It happens all the time with people who want to experience the miracle of life and let their birds breed, but it can also be SO heartbreaking if you aren't prepared.
Yeah, I have thought about all of that. It's really a conflicting situation because I have 0 experience, but it would be nice to have 1 or 2 of their babies. I have read about the issues of hand feeding and everything and it honestly scares me.

The nest is actually on the floor, behind the aviary (which is for some finches and canaries that we have), so there wouldn't be any falling. I did have to block off the bottom of the aviary with metal grate and covered it with fleece so that they wouldnt hurt themselves on the bottom. They were trying to nest underneath and chewing extension cords (which I sewed a fleece tube around. Also had to make a cage for the outlet and staple it to the wall. And covered that with fleece.)

I know that as soon as all of this is over, I am moving that aviary to somewhere I can push it right up against the wall. Even if I have to make a mile long tube of fleece to protect the power cords lol.




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SilverSage

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Sep 14, 2013
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Eclectus, CAG, BH Pionus, Maximilian’s Pionus, Quakers, Indian Ringnecks, Green Cheeked Conures, Black Capped Conures, Cockatiels, Lovebirds, Budgies, Canaries, Diamond Doves, Zebra Finches, Society F
First off you need to do EVERYTHING IN YOUR POWER to get her to stop laying eggs!!!

Why? Because she had a soft egg. That is a HUGE DANGER SIGN! Soft eggs happen from lack of calcium, and they cause egg binding which is DEADLY. It also means that your hen's long bones, which is where they take the calcium for egg laying, are DANGEROUSLY DEPLETED and she is in major danger of broken bones from things that wouldn't otherwise be dangerous.

In a normal situation there would be a lot of room for choice; there would be lot of "well I suggest this but you could do that if you really want to" and even then you would have to deal with the knowledge that you would probably mess up the babies from lack of knowledge, but it would be a pretty simple "you have to make the choices here" situation.


But that soft egg changes EVERYTHING. Your bird's life is in danger, more and more danger with every egg she lays and you need to disrupt her reproductive cycle IMMEDIATELY if you want her to live. You might think "oh, no big deal, this egg isn't soft, just the first one was." THAT IS STILL A BAD SIGN! The fact that the first egg was soft was terrible enough, but if she is now laying hard eggs that just spells even more danger for her bones.

When the body of a hen processes calcium, it doesn't get stored in some egg making organ, it gets stored on her long bones. Those reserves are what gets tapped to make eggs. But when those reserves are depleted, the body doesn't just decide not to make eggs, it leeches the calcium out of those bones. Mothers' bodies sacrifice for babies; ask any pregnant lady.

I'm posting an article below to help you disrupt gee hormone cycle and save her life. Please follow all of the suggestions, especially

-hours asleep
-low energy (high calcium!) diet
-rearrange the cage and move it around the house

Also you need to separate them. I know they are conures and nothing seems worse than making them stay apart, but imagine how much sadder it will be if she dies?

You MUST keep them from nesting again as well! No play time wandering around and finding dark corners to nest in! This is life and death!

You might be upset by all the caps lock and exclamation points and strong wording. It is not my intention to upset you, but this is the Internet, you cannot see my face or hear my voice, and I can't risk you just passing this off as an opinion that is just one of many options on the internet. I'm a breeder, I have experience in this field, I know what I am talking about, and this clutch of eggs, fertile or not, can kill your bird if you don't take immediate action.



http://www.silversageaviaries.com/handlinghormones/


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OP
Kendar

Kendar

New member
Mar 17, 2017
71
0
Victoria BC Canada
Parrots
1 female green cheek conure (Bailey)
1 female pineapple green cheek conure (Loki)
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #5
First off you need to do EVERYTHING IN YOUR POWER to get her to stop laying eggs!!!

Why? Because she had a soft egg. That is a HUGE DANGER SIGN! Soft eggs happen from lack of calcium, and they cause egg binding which is DEADLY. It also means that your hen's long bones, which is where they take the calcium for egg laying, are DANGEROUSLY DEPLETED and she is in major danger of broken bones from things that wouldn't otherwise be dangerous.

In a normal situation there would be a lot of room for choice; there would be lot of "well I suggest this but you could do that if you really want to" and even then you would have to deal with the knowledge that you would probably mess up the babies from lack of knowledge, but it would be a pretty simple "you have to make the choices here" situation.


But that soft egg changes EVERYTHING. Your bird's life is in danger, more and more danger with every egg she lays and you need to disrupt her reproductive cycle IMMEDIATELY if you want her to live. You might think "oh, no big deal, this egg isn't soft, just the first one was." THAT IS STILL A BAD SIGN! The fact that the first egg was soft was terrible enough, but if she is now laying hard eggs that just spells even more danger for her bones.

When the body of a hen processes calcium, it doesn't get stored in some egg making organ, it gets stored on her long bones. Those reserves are what gets tapped to make eggs. But when those reserves are depleted, the body doesn't just decide not to make eggs, it leeches the calcium out of those bones. Mothers' bodies sacrifice for babies; ask any pregnant lady.

I'm posting an article below to help you disrupt gee hormone cycle and save her life. Please follow all of the suggestions, especially

-hours asleep
-low energy (high calcium!) diet
-rearrange the cage and move it around the house

Also you need to separate them. I know they are conures and nothing seems worse than making them stay apart, but imagine how much sadder it will be if she dies?

You MUST keep them from nesting again as well! No play time wandering around and finding dark corners to nest in! This is life and death!

You might be upset by all the caps lock and exclamation points and strong wording. It is not my intention to upset you, but this is the Internet, you cannot see my face or hear my voice, and I can't risk you just passing this off as an opinion that is just one of many options on the internet. I'm a breeder, I have experience in this field, I know what I am talking about, and this clutch of eggs, fertile or not, can kill your bird if you don't take immediate action.



http://www.silversageaviaries.com/handlinghormones/


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I am in tears now. I assure you it is not from your caps lock. I am just scared.

How do you supposed I go about this? The male is super aggressive right now and the female will not allow me to wear gloves. Should I wait until he is out of the nest? They have an entire room to themselves, and only go to their cage to sleep.

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OP
Kendar

Kendar

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Mar 17, 2017
71
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Victoria BC Canada
Parrots
1 female green cheek conure (Bailey)
1 female pineapple green cheek conure (Loki)
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  • #6
How do I get her to stop laying eggs???

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SilverSage

New member
Sep 14, 2013
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Columbus, GA
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Eclectus, CAG, BH Pionus, Maximilian’s Pionus, Quakers, Indian Ringnecks, Green Cheeked Conures, Black Capped Conures, Cockatiels, Lovebirds, Budgies, Canaries, Diamond Doves, Zebra Finches, Society F
Ok, the fact that you are crying is a good sign to me, I just breathed a huge sigh of relief because most of the people who post things like this ignore warnings and just plow ahead because they think that the babies are worth the risk. So take a deep breath, your birds already have one major advantage; they have an owner who is willing to do what it takes to protect them. That's huge.


First, it's going to be majorly un-fun for all involved, but until this crisis passes, they need to be caged at all times when you can't be directly supervising them, and they need to be in SEPARATE cages. I know, it's miserable. I love conure couples and nothing seems more cruel than separating them, until you realize that if one dies they will be apart forever. They don't have to be in different rooms, but they need to be kept from touching each other.

Also, the worst bite I've ever had from a bird (and I've been bitten by macaws, Cockatoos, and eclectus) was from a green cheeked conure defending the nest, so I know what you mean!

I suggest waiting until he leaves the nest to eat, and then catching him and caging him, followed immediately by the hen.


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SilverSage

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Columbus, GA
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itzjbean

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How do I get her to stop laying eggs???

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Hi, I totally didn't even see the 'soft' egg part. Yes this is a sign that she is not getting enough calcium. Silversage has given excellent advice!!
What are you feeding the two of them currently? Let's figure this out together. For my tiels when they're breeding I always make sure to have a cuttle bone in with them, lots of calcium in there and they do use it. Those can be found at any local pet store. You could also scramble an egg and crush the egg shells into it and offer it that way. I've also heard of calcium supplements that you just drop in their water.

I'm guesing it may be an unbalanced diet. So let me know what you're feeding them and we can go from there :)

As for the getting her to stop laying eggs, I suggest using a towel. Place both birds in their cages, and I'm echoing the advice given, to separate them.
 
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Kendar

Kendar

New member
Mar 17, 2017
71
0
Victoria BC Canada
Parrots
1 female green cheek conure (Bailey)
1 female pineapple green cheek conure (Loki)
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  • #10
How do I get her to stop laying eggs???

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You get her to stop laying eggs by disrupting the hormonal cycle and outside "cues" that are telling her body to do so. I linked an article in my first post on how to do this, but I'll link it here too.

http://www.silversageaviaries.com/handlinghormones/


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Sorry, I did see the article. My mind is going a million miles an hour right now and I already suffer from anxiety, I will read it thoroughly when I calm down a bit.

I skimmed it and didn't see what to do if they already have an egg. Should I leave it until she loses interest so that it doesn't prompt her to lay a replacement?

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SilverSage

New member
Sep 14, 2013
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Eclectus, CAG, BH Pionus, Maximilian’s Pionus, Quakers, Indian Ringnecks, Green Cheeked Conures, Black Capped Conures, Cockatiels, Lovebirds, Budgies, Canaries, Diamond Doves, Zebra Finches, Society F
I also suffer from severe anxiety so I understand how hard it can be when faced with an actual threat.

In a normal case I often suggest leaving the eggs until they lose interest, however conures usually lay large clutches, you could be looking at 8 eggs if you leave her to it, and in her depleted state that's an extreme threat to her life.

So follow the other steps, and take away the egg. You need to do everything in your power to disrupt her ideas about starting a family. Take the egg, move her to the cage, and follow all the other steps in the article. She may lay another egg or two on the floor of the cage. If this happens, remove them immediately.


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Kendar

Kendar

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Mar 17, 2017
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Victoria BC Canada
Parrots
1 female green cheek conure (Bailey)
1 female pineapple green cheek conure (Loki)
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  • #12
How do I get her to stop laying eggs???

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Hi, I totally didn't even see the 'soft' egg part. Yes this is a sign that she is not getting enough calcium. Silversage has given excellent advice!!
What are you feeding the two of them currently? Let's figure this out together. For my tiels when they're breeding I always make sure to have a cuttle bone in with them, lots of calcium in there and they do use it. Those can be found at any local pet store. You could also scramble an egg and crush the egg shells into it and offer it that way. I've also heard of calcium supplements that you just drop in their water.

I'm guesing it may be an unbalanced diet. So let me know what you're feeding them and we can go from there :)

As for the getting her to stop laying eggs, I suggest using a towel. Place both birds in their cages, and I'm echoing the advice given, to separate them.
I feed them Harrison's pellets, the fine ones. They get sunflower seeds and millet as treats only.

Kale, broccoli, carrot, beets, radish, yellow, orange, and red peppers. Sometimes I cook up some beans for them, as well as quinoa. They get banana and apple sometimes

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SilverSage

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Eclectus, CAG, BH Pionus, Maximilian’s Pionus, Quakers, Indian Ringnecks, Green Cheeked Conures, Black Capped Conures, Cockatiels, Lovebirds, Budgies, Canaries, Diamond Doves, Zebra Finches, Society F
Your diet looks great. Do they have a cuttle bone?


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Kendar

Kendar

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Victoria BC Canada
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1 female green cheek conure (Bailey)
1 female pineapple green cheek conure (Loki)
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Your diet looks great. Do they have a cuttle bone?


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I have recently given her one, she was terrified of it. I have tried the scrambled eggs with the shell, and she didnt seem interested. I have calcium blocks that they are not interested in. I also have clay-cal.....a lot of it

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SilverSage

New member
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Columbus, GA
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Eclectus, CAG, BH Pionus, Maximilian’s Pionus, Quakers, Indian Ringnecks, Green Cheeked Conures, Black Capped Conures, Cockatiels, Lovebirds, Budgies, Canaries, Diamond Doves, Zebra Finches, Society F
You might just try scraping the cuttle bone lightly over her food in the morning. It's not the ideal way but it should help some.


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Kendar

Kendar

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Mar 17, 2017
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Victoria BC Canada
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1 female green cheek conure (Bailey)
1 female pineapple green cheek conure (Loki)
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  • #16
You might just try scraping the cuttle bone lightly over her food in the morning. It's not the ideal way but it should help some.


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Ahh I did not think of that!
Also, since I have canaries and finches, I was think of growing some of the seeds so the parrots could have more greens

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SilverSage

New member
Sep 14, 2013
5,937
94
Columbus, GA
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Eclectus, CAG, BH Pionus, Maximilian’s Pionus, Quakers, Indian Ringnecks, Green Cheeked Conures, Black Capped Conures, Cockatiels, Lovebirds, Budgies, Canaries, Diamond Doves, Zebra Finches, Society F
That's a fun idea :) I love sprouting as well but I don't want to start overloading you with things you COULD do (no matter how great) and overwhelming you so you can't do the things you SHOULD do.


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Kendar

Kendar

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Mar 17, 2017
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Victoria BC Canada
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1 female green cheek conure (Bailey)
1 female pineapple green cheek conure (Loki)
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  • #18
That's a fun idea :) I love sprouting as well but I don't want to start overloading you with things you COULD do (no matter how great) and overwhelming you so you can't do the things you SHOULD do.


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I sprinkled some of the cuttlebone on the pellets, she is eating them now. And boy does that make a god awful sound, ugh

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Kendar

Kendar

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Mar 17, 2017
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0
Victoria BC Canada
Parrots
1 female green cheek conure (Bailey)
1 female pineapple green cheek conure (Loki)
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  • #19
That's a fun idea :) I love sprouting as well but I don't want to start overloading you with things you COULD do (no matter how great) and overwhelming you so you can't do the things you SHOULD do.


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5bde254f8dd616cda6821dc424cd5cec.jpg


It's a bit messy since, ya know, birds. I wanted to get in to clean, but I haven't wanted to disturb them too much, and Bailey is petrified of the vacuum

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Kendar

Kendar

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Mar 17, 2017
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Victoria BC Canada
Parrots
1 female green cheek conure (Bailey)
1 female pineapple green cheek conure (Loki)
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  • #20
I got them both in their cages and got the egg out. Then she laid another one right away, but I took it away

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