Can you “feel” if your conure is pregnant?

Orin2017

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May 5, 2019
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Just wondering. I’ve noticed my conure’s morning poops are smaller and drier than they used to be. And I am wondering if my conure has an egg inside of her. Could I feel it if that were so? If I touched her anywhere, could I feel an egg inside of her? How would I know if she was bearing an egg?

Also, if I don’t have any other birds, and it was me that triggered her into developing an egg, would that mean that the egg is automatically infertile?

As for her other behaviors, she just wants to sit on my head or lay in my hand all of the time. Not perched on a finger, but laying on the palm of my hand, while I watch TV. It is her favorite place to be. She nudges my fingers apart and forces her way into this spot. I gently wrap my fingers around her to keep her warm and she leans into my hand.

I would take her to an avian vet if I knew she had an egg, or if I had any other cause. It’s an hour drive for me but I would make the drive. It’s money I don’t have but I’d pull the money out of my behind somehow.


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Talven

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Trying to feel if your bird has eggs is really not a good idea unless you know what you are doing. Press too hard and crack it and you could kill your bird. That's why vets usually use an x-ray to check. Without a male bird the eggs will be infertile.

Behaviour sounds about right for a conure. Very snuggly little birds at times.

Has her diet changed at all lately? What is the weather like where you are? If it's quite warm is she getting enough to drink? What is her diet made up of?

Honestly if you are uncertain your best option is to get her to a vet. It's expensive but they are the ones with the knowledge and equipment to work out what the issue is.

It's very hard to give any advice on a forum without seeing the bird. And even then the best advice is go to a vet.
 

Kiwibird

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Technically, an unfertilized egg is more akin to a female bird having a menstrual cycle than being pregnant, but I get what you mean. And yes, it would definitely be infertile if there is no male conure around. How old is this bird? Are you sure she is a female (ie. has been DNA gender tested)? Has she been acting strangely or having other symptoms besides the unusual droppings?

Some species of birds, and conures are one of them, are simply prone to egg laying. You can trigger hormonal behavior to be more serious by petting your bird anywhere on her body below the head and neck, offering enclosed places like snuggle huts, varying wake/sleep cycle (should be 12 hours light/12 hours dark every day all year round) and during puberty and the mating season, offering too much fruit and fatty foods. If I were you, I would call your avian vet and at least speak with them about your concerns and get advice on what to look for in regards to egg binding symptoms and when it might be time to take your bird in. The simple act of laying an infertile egg, or even a few infertile eggs is not life threatening, but if an egg gets stuck or the bird keeps laying eggs all the time, that can be very serious or life threatening. If she is the type to become a chronic egg layer, she may actually end up needing medication to balance her hormones. Again, female conures are more prone to hormonal imbalances than a lot of other species. It’s definitely worth a call to the vet IMO.
 
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Orin2017

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Thanks for the information thus far. My conure eats Harrisons pellets and drinks water. No veggies. I know she should...but she doesn’t like them. She gets safflower seeds as treats, several of them every day. Those are tiny seeds. She also gets half of a very thin slice of apple a day.

The temp in the house is about 69 degrees.

I don’t touch her to turn her on. She does try to back up to my beard when I am laying down but I stop her when she does that.

I got rid of the bird hut I bought when when I originally bought the bird, after reading here about it killing conures. However, I made something else for her out of wood, to which bird owners might object. But I felt so sorry for her after taking the hut away. She kept crying longer than normal when I caged her at night and pulled the blankets down over the cage, as if to say “What the hell am I supposed to do now, dad?” I mean, 3 years of sleeping in a hut at night and then suddenly nothing at all... Granted there are perches there but I am so worried she will fall off a perch in her sleep, being unused to sleeping on one.

She is definitely female, had her tested.

I wouldn’t press on her hard, just wondering if I ran my finger over her lower belly if I could feel an egg shape down there close to her vent, if there was an egg inside of her.



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Kiwibird

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Whatever you do, don’t press on her belly or vent area. You could accidentally crack an egg internally which would be very bad. What you can try is holding her on your hand then lifting her above your head and looking up at her vent area. You may be able to see a lump if an egg is eminent. But most likely, she will either lay one with no visible signs at all before it comes out or begin showing symptoms of egg binding. If she begins to show symptoms of egg binding, she will have to visit the avian vet immediately. Egg binding can be life threatening. https://www.thesprucepets.com/signs-of-egg-binding-in-birds-390494

That said, after re reading your initial post, it sounds like this has been going on for several mornings. Birds don’t carry eggs internally for very long, they lay them soon after it forms. Poops would likely be affected throughout the day too if an egg was blocking it, not just in the morning. I’m more inclined to think she’s either eating or drinking less at night, pooping during the night when she previously did not or even mild dehydration from going without drinking overnight since it’s summer (in the northern hemisphere). I’m not a vet though, so it’s worth the call to discuss possible reasons.

As for the wood hut, if she has hormonal issues or lays an egg, it has to go. A wood platform may be a better option if she doesn’t like to sleep on a perch, but nothing enclosed. Some parrots can handle a little nest like space and be fine, for others it can trigger a whole slew of problems. I’m not one of the complete anti snuggle hut anti dark spaces people, I think it depends on the bird but any female who lays eggs can’t have either.
 
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Orin2017

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Whatever you do, don’t press on her belly or vent area. You could accidentally crack an egg internally which would be very bad. What you can try is holding her on your hand then lifting her above your head and looking up at her vent area. You may be able to see a lump if an egg is eminent. But most likely, she will either lay one with no visible signs at all before it comes out or begin showing symptoms of egg binding. If she begins to show symptoms of egg binding, she will have to visit the avian vet immediately. Egg binding can be life threatening. https://www.thesprucepets.com/signs-of-egg-binding-in-birds-390494

That said, after re reading your initial post, it sounds like this has been going on for several mornings. Birds don’t carry eggs internally for very long, they lay them soon after it forms. Poops would likely be affected throughout the day too if an egg was blocking it, not just in the morning. I’m more inclined to think she’s either eating or drinking less at night, pooping during the night when she previously did not or even mild dehydration from going without drinking overnight since it’s summer (in the northern hemisphere). I’m not a vet though, so it’s worth the call to discuss possible reasons.

As for the wood hut, if she has hormonal issues or lays an egg, it has to go. A wood platform may be a better option if she doesn’t like to sleep on a perch, but nothing enclosed. Some parrots can handle a little nest like space and be fine, for others it can trigger a whole slew of problems. I’m not one of the complete anti snuggle hut anti dark spaces people, I think it depends on the bird but any female who lays eggs can’t have either.



Thank you. Her poops are normal during the day. Perhaps you are right about about her pooping at night. As for the wooden box, it isn’t completely enclosed. It is open on each end, so she can get in or out from either end. I was going to leave the hut as it was but my conure discovered a small hole in the wood and started ripping more wood out. So I bought some small sheets of hard foam from a hobby supply store and glued that to the inside, covering up the hole. Then, to keep her from tearing out the foam, I glued in the same fleece that was in the old hut. It helps with sound-proofing. It’s soft, warn and about as cozy as cozy can be, for a bird.




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itzjbean

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No huts, soft material like fleece, wood boxes of any kind should be allowed near her. The key is to eliminate the hormonal behaviors and prevent egg binding (they don't get pregnant, they lay infertile or fertile eggs) and the things you are doing (providing a nice place to sleep) is not necessary and will only continue to keep her in breeding mode and possibly may make her produce even more eggs and risk being egg bound.

Time to take out ALL these materials if you want her to be safe from egg binding! She does not need a bed, fleece, a hut or a box to be a happy bird.
 

Talven

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The only time a bird that roosts in trees naturally like a parrot falls off a perch is because they are dead. It's how they are designed (Why don't sleeping birds fall out of trees) so there is no reason to fear she'll fall off the perch.

Again definitely don't try to feel for an egg manually as there is a chance that you can crack the egg. It doesn't take much to crack an egg accidentally. Especially if she hasn't been getting any extra calcium. The shell could be very thin due to lack of calcium. A cracked egg inside your bird will turn septic within hours leading to a dead bird.

Any sort of enclosed space that can be perceived as a nest by your bird will more than likely lead to hormonal issues and probably aggression as well. Just the nest box that you have made for her would be enough to trigger her to want to lay even without you touching her.

I would agree with Kiwibird about the smaller drier poops being due to dehydration overnight due to the warmer weather but if in doubt take her to the vet.
 

Skittys_Daddy

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Jan 6, 2014
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Neotropical Pigeon - "Skittles" (born 3/29/10)
Cockatiel - "Peaches" (1995-2015) R.I.P.
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Budgie - "Sandy"
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Poops are great indicators of the health of our fids, but they are also very telling of their diet and moods. Diarrhea is common (and normal) when your fid has eaten fruit, drank juice, or had some other food that contains a lot of water. Its also common when a fid is stressed.

So if the poops are dry, that makes me wonder. I don't mean to be all TMI, but even I've had some 'dry issues' even though I drink plenty of water during the day. I think with the increase in hotter than normal temperatures (even for summer) we sweat more than we think. I've also noticed Skittles is drinking a LOT more than usual, even though my apartment has AC (though I do keep it comfortable - around 70.)

I do know that large quantity (and slightly 'smelly') poops in the morning are completely normal. This is due to them 'holding' their poops in throughout the night. They do this in the wild because predators can 'smell' the droppings and it would leave them vulnerable during the night.
 
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Orin2017

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I took Orrin to the avian vet today. She doesn’t have an egg in her and she isn’t egg bound. It cost me $100 to have that piece of mind.

The vet said that I would notice symptoms of her poop throughout the entire day, not just first thing in the morning. Also, the vet felt my conure and examined her vent (no prolapse).

Oh well, she was close to being due for an annual check up anyways.

Thanks for the tips.


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Skittys_Daddy

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Jan 6, 2014
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Neotropical Pigeon - "Skittles" (born 3/29/10)
Cockatiel - "Peaches" (1995-2015) R.I.P.
Budgie - "Sammy"
(1989-2000) R.I.P.
Budgie - "Sandy"
(1987-1989) R.I.P.
Im so glad things worked out! The piece of mind is worth it though. A few years ago (just over a month after his annual) Skittles got startled and flew into the window and his foot went limp. He was dazed and his foot was just dangling there. After about a minute, he resumed to normality. I too had a panic attack, I called my therapist and she talked me down. I then paid the ride who took me shortly before to take me and Skittles down to his vet. They squeezed me in. The vet examined him and saw no need for xrays and didn't find anything out of the ordinary nor any bruises. She attributed the 'foot dangling' to be a form of 'funny bone' type reaction. She gave me a discount on the exam and I went home. But you can bet that had I not done that, I'd have been worrying til his next annual.

I just think that sometimes the cost is worth it when it gives you piece of mind.
 

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