How long before eggbound?

[Kouken]

My female sun conure is around 15 years old and recently I discovered she was devloping an egg. Last night I noticed her lower abdomen was swollen, but I could not feel an egg although it felt like one was developing (I felt gently) lo and behold she is now carrying an egg.

In the past I remember it taking her around two-three days to lay an egg. I'm wondering how long I should wait before considering her egg bound and takign her to the vet. It has been less than a day for her carrying the egg thus far.

Should I do anything to help her lay the egg or just give her time and consult a vet if she doesn't lay?

 

[Dinosrawr]

I'm not sure how long it takes for conures to fully develop their eggs before laying in specific, but if she has only taken two to three days in the past to lay then I would use that window of time as a reference. If she has not passed an egg within 3 days, then definitely contact your vet and see what can be done. Ensure she has plenty of calcium in her diet, and if you notice she becomes lethargic, sits on the bottom of her cage, etc. then take her to the vet immediately.

 

[weco]

Chantal's right about increasing her calcium intake...scrambled eggs, with the shell finely crushed is a good start, if you're not feeding her a fresh foods diet.....also, you'll want to bathe her every day or so while she's laying...putting a large bowl of water in her cage so she can bathe when she wants to will help also.....

Why are you concerned about egg binding ? ? ?

Normally, a hen produces an egg every 1.5 or two days, with conures usually laying 4 to 6 eggs in a clutch, but since she is by herself, she could lay anywhere within that range , but sometimes you can break her laying cycle by moving her cage to another location that she might not feel comfortable in...hens without mates lay when they feel safe & comfortable with their surroundings.....

Egg binding is a dangerous situation, but raising the humidity level around her often takes care of possible binding, but palpitating her abdomen will give you advanced warning.....

Good luck.....

 

[Kouken]

Maybe I'm over worrying it, but last time she laid eggs was about two years ago. I remember it taking around 2-3+ days for each egg, so I assumed she was having trouble passing them.

So just crush up an egg shell and mix it in with scrambled eggs?

 

[weco]

Maybe I'm over worrying it, but last time she laid eggs was about two years ago. I remember it taking around 2-3+ days for each egg, so I assumed she was having trouble passing them.

So just crush up an egg shell and mix it in with scrambled eggs?

Although the scrambled eggs would come from chickens, the calcium in the eggs & finely crushed shells is better absorbed by her body than any synthetic supplements.....

When caged with a male sun conure, hens will normally lay their first egg 7-10 days after mating and their subsequent eggs will show up 1.5 to 2 days apart, as long as she is healthy, but as a single hen, it's virtually impossible to determine when her first egg creation begins, though the progression usually keeps the same schedule, again, as long as she is healthy.....

As long as you are feeding your bird a varied, healthy diet that is not all seed based, she should handle her eggs in an OK manner.....