Weight gain and hard chest??

mybluebirb

New member
Jun 5, 2023
24
23
Parrots
one female indian ringneck
Hello!

My indian ringneck parrot layed 2 (infertile) eggs early last month, it was her first time and it was soo stressful for me! šŸ˜­

Ever since then, Iā€™ve been weighing her regularly to notice any changes in her weight. Iā€™ve found that when she wakes up sheā€™s 121g, and by the end of the day sheā€™s around 126g.

After she layed eggs I made sure not to let her near anything that could become a ā€œnestā€ (my blanket triggered to have the last eggs) however I did catch her sitting on a tissue for about 10 mins yesterday evening..

Last night I weighed her again and her weight was 132g!! At that point I was panicking and hoping sheā€™d not be laying more eggs but I waited till the morning. In the morning her weight was 128g which is still heavy for her considering she just woke up. Throughout the day I kept weighing her, she was 125g at 2pm, then 129g shortly after because she ate some fruit and now at 11pm sheā€™s 126g.

Iā€™ve also noticed her poop is really tiny, sheā€™s had the occasional medium(ish) sized poops or watery poops (after eating fruit) but throughout the day theyā€™ve mostly been really small droppings which is worrying me because thatā€™s how it was when she was laying eggs last month.

Something else is that her chest area and upper abdomen is pretty firm, I can still feel her keel bone but the surrounding area is really hard however her lower abdomen is normal.

Please help as Iā€™m really worried for her (I overthink a lot) šŸ˜…
Iā€™m going to make a vet appointment soon!
Hopefully all is good šŸ¤ž
 

DonnaBudgie

Supporting Member
Jan 24, 2023
3,213
3,964
Windham, Maine
Parrots
Budgies. Lotsa Budgies.
Hello!

My indian ringneck parrot layed 2 (infertile) eggs early last month, it was her first time and it was soo stressful for me! šŸ˜­

Ever since then, Iā€™ve been weighing her regularly to notice any changes in her weight. Iā€™ve found that when she wakes up sheā€™s 121g, and by the end of the day sheā€™s around 126g.

After she layed eggs I made sure not to let her near anything that could become a ā€œnestā€ (my blanket triggered to have the last eggs) however I did catch her sitting on a tissue for about 10 mins yesterday evening..

Last night I weighed her again and her weight was 132g!! At that point I was panicking and hoping sheā€™d not be laying more eggs but I waited till the morning. In the morning her weight was 128g which is still heavy for her considering she just woke up. Throughout the day I kept weighing her, she was 125g at 2pm, then 129g shortly after because she ate some fruit and now at 11pm sheā€™s 126g.

Iā€™ve also noticed her poop is really tiny, sheā€™s had the occasional medium(ish) sized poops or watery poops (after eating fruit) but throughout the day theyā€™ve mostly been really small droppings which is worrying me because thatā€™s how it was when she was laying eggs last month.

Something else is that her chest area and upper abdomen is pretty firm, I can still feel her keel bone but the surrounding area is really hard however her lower abdomen is normal.

Please help as Iā€™m really worried for her (I overthink a lot) šŸ˜…
Iā€™m going to make a vet appointment soon!
Hopefully all is good šŸ¤ž
It's so stressful when a female bird has "female problems"!
If she has an egg inside her about to be laid it might be palpable way down near her vent, not up close to her breast/chest. My experiences with female budgies in active "egg laying mode" is that their poops become huge and wet for about a week before the first egg is laid and remain large while laying and incubating. I was told by CAV that if the hen is actually egg-bound she won't be able to pass waste because her vent will be blocked by the stuck retained egg until she passes it, IF she survives, and small egg bound hens (budgies, cockatiels and similar sized) often don't. I lost a lovely budgie to egg binding a few years ago and it was horrible.
You should bring her to the avian vet asap with your concerns. Poop changes can mean all sorts of things and the vet will be able to determine for sure if she has an egg enroute by taking an x-ray. An ultrasound may also be helpful. My budgies have always handled anesthesia required for an x-ray without any problems. I hope your girl is okay.
 
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mybluebirb

mybluebirb

New member
Jun 5, 2023
24
23
Parrots
one female indian ringneck
  • Thread Starter
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It's so stressful when a female bird has "female problems"!
If she has an egg inside her about to be laid it might be palpable way down near her vent, not up close to her breast/chest. My experiences with female budgies in active "egg laying mode" is that their poops become huge and wet for about a week before the first egg is laid and remain large while laying and incubating. I was told by CAV that if the hen is actually egg-bound she won't be able to pass waste because her vent will be blocked by the stuck retained egg until she passes it, IF she survives, and small egg bound hens (budgies, cockatiels and similar sized) often don't. I lost a lovely budgie to egg binding a few years ago and it was horrible.
You should bring her to the avian vet asap with your concerns. Poop changes can mean all sorts of things and the vet will be able to determine for sure if she has an egg enroute by taking an x-ray. An ultrasound may also be helpful. My budgies have always handled anesthesia required for an x-ray without any problems. I hope your girl is okay.

Thank you for the reply! šŸ„¹

My indian ringneck has been acting completely normal, her behaviour hasnā€™t changed one bit and the lower abdomen/vent area is not swollen or firm when I feel around it so hopefully sheā€™s not egg bound! She hasnā€™t been showing any symptoms of it but Iā€™ll definitely take her to the vet, tomorrow hopefully!

And Iā€™m sorry for your loss I canā€™t imagine that :( šŸ’”
 

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