Anyone have a bird????

[AngieDoogles]

My mom is out of town. She went to the beach with my brother and sister and a family from her church. While she has been gone, I have been taking care of her dog Chipper and her cockatiel Sonny. We have had Sonny for six or seven years now. (I say "we" because I was only 14 or 15 when we got him so he still feels like mine.) Anyway, tonight I went to check his water and food and he starts going crazy. He was hissing at me and making all kinds of really crazy noises. I was a little worried, but I continued to change his seeds. As I was about to put his seeds back, I noticed something unusual at the bottom of the cage. It was an EGG! Apparently, HE is actually a SHE. I flipped out a little because I didn't know female birds could lay unfertilized eggs and I KNEW that she had not been in contact with any other birds. I felt pretty stupid when I looked it up online and apparently it is pretty common. Did any of you know this could happen??

Anyway, now we are watching HER even more closely to make sure that she doesn't lay eggs every few days because apparently the "motherly instincts" can make that happen. If you have a bird, any advice??

[mstplumeria]

My mom has a cockatiel. She bought him from Petsmart and took classes on how to handfeed him (he was a baby). Anyways, I would suggest visiting/calling your local Petsmart to see if they have someone who specializes in Birds who can answer your questions. I am sorry I do not know anything about birds!

Good luck,
Missy

[DianaB]

The only birds that we have are ducks on the pond!! I'm sorry that I don't have any answers for you.

[judy]

My mother used to have parakeets - usually 2 at a time, but not a male and female together. A few of the"males" laid unexpected eggs. Their beaks were just the wrong color and they were really females.

Altogether, we had 18 parakeets until she stopped keeping them as pets, many of them named Dartagnan from the Three Musketeers. (Don't ask me???) They're very fragile, which is how we went through 18 of them over the years. She took really good care of them and they were really affectionate to her. One would sit in her robe pocket when she walked around the house. A lot sat on her shoulder, some on her head. I personally couldn't stand them oh me with those little sharp claws.

The only problem is if they become eggbound, which means that the egg gets stuck. I would call the vet just to ask. Cockatiels are a lot bigger than parakeets and much stronger, but it pays to be careful.

Good luck with your little girl bird.

[AngieDoogles]

Thank you so much for your advice Judy. I will definitely give the vet a call. Brendon had her out yesterday and she seemed just fine, but I'll call just to be sure.

So you had a lot of birds with the same name? That's interesting. lol.

[judy]

I'm glad you're going to call the vet, although I'm sure she's okay. What her name?
Do you have to change ir now that "he's" a girl?

I don't have any idea why my mother named so many birds by the same name - especially D'Artagnan. I was a kid and probably either didn't care, or knew better than to ask questions (then you have to listen to the answers!!)

[Emmsmom]

I have often heard that females will lay eggs. Sometime that is the only way to tell if it is a male or female. Especially with cockatoos. We have a cockatiel. I THINK she is a she LOL. We are waiting for her to molt so we can see what the feathers will look like under her tail. So far she really does seem to be a she. I hope everything is ok.

[Emmsmom]

Just curious what color is she?

[Marilyn]

Chickens lay unfertilized eggs all the time. Of course they are bred that way so we can have another food source. I've heard of parakeets laying eggs but not cockatiels. Let us all know what the vet says. I'm really curious.

Have you told your mom yet???

[AngieDoogles]

I told my Mom immediately after I saw the egg because I was just so shocked that "he" is a girl. lol. I also wanted to find out if she'd ever heard of birds laying unfertilized eggs. She was pretty shocked and amused as well. I'll have to call the vet tomorrow on my lunch break because they aren't open on the weekend...I'll let you guys know what she says.

[Mandy]

Ive heard of it before, though mine has never done that. Good luck, Angie, and keep us posted. :)