It’s normal for female budgies to want to nest and lay eggs, as that is how they reproduce in the wild. Due to their small body sizes, it can pose a real challenge to know when your budgie is expecting and make preparations for it. If your main concern is how to tell if a budgie is pregnant, then there is no need to worry anymore.
Budgies are egg-layers, and they don’t become pregnant as mammals do. As there is no embryonic development within the mother’s body, you cannot rely on a bulging baby bump or swollen nipples to tell when your budgie is pregnant. However, if you are keen, you can know when your budgie is pregnant due to some changes during that period. You can tell if your budgie is pregnant by observing the following changes that occur when a budgie is pregnant:
1. Behavioral Changes
When a budgie is pregnant, she will continue to carry out her daily activities, such as playing, climbing, and flying, as only one egg is formed at a time.
However, there can be some minor changes in the way she acts. Your budgie is likely to spend most of her time in the nest, cleaning the nesting area and herself.
She will become overprotective and defensive of the nest against intruders and even her male mate.
2. Outward Appearance
No noticeable change occurs with the budgie’s appearance as there is little weight gain or swollen belly. It’s only for the case of keen budgie breeders, who can tell when the budgie is pregnant as it gets a little rounder abdomen.
3. Physical Changes
Budgies will molt more when pregnant since:
1. They use their feathers as nesting materials.
2. They use their abdomen to warm the eggs during incubation and chicks after hatching.
Your budgie will also poop less frequently. Its cere (covering of the upper beak) color will change and become crustier.
To ascertain when your budgie is pregnant, you ought to be keen to identify the signs, as they are usually subtle.
What Are The Symptoms of Budgie Pregnancy?
Budgies are ready to lay eggs between four months and a year old. However, you should breed your budgie when it reaches two years old and is sexually mature. Breeding a budgie when it’s too young can cause health problems, and it’s not mature enough to sit on a clutch.
Birds can lay eggs whether fertilized or not; hence, you should not be surprised if you have no male budgie yet you see an egg in the cage.
The following are signs of a budgie that is about to lay eggs:
1. Bigger Budgie Poop
Budgies relieve themselves every 15-20 minutes, which reduces during pregnancy. As the eggs develop, they are stored within the budgie’s torso, thus reducing the available space and constricting the large intestines, leading to less pooping.
With the reduced frequency of pooping, the budgie will excrete a giant poop whenever it is ready to relieve itself. It would be best to constantly feed your budgie with fresh vegetables, fruits, and water for efficient excretion.
2. Presence of an Egg Bum
You will feel a soft, solid lump for a gravid budgie if you touch the area around the vent. This is due to their small size and lack of internal space to conceal the developing egg. However, it is hard to tell if your budgie is pregnant in cases where the budgie lays fewer eggs.
3. Change of Cere Color
Female budgies have a white or light-blue cere, which can change to brown or off-white as the breeding season approaches.
The cere can also become thicker and crustier as the budgies get ready to start laying their eggs.
4. The Budgie’s Belly Becomes Swollen
The budgie’s abdomen swells slightly as the egg pushes the abdominal organs outward. However, it is difficult to notice the swelling in some small species.
5. A Brood Patch Appears
A small patch of featherless skin forms around the budgie’s vent during the breeding season. This is a sign of readiness to mate.
A brood patch is a sure sign that soon your budgie will be pregnant or that it’s pregnant and carrying an egg.
6. Weight Gain
A few extra grams are gained to indicate that your budgie is ready to start laying eggs. You won’t notice any weight gain by just looking at your budgie, but you can have it weighed by your veterinarian.
What Do Birds Do When They Are Pregnant?
As the breeding season approaches, birds exhibit some behavioral changes, which can indicate that they are pregnant. You will realize your bird is:
1. Acting Protectively
Due to the spike in hormones, your bird will act more defensively. She will be overprotective of herself, her mate, or her nesting area.
She will be less willing to leave her nest or interact with you.
2. Spending More Time Around the Nest
If your bird spends more time in or around the nest, she will likely be pregnant. She will be involved in activities such as:
1. Feathering the nest to make it comfortable for laying the eggs.
2. Sitting in the nest instead of playing or socializing
3. Defending the spot from other birds.
4. She gets obsessed with the cleanliness of the nest and herself.
3. Having Affectionate Displays
Birds interested in mating or those mated are affectionate and flirt with each other. They spend most of their time sitting side by side and can regurgitate food for each other.
4. Cleaning the Nesting Area
When a bird is pregnant, it will spend most of its time cleaning the nest by collecting feathers, scattering them, and rearranging nesting materials.
The female bird comes out of the nesting box less frequently, and the male assists with feeding it.
5. Stays at the Bottom of the Cage
When pregnant, your bird will spend most of its time at the bottom of the cage, collecting nesting materials.
When there is no nest box, your bird will try to lay at the bottom of the cage.
6. Eating More Food
The bird will begin to eat more after it starts to develop an egg. This is because it will need more minerals for egg formation, and a lot of energy is required to lay the eggs.
Hence, the bird should be given a diet rich in calcium and proteins during the breeding season.
How Long Does a Budgie Get Pregnant?
It takes 8-10 days after successful breeding for eggs to be developed and laid. Once it starts laying, the budgie will lay an egg every 24 hours until she finishes with all the eggs in the clutch.
Do Birds Get Visibly Pregnant?
No, birds do not get visibly pregnant since they are oviparous. They lay eggs, and the embryos develop outside of their bodies.
As female birds don’t look swollen when about to start laying their eggs, you cannot tell if the bird is pregnant by simply looking at it.
Hence, it would be best if you relied on signs your bird exhibits when pregnant. One has to be careful when confirming these signs, as they sometimes resemble symptoms of illness.
Can I Hold a Bird While Pregnant?
Yes, you can hold a bird while pregnant. However, the handling should be minimized to avoid damaging the eggs forming within the bird.
Due to the aggressive nature of the bird during the breeding season, it will tend to bite if you try to touch it. Avoiding holding your bird will help prevent budgie bites.
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