Do Parrots Lay Eggs? (When, How Do Parrots Lay Eggs)

Have you found an egg at the bottom of your parrot’s cage? You might wonder what to do with it now that it’s there.

This article will explain everything there is to know about parrot eggs, from laying to hatching.

In captivity, parrots lay 2 to 5 eggs per clutch. The size of the eggs is around 1.5″ X 1.2″ (⅓ the size of a chicken egg).

They usually lay these eggs over the course of 1 to 2 days. The parrot will start incubating the eggs once she’s laid at least 2. It will take 30 days for the eggs to hatch.

Of course, the eggs would have had to be fertilized by a male for them to hatch. Female parrots can lay eggs without going through sexual intercourse.

If your parrot has not been in contact with any other parrot, the eggs will not be fertile, and you won’t have to worry about them hatching.

How DoParrots Lay Eggs?

The egg cell inside the parrot travels to the oviduct and then to the magnum, where the egg’s white is formed. Then it travels to the uterus and the shell forms. All this takes around 20 hours.

When the time comes to lay the egg, the female parrot will become more vocal and restless.

It usually takes a few minutes for a female parrot to lay one egg. It can take hours before the next egg arrives if the female parrot lays multiples.

Parrots prefer to lay eggs in a dark nest, but if they’re caged, they’ll lay the egg from the perch or at the bottom of the cage.

Parrot Egg Laying Symptoms

If you have a female parrot, she is likely to lay eggs some time or the other.

Luckily, there are some signs that you may notice in your female parrot and determine that she is about to lay eggs.

Following are the symptoms that you may notice in your female parrot.

If your parrot’s attracted to dark spots around the home, she may be getting ready to lay eggs. If she’s always caged, you might find her scratching around at the bottom.
Your parrot may be very vocal with a different sort of voice, maybe even grunting.
There will be bloating under the tail near the body.
Female parrot may appear to be constipated.
Bloating near the anus. Sometimes the bloating can push smaller feathers away enough for you to see her skin.

What Age Do Parrots Lay Eggs?

Parrots lay eggs anywhere from 1 to 10 years of age, depending on the species.

Here are some examples of sexual maturity ages of different parrots:

Species	Age of Sexual Maturity
African Grey	3 to 5 years
Amazon	3 to 6 years
Eclectus	4 to 6 years
Large Parakeets	6 to 10 months
Lories & Lorikeets	2 years
Pionus Parrots	4 to 5 years
Cockatiels	1 to 2 years
Lovebirds	1 year
Parrotlets	10 months

When Do Parrots Lay Eggs?

Parrots lay eggs during springtime when days become longer and nights become shorter.

One reason for this is that the chicks will have grown enough to survive by the time the freezing winter comes.

There’s also more food and water all over during spring and summer to survive.

Your parrots may think that days are becoming longer if you don’t put them in cage and cover them with a blanket for around 12 hours.

They may believe that it’s springtime if you feed them rich foods high in fat and protein.

If you introduce other parrots or toys to your female parrot, she might bond with them, thinking that it’s her sexual companion.

This can lead to higher egg production. Even a mirror can give her the impression that a potential mate is nearby.

Interesting Further Reading:

Can Parrots Lay Eggs Without A Male?

Yes, parrots can lay eggs without being sexually active. The difference is that the eggs will not be fertilized and therefore won’t hatch.

Having a male around will typically increase the rate of egg-laying in the female and, of course, the chances of them being fertilized and hatching.

What Happens When A Parrot Lays Eggs?

When a parrot lays eggs, it may be a bit drained of protein, calcium, and energy. You should pay special attention to feeding your parrot a high-quality diet with a good amount of protein and calcium to get her levels back up again.

You can replace old water with fresh water more frequently than normal to promote hydration in your parrot.

Why Are Parrot Hatchlings Difficult To Raise?

It’s an enormous responsibility to look after little parrot chicks. Many potential health complications can lead to you racking up a substantial veterinary bill.

If you’re not a parrot breeder, you shouldn’t allow the eggs to hatch. We suggest removing the eggs from the cage when your parrot isn’t watching.

Replace those eggs with fake eggs, or your female parrot may continue to lay more. If you don’t have counterfeit eggs, you can boil the eggs from the nest for 10 minutes, allow them to cool down, and then place them back in the cage.

After 20 to 30 days, remove the eggs from the nest one by one each day until they’re all gone.

Recommended Further Reading:

Related Questions

Do Parrots Lay Eggs In A Cage?

Yes, parrots lay eggs in cages. They’ll do so from the perch at the top or on the cage floor. Even if the parrot is alone, it can still lay eggs, but it won’t produce chicks.

How Long Are Parrots Pregnant For?

The formation of a parrot egg and the laying thereof can take a day or two, but this isn’t referred to as pregnancy since birds lay eggs and incubate them to hatch.

In Which Months Do Parrots Lay Eggs?

Parrots naturally lay eggs in the springtime between the 20th of March and 20th of June in the USA.
If you have your parrot indoors and don’t cover them early in the evening until the next morning (12 hours), it may think that it’s springtime at any time of the year.
Rich foods and a warm environment can also make them believe that spring is here and it’s time to lay eggs.

Do Quaker Parrots Lay Eggs?

Yes, a Quaker can lay eggs after six months of age with or without another bird present.
A Quaker parrot might show nesting signs, like shredding paper and gravitating towards dark areas when she’s close to laying eggs.
She also becomes more vocal and may “scream out” randomly.

Can You Eat Parrot Eggs?

You can eat parrot eggs, but it wouldn’t be very satisfying because they’re so small.
They’re only around a third of a chicken egg size. Parrots don’t lay eggs very often, so it might take you an entire year to get enough eggs for one breakfast.