Chronic egg laying (excessive ovulation) in parrots
Other names: Repeated egg laying without a male
Symptoms
- Repeated egg laying even without a male
- Weakness and pathological fractures from calcium deficiency
- Nesting behavior
How it spreads
Not contagious; long day length >12 hours, a rich diet, a partner/mirror/attachment to the owner, some mutations have a genetic predisposition.
Diagnosis
History, radiographs, calcium tests.
Treatment
Reduce lighting to 8 hours, pellets, removing nests and triggers, calcium, injection/implant of a hormonal regulator (GnRH agonist), salpingectomy (oviduct removal) as a last resort. Do not remove eggs immediately (leave them until the female stops brooding) — common practice.
Prevention
Lighting ≤12 hours outside the breeding season, a measured diet, not petting the back.
Treatment and doses are decided by an avian vet after an exam; Zajel does not publish doses.