Gross

[Tallyollyopia]

Okay, I have two peach-faced lovebirds, Gully and Fern. About two weeks ago they got really protective of their cage, whether or not they were in it, so I started cleaning it at night when the light was just high enough for me to see what I was doing. Somehow--and I don't know how--they managed to make a crack between the tray at the bottom of the cage and the back of the cage. They then--and again, I don't know why--starting putting food there. Since I was cleaning the cage at night (I figured it was a phase they'd get over) I didn't notice that the tray was no longer sitting flush with the back of the cage. The other night I emptied the tray and noticed that there egg casings on the bottom of the tray, which is when I found the packed food in the bottom. I won't gross anyone out--but it was gross.

My question: Is this some form of breeding behavior to try and hoard food? How do I keep this from happening again?