Need guidance - Joey Rio laid an egg!

[kompinops]

So we just came home from 2 days in Gozo and I literally had this Disney Pixar UP moment:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=356ggJBR1fI#t=9

Joey Rio is a girl!

https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfp1/v/t1.0-9/q81/p180x540/1925291_10205828122323534_5093979830834368936_n.jp g?oh=9ae15ad5f49435bc0ceb3ec6072be0cf&oe=554FA48D&__gda__=1432331805_112a7672be853e6dcc1cd92e5e22d26 e

https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpf1/v/t1.0-9/q83/p180x540/10341996_10205828122443537_4254066018781402782_n.j pg?oh=b0ef6bc7a4c80d3e38619a22cb6c5c50&oe=555F4412&__gda__=1433188113_346996ab5d1d2a559038658c73188dc e

Now, I know this is obviously a blank, much like the eggs that hens lay, which we consume daily.

But I need your guidance please. What shall we do. What would YOU do?

Thanks in advance for your assistance.

BTW, here is the link to my introduction thread in case there's any relevant info: Hello from Malta (http://www.lovebirdsplus.com/community/showthread.php?23461-Hello-from-Malta)

[linda040899]

OK. Let's try that answer again. Since Joey Rio is a single lovebird, the eggs will be infertile but she needs to go through the egg laying/incubating cycle, regardless. A typical clutch is anywhere from 4-8 eggs, one egg laid every other day. Let her have her clutch and she will most likely abandon them 23 days after the last egg is laid, if not before. If you remove the eggs, she might continue to lay eggs, in an attempt to complete her clutch. Once she abandons the eggs, remove the eggs and nest box. Re-arrange her cage and hopefully, she' will be distracted for a while. Remove anything that she might see as nesting material, as well.

Make sure she has fresh water daily and cuttle bone to replace the calcium she's using to create the shells for the eggs.

[Z28Taxman]

She certainly looks pleased with herself in that first pic!

[linda040899]

It's definitely her egg and she will defend it with her life if it ever came down to that.

[Maxie]

How adorable!!! :)

[kompinops]

Thanks Linda, you're always helpful :)

Since she's such a sweetheart we would love to mate her eventually so that she may enjoy hatching a clutch. Any tips now seeing as we are past the stage of identifying the sex?

[linda040899]

Yup. Now you know that Joey Rio is a hen for sure. :) Other than making sure she gets extra calcium with her food (cuttle bone, shaved over seed if necessary) and watching her, that's about all you can do. You should be seeing an egg every other day. If she misses a day when she should be laying and you still see that telltale "torpedo butt" under her tail, she may be having difficulty laying her egg. If you don't have an avian vet, I would look for one now, just in case. I've been breeding since the early 1990s and I've only had a few egg bound hens but you want to prepare for whatever could happen.