Urgent Help Needed - Egg Laying

[joeandsoph]

Hey everyone,

So Tilly has started digging today (although she showed no signs that she was ready to lay eggs!),

She's still digging now and I have some questions mif you can help.

How long will she be in the laying bin for?
How do we know if she has laid any eggs when she comes out?
What if she just stays in there for ages, do we disturb her or what?
If she lays, will there be any more left to lay?

I'm a little worried cos this is her first time!

 

[joeandsoph]

Anybody??

I need help :-( please

 

[jannb]

Give Tilly complete privacy and allow her to do her job.

She could lay this eveing or it could be in the morning. Sometimes they even dig test holes.

After she has laid she will cover the hole, pat the dirt down and go back up on a branch. She will look very thin.

Hopefully it wants take forever and that she will lay them all.

After she's finished give her plenty of water and well gutloaded feeders that are very well dusted in calcium. If you have liquid calcium give her a couple drops of than.

 

[pbnstevo]

Yup, privacy is the name of the game. Let her do her thing, if you interrupt her she could get frightened and become gravid.

 

[joeandsoph]

This is going to sound really stupid, but what if she stays in the laying bin overnight or something. What will happene to her. Don't want her to suffocate whilst we're sleeping!

 

[jannb]

She may stay in the laying bin all night. Camille (my female) did sleep down in the hole once and then laid about 10:00 the next morning.

 

[joeandsoph]

Jann is this safe? Will she be ok if she stays in there (it's sand)? Do we leave the room and not even check on her all night?

 

[jannb]

I used wash play sand that was moist enough to hold a tunnel without caving in on her. Did you test the sand before she started digging? It will get very quite and you will not hear anymore scratching if she goes to sleep in the hole. If or when you check on her be sure that you do not let her see you. This could stop her laying process and cause her to become egg bound. I can never sleep when Camille is in the laying bin. It's way too stressful.

 

[joeandsoph]

I really don't know what to do for the best. She's in the bedroom see...do I stay in there and keep out the way and leave her all night, or do I check on her occaisinally. The sand is pretty moist but how do I know it's not going to cave in...so many things going through my head lol.

 

[jannb]

Just check on her occasionally.

 

[joeandsoph]

Ok well left her too it, she dug for a while and she's just got her head poking out now...

 

[Miss Lily]

She might well be laying if she's bum down. Lily dug test holes for 3 days before finally getting to her satisfaction onthe 4th day! She had me totally stressed! Is this Tilly's first clutch? She's about the same age as Amy isn't she? Amy is 17-18 months now and still hasn't laid! Good luck! I remember all too well how stressful it is at laying time - they just get on with it while we pace the floor worried to death about them, lol!

 

[joeandsoph]

Hey Tiff,

Yeh she's the same age. She seems to be ok I know we just gotta let her get on with it. So hard though.

How will we know if she laid?

 

[joeandsoph]

I think she's laying right now...he eyes have gone in a little and she's quite dark. She's kind of in the hole with her head poking out. Very quick if she is, she only started digging at about 5pm. It's now 8.20 PM if your not in the UK.

 

[Miss Lily]

When she has finished laying, she will fill in the hole and flatten everything down, then return to the branches. (They cover and pack the soil/sand back down so well it's hard to get the eggs out, lol!) At this point you can offer her food and water - she will need a good long drink after that! Give her well dusted (with calcium) food for a couple of days to get her calcium levels back up again. Lily was so huge that she looked skinny, wrinkly and 'empty' after, but I doubt Tilly will look much different if you didn't think she was gravid!

I was a wreck when Lily laid, in fact I was worse with the second clutch as I knew what to expect! I'm sure the whole thing will be far worse for you than for Tilly!

 

[Miss Lily]

I think she's laying right now...he eyes have gone in a little and she's quite dark. She's kind of in the hole with her head poking out. Very quick if she is, she only started digging at about 5pm. It's now 8.20 PM if your not in the UK.

In that case, I know what you will ask next, and I'm not sure I know the right answer - do you turn the lights off or not?! I was told with Lily's first clutch that I could leave her lights on if necessary (better to let her finish what she's started), but others advise to keep the normal routine and let her sleep in the hole. You might want to leave just a dim light on tonight if she's still going once it gets dark. Luckily Lily was finished and back in the branches by 10.30pm, so I never had to make that decision. I turned the lights off after she had finished as I knew she was nearly done at the normal lights out time.

 

[joeandsoph]

Good point, I never even thought about the light! Maybe we'll just leave one light on. It's not too bright but not to dark.

 

[joeandsoph]

To be honest, I keep thinking shes a little fat but Joe says she's fine. But last night she looked kind of lumpy ish. Hard to explain. So I think she will look skinny!

 

[kinyonga]

When she's done laying them and done filling in the hole and tamping it down and has returned to the branches make sure you water her well and feed her well for a couple of days and then cut the food back so it will help her lay a smaller clutch or no clutch the next time.

I recommend that you dig up the eggs even if they are infertile so you can see how many she laid. (Of course you would incubate them if she was mated.)

 

[joeandsoph]

Hi Kinyonga,

No they are not fertile but I am interested to see the quantity of eggs. Do I dig them up straight away or is it likely that she'll have a few more.

I mean, what is the average amount of eggs they can lay?