How to Stop a Pet Bird From Laying Eggs

When female birds reach sexual maturity, it's completely natural for them to begin exhibiting certain behaviors, such as laying eggs. While this is a natural process, a bird's breeding cycle can be triggered by other factors. These factors can include the length of her day, her mate's behavior, and even rainfall. Eggs don't have to be fertilized, and male birds don't even need to be present for a female bird to lay eggs. Occasional egg laying is normal, but repeated egg laying poses many health risks and should be discouraged.

Instructions

    • 1

      Change your bird's environment. Some birds' natural response to lay eggs is triggered by longer days. You can break this cycle by creating some artificial darkness with shades on windows or closed curtains. Try to limit exposure to light to less than 12 hours a day to break your bird's breeding cycle.

    • 2

      Rearrange the inside of the cage and remove any objects by which your bird lays eggs. Rearrange perches and toys, too. This might unsettle her cycle.

    • 3

      Remove any favorite objects or toys on which she regurgitates. She is using these objects as a "mate" and removing them might solve the problem.

    • 4

      Change any material in the cage you notice your bird shredding or using for nesting.

    • 5

      Move the bird's cage, or put the bird in another cage. Moving the cage might confuse the bird's cycle enough so she won't lay eggs, and changing cages might stop her breeding cycle.

    • 6

      Don't remove any eggs. Doing so encourages your bird to lay more eggs, which will eventually lead to a lack of calcium and protein. This can also cause eggs to have soft shells.

      To avoid the smell of rotting eggs, exchange the eggs with fake ones.

    • 7

      Don't feed your bird any soft, mushy foods; this can stimulate your bird to lay eggs.