Lovebirds are a type of parrot that comes in small sizes. They are kept in homes as companion pets. As their name suggests, lovebirds are known for their love and close bond with their partner.
These birds come in pairs and do not enjoy interacting with people. But if you only have one lovebird for some reason, the bird will need plenty of toys and social interaction.
A distinctive feature of lovebirds is that they often break their eggs. This is a somewhat mysterious behavior to understand for those who like to keep these birds as pets. Let’s shed some light on this and find out more.
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What causes lovebirds to break their eggs?
It can be shocking to watch small, loving parrots destroy their eggs. Eggs can be destroyed by either the mother or the father. Parents can hatch the eggs immediately after the mother lays them or wait a few days before destroying them. They usually break eggs in one of the following ways:
- Stomp or walk over the laid eggs
- Destroy and eat the contents of the eggs
- Throw the eggs out of the nest
- Accidental breakage of eggs
Although it is a confusing and tricky concept, there are a few common reasons why love birds break their eggs.
Stress, Anxiety, or Fear
Love birds may destroy eggs due to some external stimulus that causes them fear, anxiety, or any form of stress. The stimulus could be anything such as:
- Loud, sudden noises or sounds may be cause of fear
- Bright, flashing lights flooding the area around love birds
- Change in surrounding environment like adding or moving furniture
- New pets in the house like other parrots
- Sudden crowd of people like when you have guests over
- Other threatening creatures like cockroaches or mice
These sudden changes force the parents to take the drastic step of destroying their eggs. It is also the case that lovebird parents prioritize their safety over the eggs and are therefore likely to break the eggs if they feel the presence of the eggs is a threat. This preference is due to several reasons.
One is that if the parents are healthy, they can always lay more eggs. Eggs usually attract other prey and so destroying them keeps attention away. Also, it is difficult to take care of first the egg and then the newborn. Parents may not like to take responsibility.
Improper Nests
All species of parrots choose their nests carefully, but pet parrots do not have this choice. If you haven’t built a safe nest for the birds to lay their eggs in, the parents are likely to realize that the eggs are not in a safe place and destroy them.
There are a few essentials to providing a suitable nesting site. The nest should be high off the ground, have a hole about 1.5 to 3 feet deep, and have an opening for the parents to enter and leave. Be sure to establish a suitable corner of the nest with all conditions to provide a safe place to lay eggs.
Lack of entertainment channels
When you set up a bird cage, filling it with proper toys and stuff to keep the birds entertained should be on the priority list. This is because most birds will display aggressive or unusual behavior if they are bored.
Similar is the case for love birds. They may choose to destroy their eggs simply for the lack of things to do around the cage. If there is no source of entertainment or socialization, things get dull and parents may break their eggs for entertainment.
Lovebirds are active creatures that tend to jump around, peck, and tear or gnaw at things around the cage. If they don’t have any other channel, they may start to peck at, gnaw, or throw around their eggs which will destroy them.
Accidental Breakage
Lovebirds don’t always break them intentionally. Sometimes the eggs break accidentally. The parents could break them by chance in a number of ways:
- Cleaning the eggs too energetically
- Bump them while rotating them
- Accidental breakage while sitting over the eggs
- Breaking them by chance while trying to protect them
Do they break their eggs if we touch them?
There is a high chance that the lovebirds will break their eggs if you touch them. This is not because of human scent as some suggest. The mother could also proceed to break her eggs if she sees you near or around the nest. She may get scared and destroy them in stress.
It is a complete myth that the baby bird or eggs touched by humans will be abandoned by the parents. There is no lingering human scent that will force the parents to do so. It is solely fear, anxiety, and the possibility of contamination that leads the parents to break eggs if humans touch them.
How to stop lovebirds from breaking eggs and hatch them?
Several methods could be appointed to prevent or discourage parent lovebirds from breaking the eggs.
Reduce disturbances
Avoid making sudden noises or movements, especially around the nest or cage. When the eggs are laid, do not approach them so as not to frighten the mother. Minimize sudden and obvious stimuli and disturbances around the nest.
You can hatch lovebirds eggs at home with these methods easily.
Security
Make sure there are no pets or insects to scare the birds. Keep the area around the nest clean and free of any roaches or if you have other pets, keep them away from the birdcage.
Fake eggs and sufficient entertainment
To prevent the lovebirds from breaking their eggs due to boredom, make sure to provide plenty of entertainment in the cage. You can hang toys, feed them through creative ways, and even put fake eggs around. These fake eggs have soft shells and if the parents are feeling bored, they could push around the fake ones.
Artificial Incubation
In artificial incubation, eggs are provided controlled environments outside the nest which allows them to hatch. But it is not an easy process and should be carried out by an expert. Sometimes they start killing their babies, here are the solutions and reasons you must keep in mind.
Conclusion
Lovebirds are loving creatures but they need space, calmness, and entertainment to give birth. Eggs or no eggs, these birds make for very chirpy companions.
Hope you found this article helpful. Share it with other bird enthusiasts and comment if you have more tips.