Signs of a Pregnant Budgie: How to Tell If Your Budgie Will Lay Eggs

Budgies don't get pregnant the way mammals do. A female budgie (a hen) forms eggs and lays them, usually one every other day. A hen can even lay eggs without a male, though those eggs won't hatch. When people say "pregnant budgie", they mean a hen getting ready to lay. These are the signs.

9 signs your budgie is about to lay eggs

• **1. A swollen lower belly.** The area near the vent looks rounder and fuller.
• **2. Bigger, smellier droppings.** Hens often hold their droppings and pass large ones, especially in the morning.
• **3. Nesting behaviour.** Shredding paper, digging in corners and looking for dark, enclosed spaces.
• **4. Time in the nest box.** If there's a box, she spends more and more time in it.
• **5. Eating more,** especially cuttlebone and mineral blocks. She needs extra calcium to make eggshells.
• **6. A brown, crusty cere.** The band above the beak turns darker brown and rough when she's in breeding condition.
• **7. Tail bobbing or a wide stance.** She may stand with her legs apart or bob her tail as an egg moves down.
• **8. Sitting fluffed up and quiet.** Some hens rest more just before laying.
• **9. Mating behaviour beforehand.** If you keep a pair, you may have seen the male feeding her and mating.

What to do

• **Give extra calcium:** cuttlebone, a mineral block, and fresh vegetables.
• **Leave her in peace:** a quiet room, no rearranging the cage.
• **Don't remove eggs straight away:** she may lay more to replace them.

When to call a vet urgently

Egg binding happens when an egg gets stuck, and it can kill a hen within hours. Call a vet who treats birds immediately if she:

• Strains repeatedly without passing an egg
• Sits on the cage floor, fluffed and breathing hard
• Has a visible bulge at the vent but no egg after several hours

Find a bird vet near you on PetMap before you need one.

The budgie breeding box

If you plan to breed, a wooden nest box about 25 cm by 15 cm by 15 cm, with a hollow in the floor so eggs don't roll, works well. Only breed healthy budgies over about a year old, and no more than two clutches a year. Eggs hatch after about 18 days.

Don't want eggs?

Remove nest boxes and dark hiding spots, keep 10 to 12 hours of darkness at night, and avoid too much soft food. Repeated egg-laying drains a hen's calcium, so speak to a vet if it doesn't stop.

Looking for a pair? See our budgies, and read What Is a Budgie?.

Cover photo: Noshin R from 405 (CC BY 2.0), via Wikimedia Commons.