# zebra finches - egg eating please help



## angie.lonsdale (Jan 19, 2009)

Hi, I have 4 zebra zinches 2 females 2 males. They have been living together for 5 months, i came home this evening from work to find a egg in the egg food bowl, this wasn't touched just looked at by myself. 10 minutes the other female came over and ate the egg, Im not sure how many eggs she has laid although she looks pretty tired bless her, or how many of these have been eaten.. they have two nest in the cage but she still chose to lay the egg in the egg bowl. I read up on that and was advised the mother could eat it out of bad habbit. would another female do it out of jealousy?
This is the first time any of them had breed. :crazy:


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## Angel44 (Feb 11, 2008)

I have zebra finches and have never had this problem with them. Is there any way you could split up your pairs and put them into separate cages? At least then one of the pairs will be able to lay and sit on their eggs... Also just a thought, are you giving them extra calcium/cuttlefish? It may be that the hen is deficient in calcium...


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## angie.lonsdale (Jan 19, 2009)

Hi thank you for your response, im going to have to look at another cage trouble is they are all in my bedroom i have two budgies in seprate cages a canary, and then the finches also have two african greys, and I don't know which one has paired with her as the males were brought first and paired up would it matter which one i put her in with? they have two cattlefish is there anything else i can get for calcium?they also have egg food.


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## angie.lonsdale (Jan 19, 2009)

The Hen laid another egg on monday night, she laid it in the nest this time and I am finding both the hens laying on it, last night they were both in there together laying on it, the hen that laid likes to make sure she is sitting on it but she allows the other female in there they cuddle up together.. I guess its better than it being eaten


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## DUSTY (Oct 14, 2008)

Hi, see who she cuddles up with at night......he'll be the dad probably.

Ideally they should be separated into pairs if they are kept in cages for breeding time........which is all year round for me.

Mine happily try an pinch anothers nest resulting in a squabble and occassionally I get mixed colours in a nest showing more than one female has laid there.

Mine are aviary kept so haven't had a problem with another eating eggs ....maybe they need extra vitamins. Mine get ABIDEC.


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## angie.lonsdale (Jan 19, 2009)

Hi Dusty, 
They haven't paired together male and female, the two males believe they are a pair and the two females believe they are a pair, if the eggs are fertile it means that one of the males have cheated but they cuddle up to their own sex not in pairs.. 
There isn't anyway of me finding out which has paired with which unless i watch them 24/7 both the females have resulted on laying on the eggs now and it seems to me the males are going in the nest and eating them. They have six cuttlebones planted around the cage plus millet spray plus grit of all kinds mixed together with egg food and rearing food.. Not a lot else I can give them. I never brought them for breeding so its not a big problem. As I said I don't know which one to separate them with.. One of the males is just a big bully and its the other male sleeps eats drinks baths with him they build their own nest together etc


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## Aena (Oct 13, 2014)

i have two zebra finches and they have laid so many eggs during the past year but they eat every single one what can i do to prevent them from eating their egg omelets and start hatching them?


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## poohdog (May 16, 2010)

*Once in the habit it's hard to stop them.Try some hard boiled grated egg in a small pot every day and see if makes a difference.Make sure they also have a supply of fine oystershell grit.

I take it you have a pair and not two hens. *


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