If you have a female cockatiel, you NEED to be aware of the egg-binding condition.

Egg binding is a serious medical illness that prevents a female bird from laying an already-developed egg. 

In other words, the egg gets stuck inside the bird’s body.

This article leverages multiple trustworthy sources to bring you all the information you need to know about egg-binding in cockatiels, including its causes, symptoms, treatments, and most importantly, how you can prevent your feathered friend from becoming egg-bound.   

Disclosure: I’m not an avian vet or a medical expert. All info in this article has been well researched from reliable sources, but the author himself is not a vet. The info in this article should not be taken as medical advice nor should it surpass any professional recommendations.

Quick Navigation:

• How Egg-Binding Affects Cockatiels
  • What Bird Species Can Become Egg-Bound?
• Causes Of Egg-Binding In Cockatiels
• 4 Ways To Prevent Egg Binding
  • 1. Feed Your Bird A Nutritionally Balanced Diet
  • 2. Provide Calcium Supplements
  • 3. Don’t Allow Your Bird To Become Obese
  • 4. Reduce Hormonal Stimulation
• How Long Can Egg-Bound Birds Live?
• Symptoms & Signs Of Egg-Binding In Birds
  • What To Do If You Think Your Bird Is Egg-Bound
  • How Avian Vets Diagnose Egg Binding
  • How Are Egg-Bound Cockatiels Treated

How Egg-Binding Affects Cockatiels

As mentioned, egg binding is when a developed egg gets stuck and cannot be delivered from the bird’s body.

It’s also referred to as “dystocia”.

Obviously, only females can become egg-bound, but it can happen without a male being present to fertilise the egg. That’s right, female cockatiels can become egg-bound with both sterile eggs and fertile eggs.

Egg binding is extremely uncomfortable and painful for the unfortunate hen.

It’s also fatal if not treated in time.

This condition is not to be confused with chronic egg-laying, which is a separate condition that involves the female laying too many eggs for her body to handle. However, chronic egg-laying is a common cause of egg binding.

Related: 6 Ways To Stop Chronic Egg-Laying Birds

What Bird Species Can Become Egg-Bound?

Most birds and parrots can become egg-bound, even chickens.

According to Long Beach Animal Hospital, egg binding is far more common in smaller birds, such as budgies, parakeets, cockatiels, lovebirds, finches, and canaries. This is not great news for those of us who keep these smaller species.

Causes Of Egg Binding In Cockatiels

Here are the common causes of egg binding in pet birds according to various vet sources:

• Diets low in calcium – Egg development primarily uses calcium, so it makes sense that a lack of calcium can contribute towards egg binding.

• Diets low in vitamins D and E, and selenium – Seed-only diets or diets high in fat are often low in calcium, vitamin D, vitamin E, and selenium, so ensure you’re providing a nutritionally balanced diet to your bird. (VCAHospital)

• Improperly formed egg – Soft-shelled and shell-less eggs are more prone to getting stuck.

• The egg itself – Eggs that are too large or positioned incorrectly can become stuck.

• Obesity – Is caused by high-fat diets, seed-only diets, and a lack of exercise.

• Genetic factors – They could have inherited the problem from their parents, who were also prone to egg binding (NLM)

• Chronic egg laying – Birds who excessively lay eggs are prone to egg binding.

• Hormones

• Existing problems with the bird’s reproductive tract – Tumours, infections, and inflammation in the tract can cause swelling, which can lead to egg binding.

These causes don’t only apply to cockatiels, but to most other birds prone to egg binding.

Many of the listed causes also cause other illnesses, so it’s important to implement preventative measures to ensure the long-term health of your feathered companion.

4 Ways To Prevent Egg Binding (Preventative Measures)

Taking measures to prevent egg binding is extremely important, especially after learning it’s a fatal condition that your female cockatiel is prone to. Below are 4 things you can do to help prevent your bird from becoming egg-bound.

1. Feed Your Bird A Nutritionally Balanced Diet

You may have noticed that the first listed causes of egg binding were feeding unhealthy diets.

Nutritional deficiencies are a common cause of egg binding, so it makes sense that providing a healthy diet with an adequate amount of calcium, vitamins D and E, and selenium helps prevent the health condition.

Seed-only diets and diets high in fatty treats are not nutritionally balanced ❌

High-quality pellets, vegetables, and fresh fruits are high in vital nutrients ✅

Specific bird species require different diets, but here’s my vet-approved diet guide for cockatiels:

How To Feed A Nutritionally Balanced Cockatiel Diet

2. Provide Calcium Supplements

If you don’t think your bird is getting enough calcium from their diet, you can provide supplements.

The most popular calcium supplements for cockatiels, budgies, and other small birds are cuttlefish bones and mineral blocks. Both of which are normally made from 80% calcium.

Since egg production uses a lot of calcium, it’s important for your female to have almost constant access to a calcium source.

This will help prevent egg binding.

3. Don’t Allow Your Bird To Become Obese

An obese bird is more prone to becoming egg-bound (BirdExoticVet).

To help prevent egg binding, you must make efforts to stop your bird from becoming obese.

Once again, this falls back to providing a healthy diet, but it also includes exercising your bird. Encourage them to fly, shred, climb, and walk to help them burn a few calories!

Doing this coupled with a low-fat diet will help prevent obesity in your bird.

4. Reduce Hormonal Stimulation

Egg laying, and therefore the possibility of egg binding, is influenced by the cockatiel’s hormones.

By reducing hormonal stimulation, you can help prevent egg binding.

Of course, your bird getting hormonal is inevitable, but there are certain things you can do to stop hormones from surging excessively:

• Decrease daylight hours & increase sleeping time (12 – 14 hours)

• Remove nesting materials (shredded paper for example)

• Remove potential nesting sites (nesting box, happy huts, dark cavities, etc)

• Reduce access to male birds

• No petting along the back

If you notice hormonal behaviours, try implementing some of the listed tricks to calm hormones and therefore reduce the risk of egg binding.

How Long Can Egg-Bound Birds Live?

Not long, which is why it’s vital to bring a potentially sick bird to a vet ASAP.

How an individual bird reacts to egg binding can vary greatly…

Smaller birds, such as cockatiels, can show signs of illness for 1 or 2 days before dying or die suddenly without showing any symptoms at all. (The Vet’s Corner)

Larger birds can survive a little longer with symptoms, but not too much longer.

Observing your female and being alert to any signs of egg-binding is crucial to their survival.

Symptoms & Signs Of Egg Binding In Birds

Below are common symptoms of egg binding as listed by several vet sources:

• Sad-looking behaviour – Puffed up all the time, sleeping all day, not vocalising, etc.

• Difficulty perching – The stuck egg puts pressure on the legs, which can result in weakness and an inability to perch properly.

• Sitting at the bottom of the cage – Indicates a lack of strength for perching.

• Tail bobbing

• Straining to lay the egg – This can also look like a struggle to poop.

• Leg paralysis – The undelivered egg can paralyse one or both of the bird’s legs due to the pressure. If your female struggles to walk, they could have leg paralysis.

• Loss of appetite

• Excessive sleeping – Sleeping more often than usual.

• Laboured breathing – Struggling to breathe.

• Swelling around the vent or abdomen

• Constipation – Since the egg often blocks the vent, an egg-bound bird may struggle to defecate, if at all.

• Sudden death in some cases

• Vomiting

• Visible bulging near the vent – Sometimes the egg can get stuck right near the vent and it visibly pokes out. If you notice an egg bulge near the vent, see a vet immediately.

The listed signs are not only symptoms of egg-binding, but they can also indicate a lot of other bird illnesses. It’s also important to be super vigilant to any sudden changes in behaviour as cockatiels and most other birds are very good at hiding their pain and discomfort.

Related: Cockatiel Signs Of Sickness You Must Be Aware Of

What To Do If You Think Your Bird Is Egg-Bound

If you notice any signs of sickness that you believe could be related to egg binding, the smartest thing to do is take your bird to a vet ASAP. Remember, egg-bound cockatiels won’t survive too long without treatment.

Set up a padded area on the bottom of a travel cage and rush to your nearest avian vet.

If you call up and say that your bird is egg-bound, vets consider this an emergency, so they’ll see you as soon as you get there.

The preventative measures listed above are just that, preventative measures, and it’s too late to implement them once your cockatiel is egg-bound. I wouldn’t recommend any “home remedy” solutions to egg binding unless you’re an avian vet yourself.

My only suggestion is to get them to a professional immediately after noticing symptoms.

How Avian Vets Diagnose Egg Binding

Before any bird gets treated for egg binding, it must first be diagnosed with the condition.

Avian vets can do this with a number of methods, but the most popular way is via an x-ray that shows the egg inside the body. Sometimes the vet can simply feel the egg around the abdomen, which is enough to determine that they’re egg-bound.

If it’s a shell-less egg, it hardly appears on an x-ray, in which case the vet may use a sonogram.

How Are Egg-Bound Cockatiels Treated?

How a vet decides to treat an egg-bound bird depends on the harshness of the case.

Of course, all cases of egg binding are serious, but avian vets have different treatments available for different levels of severity. Less severe cases can be treated with provided heat, injectable fluids, vitamin D3, and calcium to help the bird pass the egg independently (VCAHospitals).

Seriously ill birds are first treated for shock before they try removing the egg from the bird’s body.

Sometimes supplemented oxygen is needed.

If there’s no other option, another treatment is to put the bird under anesthetic and perform surgery.

But this is pretty risky for the bird, so it’s strictly a last resort.

Sources:

• https://www.birdexoticsvet.com.au/factsheets/2020/6/6/egg-binding-in-birds
• https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/egg-binding-in-birds
• https://www.thesprucepets.com/signs-of-egg-binding-in-birds-390494
• https://www.dvm360.com/view/how-i-treat-psittacine-egg-binding-and-chronic-laying-proceedings
• https://lbah.com/avian/egg-binding/
• https://www.cockatielcottage.net/egg_laying.html