# Could Gemma be eggnant?



## Cozette (Jun 10, 2013)

So Gemma has been pooping big poops and not sleeping by her cuddly, but in her slinky which she hasn't done before. I thought it was bcz she is in a new cage now. She was also hiding under her newspaper so I removed it and put paper towels, which she does not do this with. She was doing that in her old cage too for a few weeks here and there.

I weighed her tonight and she weighs 37grams! I almost fell over. I will weigh her again tomorrow, as it is still hard to believe. Normally she is always about 33 since I got her. The last time I weighed her was a week or two ago. Could she be eggnant? Or could a bird ever gain weight when sick rather than loose?

Btw, she is almost 7mths old in a week.


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## aluz (Jul 24, 2011)

It would be easier to tell if you posted a picture of her vent area. Do you see any swelling there?
I sure hope she is not eggspecting, because she is still very young to already be preparing herself for such a demanding task.
If you haven't done so already, remove everything that even remotely resembles a nesting area.


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## Cozette (Jun 10, 2013)

Here are some photos


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## aluz (Jul 24, 2011)

Her vent looks perfectly normal to me! 
Maybe she has a bit more of poop build up because she has been eating more lately. An egg laying hen would make poops that are at least twice the size of normal ones and they would also have a more watery consistency.


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## Cozette (Jun 10, 2013)

aluz said:


> Her vent looks perfectly normal to me!
> Maybe she has a bit more of poop build up because she has been eating more lately. An egg laying hen would make poops that are at least twice the size of normal ones and they would also have a more watery consistency.


Really? Ok I wonder what is up with the sudden weight gain then. Yes her poops are 2 times the size of Oliver's right now. She also doesn't poop as often (but that has always been the case). Last night I cut back on her seeds more after weighing her and put a little more pellets in her cup instead. I also added some Cal D Solve to her water just in case. When I went to check on her before leaving, she was on the cage floor a little fluffed. When she saw me she ran to be and start chirping me out and then proceeded back to her slinky. I am going to worry about her today at work...it is going to be a long day! I am going to weigh her again when I get home.


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## aluz (Jul 24, 2011)

Since she is still very young she may still be "growing" as in getting more plump as she reaches maturity and that is very normal. I noticed it with my lovebird chicks. They get a stronger build as they reach adulthood and in no way are they overweight.
If Gemma were to have the poops an egg laying hen has, her vent should already be showing some swelling, and in those pics I'm not seeing an egg there, at least not yet.


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## Cozette (Jun 10, 2013)

aluz said:


> Since she is still very young she may still be "growing" as in getting more plump as she reaches maturity and that is very normal. I noticed it with my lovebird chicks. They get a stronger build as they reach adulthood and in no way are they overweight.
> If Gemma were to have the poops an egg laying hen has, her vent should already be showing some swelling, and in those pics I'm not seeing an egg there, at least not yet.


When I first got her she weighed about 31-32 grams. I did notice she gained a bit and stayed at a steady 33-34 grams for the last several months. Last night she weighed 37grams and I had just weighed her a week or two ago (and she weighed 33.XX grams). For comparison, Oliver my 4.5 year old male parrotlet is 28-30grams. I think that 37grams might be too heavy. From my experience, most parrotlets are 25-35grams, with the average being around 30grams. She does have the line down her chest that looks like cleavage but I can feel her keel (I am not good at that tho and the other birds' keel feel sharper to me than hers).


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## Cozette (Jun 10, 2013)

Chest cleavage is kinda visible here. This was taken today.


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## aluz (Jul 24, 2011)

I don't know if the same applies for parrotlets but female lovebirds in general are bigger in size as in height and are also heavier in built, hence have more weight put on than males. That is also what I have noticed with my lovebird flock and they are all healthy and don't have any weight related issues.


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## Cozette (Jun 10, 2013)

Yeah I have a feeling she'll be laying soon. Her poops have more urine and are very large and darker. She snuck into Oliver's cage yesterday so she could hide under his newspaper since I had removed hers . He kept staringdown at her like what are you doing? LOL When I walked over to check on her, she came storming out to tell me off, then five minutes laters she is sleeping on my chest in a pink baby blanket. I hate to tell her that those are polar opposite personality types


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## Cozette (Jun 10, 2013)

39.4 grams ....up more than 6 grams in like two weeks. Her vent is a little swollen too. Massive poops and cranky. How long before I should expect it?


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