Egg Binding in Parrots
Egg Binding: It seems to be a bit more common in pet female parrots than in breeding facilities, which perhaps may indicate a greater lack of exercise in the pet females which would mean their muscles were not as strong and functional as the breeder birds. In forty years I have only had two female ecelectus with egg binding problems and both birds had huge eggs they could never pass due to their size. So in both cases I had excellent avian veterinarians handle the problem.
The best solution for most egg binding cases is NOT surgery, nor pressure put on the bird's body, but a simple effective technique which solves the problem and leaves the bird in excellent health.
When it is clear the female has an egg binding problem, the vet exmines the bird. Sometimes the egg can be seen thru the cloaca. Sometimes it is a little farther up and needs to be viewed with equipment that sees into the body caviry.
Then the vet takes a syringe with a needle attached and inserts the needle INTO the egg and pulls out the egg contents. The shell then collapses and the bird generally passes the collapsed shell with an hour or so.
IF the egg is visible in the cloaca, it is easy for the vet to insert the needle and do the procedure. If the egg is farther up, the vet may use equipment to see the location of the egg and insert the needle thru the skin and flesh and then into the egg to withdraw the egg contents.
After the procedure these females recover quickly and well ands are back to normal very soon. This is the very best way to handle a seirous egg binding problem. IF your female parrot has an egg binding problem, be sure to discuss the procedure with your vet!
Laurella Desborough 5/14/2026
