Hey Michael-
Sometimes we have oddities! I know that my female Cordon has been totally healthy and happy since I brought her home with the exception of the week when her wing was hurting her. However, she tends to fluff when she sits no matter what is going on. I keep my room cool, but they have ceramic heaters toward which they can choose to get close or f As I posted earlier - she has laid several good eggs and is not egg-bound right now b/c she is sitting on infertile society eggs to get a break for the societies to fledge out the cordon babies. Zebra finches by nature lay eggs more often than any other finch with the possible exception of the societies. To check if she is eggbound if you ever wonder, gently probe her with your fingers along the back end of her abdomen and you will find that there is a definite egg in there if there is a problem. While I advocate going to a vet for any pet of any size, not everyone is able to spend the money to do so. And in some cases, going to a vet is too traumatic for a sick finch. So, I try to have a phone number to call. I will email you my phone number to call if you need help with health concerns as I feel I have faced most of them and I have a bunch of contacts who are professionals in the finch world. If I can't answer your question, I can get an answer quickly. Since you are actively breeding your birds, this can be handy.
If you want to "give" your mom a break between nestings, you will face several probs: one, she has an internal drive that as long as the season is right she should be breeding and nesting... two, zebras won't require a nest for nesting - as Mavis said - they will use a food bowl or even pull millet down and use that... three - you have a male with the same drive as your female...
I have two society females that constantly lay eggs. They sit on them and protect them and get REALLY mad if I remove them (glare at me - LOL)... I have found that the best way to balance your breeding safely for your birds is to have actual seasons. For instance... amount of "daylight" will often be the best control. Let them raise several clutches over several months and then cut back on their daylight for the fall and winter. If they are outside, this should happen naturally. Provide calcium and vitamin D supplements through several means: crushed oyster shells, cuttlebone, and I like a liquid supplement called "CalciBoost." Hardboiled eggs (chop them up with shells and all) while feeding and nesting are GREAT. You can mix any food with powdered eggfood. I prefer to avoid live food even though I have Africans Waxbills - so I use "Insectivorous Feast" - a food that is literally soft food made of mooshed up insect larvae (YUCK)- Zebras and Societies don't normally eat this stuff, but starting today I added it to the food options - mixed with eggfood. Yellow squash is also a great source of both calcium and Vitamin D3.
I have been told by some really good breeders that finches will know what they need (crave) and it is best to offer any variety of foods separately to see that your birds can choose what they need. If they don't consume what they need, then try to mix the neglected necessities in a form they won't refuse. I do not like "water soluble" supplements because it turns bad quickly and my birds bathe more than they drink. I have added Calci-boost to food instead and had no problems. Eggfood makes a nice base in which to add liquid supplements, but do so in small amounts because you will need to replace it often as it dries up and needs to stay pretty fresh.
Okay - I know this is way more info than you ever needed to know - and its a tiny summary of info I have collected in the process of succeeding with difficult breeder species. I usually buy my bird food, bedding, supplements - everything really - through
www.birds2grow.com as they have been around for a very long time and I have never found a product that didn't do good by me. Very affordable compared to other places, as well.
Good luck and I hope your momma bird is just a bit overweight and not sick!
