Finch is fatter than usual?

Question

My female cordon bleu finch just laid 5 eggs 5 days ago, yet she still seems a lot pudgier than she used to be (even when she was laying eggs). Is this normal? Several times a day she comes out of the nest to exercise and eat. I'm not sure if she is egg bound, because she still flies and perches near the top of the cage, and I believe egg bound birds stay near the bottom.

My finches eat seed, millet spray, cuttle bone, greens, and hard boiled eggs, and the same amount of food is gone as was before she laid eggs, so I do not think she is eating less.

I suppose my general question is, do female finches slow their metabolism or store fat reserves to be able to sit on their eggs all day, thus giving a chubby appearance? Or is there something perhaps wrong?

Answer 1

She may be egg bound,just rub a little mineral oil down there.Even if she's not it won't hurt anything.

                  Debbie O

Answer 2

I sincerely doubt she is egg bound.

You really wouldn't have any question in your mind if she was - it would be totally obvious.

You would see her (yes, most likely at or towards the bottom of the cage) laboring and you'd be able to see her cloaca expanding and contracting in an effort to expell the egg.

She wouldn't be flying much, eating or drinking hardly at all.

She'd be breathing heavily, look listless/lethargic, and just be visibly taxed in appearance.

Producing eggs, though, takes a huge toll on the female in terms of energy and nutrients.

Maybe she looks pudgy because she has been eating a bit more ravenously to compensate for the energy/food it's taken to produce the eggs.

I don't think it's any cause for alarm.

Hens usually look a bit "softer" than males anyways, and sure - it probably helps keep them more satiated when they're sitting on eggs 24/7 for 2+ weeks time to have more fat stored.

Just out of curiosity - do you have a mate for her? Are you familiar with cordon bleus at all in terms of breeding?

They need to have a huge amount of live food to prevent them from tossing the chicks the second they hatch.

I'd start offering it to them now if possible.