Any ideas on how to get her to just EAT from the seed dish? Is that too much to ask? or will she just do what she wants no matter what anyone tells her to do? (if so, she must take after her mommy 
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Any ideas on how to get her to just EAT from the seed dish? Is that too much to ask?So, it sounds like the dish is her nest and that she has her heart set on it!! Maybe you could try putting the paper towelling into the current dish you use for food, and introduce a new food dish for the time being?
She still sounds like she is preparing to lay an egg, especially with all the nesting behaviour that is going on. The difficulty is deciding what is normal, and at what point you think she may be egg bound. What you don't want to do is cause her the stress of a visit to the vet when she is fine, and interrupt her from laying. On the other hand, you don't want to leave it too long if there is a problem.
The key thing at this stage is to watch her very carefully. Observe all her behaviour all the time, so that you know if something changes. I am certainly no expert (or egg-xpert) in breeding, but I have for sure seen an egg-bound bird.
Here are the things that I suggest you keep an eye on:
- Droppings. If there is an egg sitting in the cloaca, it's presence can make the act of passing any motions more difficult for the bird, so they go less often. When they do go, it is usually very large. Not all the time, but the first poop of the day is usually a big one! If the poops become bigger all the time, and you notice her really straining to pass one, that could be a sign that something is wrong, just because if the egg is causing such an obstruction, it should be in just the right place before coming out. If she is straining very badly each time there is a poop, it could be that the egg is stuck. What I saw was straining to the extent that I though my bird's inside's were going to prolapse & it looked so sore!
- Breathing. Her breathing may seem generally a little heavier if she has an egg sitting in there, but not always. If her breathing becomes laboured and she is panting a lot, especially during resting, then that sounds too like there is something wrong.
- Behaviour. All the nesting behaviour is already happening, so no need to describe that. She may also get very stroppy, and will take to you handling her a lot less. That is normal if she has an egg. She will spends a fair bit of time trying to lay, with periods of rest in between, where she will come up to the perch, go for food/play, & she will seem to play more excessively, as if really happy. If she gets to a stage where she is permanently sitting on the floor and straining, not moving even for food, take her straight to an avain vet. My vet described to me the contractions to look for if she is trying to lay, which I never saw because my bird was so incapable of laying, I don't think she even had the muscle action there. He said that the area where the swelling is, around the cloaca, will contract simultaneously on both sides if she is ready to lay. An egg should follow soon after that has started.
A little word of warning here. If an egg is in the cloaca for too long, the biggest risk is damage to the surrounding organs. Liver damage especially, which can prove fatal. The pressure from the egg can stop organs working properly. Jo's first egg (it was about 4 times the size of a normal egg) killed off some of the nerves leading to her left leg, and she can no longer use the foot properly. This is where you really have to watch the breating, and any large obstruction there will also put pressure on her lungs too. Please try not to be too paranoid about this, as the egg will show up as a swelling anyway, but the breathing should show you if she is in distress. Check the droppings too, as sometimes they can get a little watery with the stress, and possibly pressure on other organs.
The other thing that it could be, if not an egg, is egg peritonitis. You will still get the swelling, the laboured breathing & the nesting behaviour. The droppings can go off colour here, and get paler. Where it is green, it may look slightly yellow & watery. Egg peritonitis needs veterinary attention quickly.
An egg takes approximately 3 weeks before it is ready to come out. How long has it been since you noticed all these symptoms?
The best thing to do for now is watch her. As long as she is eating and drinking okay, is bright & active, and looks well, ie, no puffiness of feathers and respiratory distress, it is safe to assume that everything is going well. Keep up her increased calcium over this time, and perhaps use a probiotic in the water to help her with stress symptoms in the digestive system.
Keep an emergency avain veterinarian telephone number and address on standby just incase you notice anything changing that worries you. Please don't hesitate to call them if you need to. I will check this post often, but please don't wait for a reply before you call the vet if anything worrying happens.
Good luck with her, and I'm sure she will produce a little egg for you soon. From what you describe, I really don't think that there is anything for you to worry about. I just wanted to make you aware of what to look for if it does all go wrong. Please remember that most birds will lay eggs regularly without a problem.
Keep us posted!!
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but better safe than sorry!!!
ping She looks like this little bird but more patches of yellow. Thanks
They will do this for 15 minutes. Then when she is done she walks away sometimes coming back a bit later to try again. She is a crack up. She also has a cat ball with a bell in it on the bottom of her cage. She beats it up and chases it around her cage. She is a funny bird. She is best buddies with Phoenix my cockatiel. She does not like Violet however? I wonder if it is because she is a female?? Could she be jealous? She follows Phoenix the male around but will screech and jump at Violet? We rescued Violet and think it is a female?? Have a Happy New year. Thanks again for all the info, it is greatly appreciated.
most of the time when she is stroppy or playing evil games. 
She used to sneak up & bite his toes too if he was resting on top of the cage & she was inside. She always runs of afterwards with a sparkle in her eye, & her evil smiling face. 
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