sitting in seed dish?

[Dipitydane]

Hi all, recently we aquired a 2 year old E. Budgie girl from a breeder. She is totally sweet and a doll but I noticed a behavior I thought kinda odd. A few times today I noticed her kinda puffed up sitting in her food dish. She has been otherwise normal, she was darting back and forth at the bottom of her enclosure wanting out when I got home and is playing and eating fine. Any ideas? Now that its dark she is roosted in her dish. I noticed here cere was peeling some, is this just nesting behavior? Thanks all.

[RXK]

the sitting in the dish puffed could indicate nesting/going to lay eggs. but, i'm not an expert. also, can you post a pic of the cere? if it's brown (but, normally white) and peeling, that usually indicate she's ready to mate. but, it could also be a medical condition such as mites. there's no way to tell from your description, so a pic would be very helpful!

[Dipitydane]

Rxk,
Yes, her cere is crusty brown and peeling, no doubt she is prime for breeding. I can't post a pic from my blackberry tho. If the seed cup thing is in fact nesting behavior how long it is gonna last?

[RXK]

crusty brown and peeling...yup, breeding season has started for her! and, yes, the cup sitting sounds like nesting behaviour, but i'm not sure how long it's going to last. the female budgies i've observed before displayed this behaviour for a few weeks i think...i can't remember though. also, make sure she gets plenty of calcium rich foods and real sunlight (i.e. not through glass as it filters out what's needed; also, avian lights are good alternatives for sunlight if you can't get them in the sun) especially during this time if she's going to be laying eggs. and, be on the lookout for any signs of eggbinding!!

[Monica]

Try and find a smaller dish that she can't fit in. I've had hens who enjoyed sitting in their dishes while eating, but that was it. They were just hogging the dishes!