What's the best way to get eggs out of the cage?

[C_Mu]

So this might seem like a silly question, but I can't find an actual answer to this. I have two finches (zebra finches), and the female has just laid their first clutch. The "issue" is, I don't know the best way to get the eggs out, with minimal stress on the birds. I have a nesting box, but they did not lay the eggs in there - they use it all the time, but for some reason just did not lay in there. That would have made things easier, of course.

It is worth noting I'm not incubating these eggs, either - so I'm not taking them out to put them in an incubator. I know that the obvious answer is to reach on in there and carefully take them out, but is that okay? I don't want to stress them out, and I don't want them to associate me with something negative either. Would they just forget, and lay eggs just fine for me in the future? I have never put a blanket over their cage, but would that be a good idea before taking out the eggs or would that make it worse?

I'm obviously super new to this, and have done research, but I just haven't been able to find a definitive, least-stress-inducing way to get the eggs out if they are not in a nesting box. I've attached an image of the setup if that is of any use (the eggs are in that bamboo nest, right by that branch to the left). If you have any tips at all, I'd very much so appreciate them!

 

[Quailobsessed]

Not a silly question at all!

Last thing you would want to do is stress them out, but I don't think that's too much of an issue. I do it with my finches and they're fine. Just as long as you pull them out calmly, you should be good.

Lovely set up there! I appreciate your concern for the finches