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Post by clt80 on Apr 25, 2018 19:26:27 GMT
Oh bless them. How lovely.
If the hut is squashed is there anything else you can put in to let them sleep in, they like to hide in something at night until they are old enough to perch.
I agree totally with introducing veggies etc. I was given that advice with the 4 babies I have (they are 7 months old now) and they are EXTREMELY good eaters now. They love veg.
Look forward to some more pics as and when possible.
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Post by Hezz on Apr 26, 2018 0:54:24 GMT
A definite yes to introducing them to their greens, and this is when the tissue box or similar comes into play. It gives them a hidey hole at night before they are content to sit on a perch all night. Sorry. I have just repeated all that clt80 said .... I didn't see the 5th page.
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Post by silascrutherton on Apr 26, 2018 16:10:40 GMT
Hello everyone! So the babies are getting so adventurous. Ironically the youngest is the most adventurous, always exploring and most receptive to being held, and the oldest is most likely to be hiding, not liking to be held very much. We've come up with tentative names... The oldest will probably be Mako, after the shark, as he's a bit more reclusive. The second will probably be Kiwi, after the green in his feathers. The youngest will probably be Niko, our little explorer. They normally huddle in the corner together. I find it hilarious that they love to sit in a pile. I've seen Mako duck his head down and force himself under Niko. I assume it's because being on the bottom of the pile is warmest. I held little Kiwi yesterday. He weighed almost NOTHING. But then, we're used to our Cockatiel Miki. So yeah, we're quite happy about things right now! I'll leave you with a couple more pics...Kiwi being held by my son, and Niko on top of Mako...
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Post by clt80 on Apr 26, 2018 16:29:16 GMT
They are gorgeous. You've done so well. Take lots of pics, they will grow very quickly!!!
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Post by Hezz on Apr 27, 2018 1:07:37 GMT
What a delight! They are super beautiful, and love their names - Mako, Kiwi and Niko. Zeke and Link deserve an extra helping of millet for pulling this off with their make-shift nest box. You and your son deserve a pat on the back as well, for doing everything you could to make things work under not the easiest of conditions. I'm in love all over again.
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Post by silascrutherton on Apr 27, 2018 4:42:19 GMT
So I apparently messed up the names - my son informs me that the middle one is Niko. So far Niko is the best for not minding us. I'm going to try attaching a pic of Niko on my finger. Little cutie! As for the youngest - well Kiwi is the interim name. We're thinking about Soleil, French for Sun, and calling him Solley for short. Maybe. That one is in flux. Ok the pic of just Niko wouldn't attach, but here is Niko on my finger with his "older brother" Miki the 'Tiel. I'm not sure how safe that was, but my son had them together before I knew what was happening. Miki loves the little guy! He sits close and sings to the baby and even made little kissing noises. So cute! More pics and updates to come...
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Post by Hezz on Apr 27, 2018 9:47:01 GMT
Too cute! Lovely that Miki is part of the family as well. As long as you are vigilant in the first times they are together, until you can be certain that they are one happy family, then all should be good. We have had several members who have kept budgies and 'tiels together.
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Post by silascrutherton on May 5, 2018 23:53:02 GMT
Hey everyone,
It has been a crazy busy week. The birds are now 5 to 5 1/2 weeks old, and they are gorgeous.
I think out of an abundance of caution we have not gotten the babies out of the cage to handle them as much as we should have. They have learned to be frightened of us from their parents.
So I am going to be looking through the forum for advice on hand taming, but does anyone have any specific advice?
I don't know if they are eating on their own or not - but I suspect they mostly are as the "feed me" noise seems to have mostly stopped. We are wanting to move the little ones to their own cage, as 5 birds in the cage is too many I think.
My next question - do we reach in and grab them to move them to their own cage, even if they are pretty freaked out, or do we attempt to hand tame them first?
They are beautiful birds. The oldest two are now pretty much indistinguishable, but the youngest has a yellow back and wings, and a blue chest and stomach.
Any help would be appreciated!
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Post by Hezz on May 6, 2018 0:51:10 GMT
At around five weeks, the babies should still be able to quieten to your hands, and they should be self-sufficient, but in case they aren't it wouldn't hurt to leave them where they are for the time being, or move the chicks and Link into a larger cage, or move the whole family into a larger cage. Are any of these possibilities? if you are able to line up the two cage doors opened up, and gently shoo them all into the other cage, that will save them having the trauma of being man-handled.
For taming at this stage, when you approach the cage have millet on hand to entice them to come to see what you are up to. Getting them feeding from your hand is the first step. Once they are calm enough around you for this, then you can move to teaching them to step up and down. You may find that they will be easier to quieten if they are separated away from their parents, since Link and Zeke are not tame at all.
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Post by clt80 on May 6, 2018 21:56:23 GMT
What a great photo. Oh it takes me back, such a magical time!
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Post by silascrutherton on May 7, 2018 19:23:53 GMT
Hey all, quick update...
So we are attempting to get them used to our hands again - standing close to the cage, letting them know that we aren't going to be hurting them, coming with millet, etc. They are wary, but they aren't freaking out as much.
Honestly I think it's the parents that cause the young ones to panic. By themselves they might not be as wary.
I think that we are going to have to move them though. Zeke has started to peck at the youngest one especially. We have a new cage all set up and waiting for them. I think we are going to have to try to do the door-to-door approach.
Is it too early for them to be on their own? Should we put Link in with the young ones?
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Post by Hezz on May 7, 2018 20:10:55 GMT
I don't think it is too early for them to be on their own; they should be self-sufficient, but until you are totally sure that they are, definitely put Link in with them. I agree that the adult birds will be retarding your taming process, not being tame themselves. As Zeke is pecking, I would move them as soon as possible.
It sounds like Zeke is interested in starting another clutch. You don't want that, so mover things in her cage around, removing Link will help put her off her game as well, but new things in her cage, change the seed and water receptacles for something completely different, just for the short term, even move her to another room, lengthen her nights/shorten her days. All these will help stop her from thinking "that was fun, let's do it again." You do not want her to become a chronic egg-layer.
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Post by silascrutherton on May 14, 2018 15:48:58 GMT
New update - the babies have been moved to their own cage! They are eating and drinking on their own, so we are pretty confident that they will be able to thrive there.
We've completely removed the hut and anything that might be used as a nest. I'm hopeful that Zeke won't be laying any more eggs. That's what I'm hoping for as of now.
So now we get to start the process of taming the little ones. Slow and steady wins this race, or so I am told.
Thank you all for your advice and kind words. This has been an interesting adventure. Unexpected, but so very happy. We've now got a few more little birds around, and that's always a good thing!
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Post by Hezz on May 14, 2018 20:04:01 GMT
I am so happy that everything worked out so well when it could have pear-shaped very easily. I hope for your sake that Zeke doesn’t decide that this breeding malarky is fun so lets do it again. If she hasn’t by now, though, I doubt she will. Please, would love to see some photos of the chicks now, and good luck with their training. I am sure that will happen without too much trouble.
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Post by clt80 on May 15, 2018 17:14:30 GMT
It was a joy to follow this thread; you and your son have done an amazing job.
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