chrissy0705

I've been reading the FAQ section on alot of topics today and I was wondering if there is a section (and maybe I just can't find it) on the development of the baby budgie. I see all the info on the egg development, incubation, and things to check for once the chick is hatched but I don't see a section on "What to Expect Next". Kind of like being a new mom and they give you a book that tells you at "0-2 weeks old expect this... " at 6-9 months expect this....". Is there a section on there that tells you what to expect at each stage of development. Like at what age do they open their eyes, what age do they first eat on their own, what age do they get their feathers, do all babies start off with white feathers and if so at what age do their true color or markings start to show???? I think something like this would be helpful, not only is it good to know but it's helpful if you have a chick and want to see if the development appears to be "on track". My chick is 10 days old now and more and more is happening every time I look at it... just like to know what to watch for next.... Anyone??? Thanks

If it is run well, clean and the animals are well cared for, you should have nothing to worry about!! :rip: It's sad that some owners give pet shops bad names, because not all are like that. But pet shops get bad names especially when it comes to budgies and I've seen it firts hand. It's almost like alot of owners have an attitude that budgies are just a "$20" bird so they don't seem to give them the attention and care they need. I've seen small shops that have 6 or 7 budgies in one small 18" cage with only one feed dish and one water bowl with no toys or anything. And even some of the larger pet store chains don't put anything extra into them. usually you just see some display cage suffed in the middle of the showroom floor while the other $100 Parrots are in a private "quiet room" with toys and snacks, etc.... I can't stand that. Not to mention the pups and stuff they buy cheap from puppy mills and sell for hundreds of dollars.... Take pride in your store and the care you give to your animals and prove everyone wrong that not ALL pet shops are bad. You're home birds look wonderful and I'm sure you care for your shop birds as if they were your own.

I can't believe how big your six day old chick is.... my chick is 10 days old today and doesn't even measure up to this chick... WOW he's HUGE!!! I've fallin in love with your bird in picture #1. I agree with jwancia... I love the pieds... and this one tops the charts!!! Wonderful group. Good for you!

Well sad to report the other chick did not make it. I am down to one last surviving chick. I came down this morning to find her flat on her back like the other one. The worries of the mum not feeding her were for nothing, she fed her and fed her well the last two days, infact when I pulled her from the nest box this morning there was still food in her crop... I think she must have been sick. She was born on the same day as the other chick, yet she was at least half the size... and barely feathered. This is her on the top. :rip: The other chick "seems" to be doing well. She is holding her head up a bit, eyes are open now and has feathers filling in.... Here she is... (please pray for her).

The parents get a mix of seed, fresh greens, veggies and eggs right now. As for checking between feedings, then if his crop was empty why wouldn't he take food from me?? Was the crop empty but the belly full? I still don't understand why he wouldn't eat for me, and not even open his mouth. Are budgies like babies, if they don't want to eat they refuse to open up??

okay I'm being hard on myself but I feel rightiously so. I am too soft hearted and the littlest things, when it comes to animals suffering, kills me. Can I ask another question, cause I think I may have paniced for no reason. I came down this morning and checked on the chicks, both crops were empty. I figure okay it's morning, as they do every morning they will fill up on food and then feed. And they did. Mum and dad were both out of the box again so I checked and this time both the chicks have food in it now (not packed full, but some) and she fed the smaller one first?? Is it possible that she just doesn't have it in her to keep up with both of them? I though they always fed the eldest and biggest first? Why did she feed the smaller one (I thought was doomed) first? Is the father not helping enough (sometimes he seems to be more interested in shredding newspaper than eating and feeding)? Should I put food in the nest box with her? I must have prayed hard last night, because the little one has been fed this morning??? I wonder why it wouldn't open for me though when I tried to feed? I guess I should just be happy that she has fed them, God answered my prayers.

So if this chick doesn't make it through the night because of this, I have pretty much written his death sentence.... :hap: :hap: My fault !! No more breeding, I'm done.

No, I do not KAZ. I tried to find a "breeding kit" with all the needs in it here in USA, PA, but was lucky to find even two can of rearing formula on the shelf of one of the largest pet supply stores here.... this means this chick will die, there's no other way to help??? He doesn't seem weak... he was active, and moving around when i picked him up (kicking his legs and trying to turn himself over with his wings)????? You can see form the picture I took this morning that his crop was FULL. And it still had food in it this afternoon, how can it become sooooo weak soooo fast?? It can only be like 4 hours since there was last (some) food in there?

I haven't had one on one lessons with anyone but I read and read and watched videos. I am using the end of a toothpic (matchstick as others suggest). I've dabbed it on it's beak to allow it to take it in (I even gave a gentle tap on the beak with the toothpic) and she WILL NOT open up for me???

okay, I must have really bad luck or something, but here goes.... As you all know my thrid chick didn't make it and i just reported with pics earlier that my other two babies were doing fine. I check on the chicks earlier today and the one had a very full crop and the other was some what empty, but I could still see some food in it so I let it go. I just checked again (it's 10 pm here) and the crop is totally empty now (deflated balloon). Since this mother rejected the other chick and this chick is now not being fed I did not want to chance it and thought I'd give it a feeding. This chick should be starving and gulp down the hand rearing food but it won't even open it's mouth.... ???? What is going on? I've heard of the mum not feeding the chicks but I have not heard of a chick not eat? Please help me, if I lose this chick that's it... I won't breed anymore. I'm so distraught right now.

KAZ, I didn't feed until the next day because, in all my readings, including on here, it says a mum may not feed a new chick for up to 8 or 10 hours and to give the mother every chance first before interfering.... ???? So I waited, but when she still did not bother with it, I fed him. From then until the end of the night I did a total of 5 feedings (the crop emptied very fast). I did leave it with the mother but she must have known something because every time I checked on it it was thrown over to the side away from the other chicks. I have been too eager with this whole process and I was afraid I was going to do more bad then good by messing with things. I have learned so much more from this and all the advice you all give. Hopefully there won't ever be a "next time", but if so, I know to step in sooner. But please believe me, I tried my best. :hap: The other two are doing well. I took them out of the box this morning to clean the nest box and put fresh bedding.... here they are....

What mutation is the blue bird? I've never seen a "black" beak before? What makes it "black"? I'm lovin' it!!! They are sooo cute.

Well I'm disheartened to report, despite my efforts, my little bub did not make it. :hap: I found him in the nest box pushed off to the side on his back, flat as a board, empty crop and cold as ice. I tried to do the cupped hand and warm breathing, but it was too late I couldn't get him back. I just wanted to thank all you for your help and advice. I did my best, but sometimes "your best just ain't good enough"... On a brighter note the other two bubs are doing just fine. So at this point, out of two clutches totalling 10 eggs (between two hens) I only got two healthy babies. Six of the ten weren't even fertile, one was DIS (very very early in development), one hatched and died, and two have hatched and are thriving!!! Thank you all for everything and all you're help.

Thank you. I will get all this prepared first thing in the morning and get it right into them. They had a small plate of greens yesterday. Thank you again... I don't feel alone in this.

I did speak to Libby on a PM and she was a great help (including the article you mentioned). I have a question about the soft food. Can I do the hard boiled egg and yogurt as the soft food or is that not good to be fed to the newborn? Or do you mean soft foods like carrots and greens? And you mean put this food right in the nest box with mum, right???

Thank you for the best wishes, I'm doing my best. I'm not going to keep my hopes up, but it's been 24 hours and she is still alive so, GOD WILLING, she will make it. I have given her a second feeding now and if I can at least keep her going until she gains a bit of strength to fight for herself, I'll be happy. I will keep you updated. Thank you again.

Thanks to all on this. I now have a heavy heart. The third eggs I said I thought there was a baby in started to hatch last night and the mum riped off the part of the shell the baby had pushed off. The only thing is, this baby doesn't seem like it was ready. It is very small and seems "less developed" then the other two that have hatched. I left it be with mum all last night and all day today. I came home and the bub still was not fed. It looked weak and had very little movement. I pulled it out, warmed it up with my hands and breathe and my husband and I mixed up a batch of hand rearing formula and fed it once. We have placed it back with the mum and other chick (whom by the way are at least 3 or 4 times larger) and I'm hoping the mum will feed her too. If she does not feed her, how often do I need to feed a one day old chick and can I leave her in the nest box with mum if she doesn't feed her. Do I keep putting her back after she eats so as she gains strength she will be noticed and mum will feed her down the road???

Yes, I see what appears to be a iris ring too now. In the third picture. It looks like I can see it towards the bottom of his eye??? Maybe he is under a year as I guessed and it's just not developed yet???

I was gonna ask about that... is there only one perch in the flight area? Is that to allow max flight space. I envy this set up. Boy I can only imagine. My husband was having a heart attack over the indoor aviary I had him help me with, if I ever asked him to build me something like this he'd make sure there was room for a bed for me in it!!!!! I only wish the weather permitted me to have an outdoor aviary. I'm not familiar with this kind of set up so my question about the number of perches is just curiosity... not being critical.

okay, so as you know two chicks hatched on the same day (the 12th). I have had NOTHING happen since, so today i candled the remaining eggs and it looks like one is not fertile (just totally clear). Another one has a "floating mass" in it, maybe DIS??? and both of these eggs seem to be dark compared to the last egg which is pretty much white. I candled that egg and it looks like the bub has broken through into the air sack. I can see a wing, I think. I listened for pecking and churping and I can't hear anything and there are no cracks in the egg or pushed out marks.... SHOULD I HELP or LEAVE IT ALONE???? And if I know the other two eggs are not fertile at this point should I just get rid of them now or wait ???

Does the TV count???? Can this be done through the use of the multi-vits or do I need to get iodine drops? And these drops are to help "stimulate" the male???

I am also FAR FROM AN EXPERT, but I personally don't feel this is a good set up at all. The picture you have seems like something that maybe you'd bring your indoor birds outside for an hour of fresh air or something, but NOT for living in. There are no sides or roof to block the elements. There's no floor to prevent preditors. And as for the mesh... please take it from me. I used mesh to allow better air flow in my indoor aviary and not even one day later I looked over to see two of my birds chewing it and one of them hanging half in and half out of the aviary. I have been on this site for a few months now, and all I can say is Please follow the advice given, you can't go wrong. I agree 100% with eveyones' posts. The other thing I wanted to mention is that it doesn't have to cost alot of money to make something nice for your birds. My first aviary was a dresser converted into an aviary. My current aviary is made out of a five shelf storage unit that I bought at Lowes and added wire to.... it doesn't have to break the bank to make it safe.

The fact he can hear her...YES. okay since I live in USA (Pennsylvania) tempatures here don't allow me to have an outdoor avairy it's only September and it was 46 degrees here this morning.... anyway my point is my aviary is in my home in my living room. I live in a small cape code and no matter where you are in my house you can hear the birds.... so I have no where I could put here to get her out of ear shot??? So I'm 0 for 2 now.... I guess the only other thing to do is wait it out?? Until he realizes that this hen he's with is only option if he wants to "get busy"???

They are in a good size cage (24"x 48"x 16"). But my problem is I don't have any "extra" males. I'm already short one male. And I too would like to get some offspring from this particular male. So that being said, is there any other suggestions??? Let me ask this too... his old mate is in another cage, he cannot see her, but he can still hear her, is the fact that he can still hear her playing a role in any of this???

I hope I'm doing this right?????? This is Tinker and I'd like to enter him for the "Budgie of the Month". Fingers crossed.