Solipsist

Don't mean to hijack the threads, but what are you guy's thoughts on nesting material? I've read conflicting opinions about wood shavings,etc

Hi Neat! I'm glad to say that's not a cut....it's poop! i've sinced cleaned him up, looks much more handsome now!! Hmmmm, damn I thought someone suggested vitamins for the adults because of the death of the previous babies, hmmm I'll stop doing that til some replies. What else do you give the parents for extra food? I've given them spinach and carrot, there's some thistle in the backyard as well. They gobble it up, but just not sure if there is a limit on how much is enough? Are they like labrodors, and just keep eating and eating? :feedbirds: I just gave him his elevan a.m feed, I feel really mean as I didn't wake up earlier (i'm on medication that makes it hard to wake up). But his crop had a little bit of food in it, so I hope that's from her!! Yeah, they certainly are guts' !!! The others are well fed, I think Pi is just a little to quiet to join the party, but he's getting stronger everyday

Hi everybody! I have good news! The babies are doing very well. The little one, I will call him "Pi" (after Piscine Patel, a story about a man that lives in a boat with a tiger! they support eachother, and help eachother live, so I think it fits ) I checked on Pi this morning, still alive! I chickened out (pardon the pun!) on putting him in a separate place, so I decided to leave him in the nest, and take him out to feed him, hoping that when he gets stronger he will start telling his mum he wants some tucker! I think this was a good plan, today I went to the bird shop and bought some passwells rearing mix, and some 'Ornithon' vitamin and mineral mix. I sprinkled some on some spinach, and mum gobbled it up like it was going out of style! I set myself up to give Pi his first passwell's feed, I put mum on poo patrol, and she cleaned the others feet and checked beaks while I fed Pi. Surprise!! He had spinach in his crop!! I almost cried and did a little dance. The first time I took him out he was lifeless, but everytime i take him out, he squaks a little louder, and does his little wobble head dance and wanders around my hand. I have no way convinced myself that he will make it, but I have hope, and I think that counts for a lot. This may sound silly, but my fish, Mr Tickles got sick once, floating upside down, almost dead, I took him out and told him "I will look after you, you will feel better, I will try for you, we can do this together". It was like a little spiritual connection, and he made it. I talk to baby Pi in the same way, "I will try for you". So, now the moment you have all been waiting for....the photos!! This is Pi, my dear little friend These are the babies in the "holding pen" while my mum is on poo patrol Got cuteness? This is one of the larger babies. Is this crop too big? It looks massive to me I also just wanted to send a shout out to "Neat" she has helped me so much, messaged me til 11p.m last night! and was very patient with all my questions, cannot thank Neat and all of you enough.

They seem to be carrying an illness for them to be dying like that. To be sure a vet could run tests. If carrying an illness then pulling them out to handfeed will probably still result in a loss or two. You need answers and it seems it would have to be a sickness of some kind....or as Pearce said maybe the cigarette smoke ? How positive are you that mice cannot get into the cage or go through their food or water ? Run tests on the babies or the parents? I'm 100% sure that mice cannot get to them, it's an enclosed verandah, and i have three cats,and three terriers, so they'd definately let me know if there was something to chase ;P

Oh I also wanted to mention that we've had the budgies for over a year, they were young when we got them, so maybe about two years old.

Thanks for everyone for all the help The babies crops are very full, she is a very attentive mother, and feeds them *constantly*. I'm not sure if i'll be able to take the other two budgies out of the cage, as I said, we've got so many birds, so i'm not exactly sure where i can put them!! Do you guys think i should hand raise them? It seems such a shame for them to just pass away :happy-dancing:

Trill is one of the brands, but mostly my parents buy bulk bags from the bird shop. They regularly get thistle and bits of apple, i will definately give them so mashed up egg My brother and i smoke on the balcony, but it is a large balcony with shadecloth around the sides, so i wasn't sure if this could effect the babies? I will stop smoking there if this is the case. Is there anyway to view all the replies at the same time? so as to not have to click on each individual one?

this is the cage, I don't think it's the other female, as she spends all her time in the nest and does not go into the other side of the cage. They get fresh food and water everyday, Trill is the normal brand, they also get cuttlefish. I have not wormed them or treated for lice, they are in a enclosed verandah, with no mice.

hi guys, wow talk about quick service!! The budgies have their own cage, no peachfaces in there The babies that had past away just looked like they were sleeping, no peck marks or anything, they had previously been very vocal, and appeared quite *active* but they then passed away. The other mother does not enter the nest, they seem to have divide the cage up themselves with an invisible barrier, and stay on their own sides! The father sits on the entry to the nest box and feeds the mum. The mum is in the nest box most of the time and rarely leaves. I will go take a photo of the cage and post it :party0011:

hi everybody, I'm sure you've heard this so many times, but I'm at a loss of what to do. Firstly, a bit about me, I've got many many animals, lots of birds, Budgies, cockatiel, peachface, canaries, doves, quails, cockatoo, galah, lorikeet & finches. I have four budgies, two females and two males. They started to pair up so we decided to put in two nesting boxes. One of the females laid some eggs, approx about 6 weeks ago, she had four babies, some died while quite small, and one got quite big, and had spikey feathers, but it died as well. She now has four babies, one has small spikey feathers, the other looks a little younger, and the other two are quite small. I found the fifth one dead today, it was very small. We used to have breeding budgies in our aviary, so we thought it would be quite nice to have some babies, but it's turned out to be heartbreaking. With one baby already passing away, i'm scared of the fate of the others. I have finished uni for the year, and with only exams to study for, i'm wondering if it would be better for the babies to be taken from the nest so i can raise them? I understand that this can be quite time consuming, but i would do anything to assist these babies. Just wondering if anyone has any ideas on what I should do, I'm worried about the other babies, and not sure what would be best for them, kind regards, Jen.