I wonder how many eggs Baby will have this time around. Last year she had 4...I'm making a chart now to keep track of everything.

 

Well, in the end it is your choice, and you know what you're doing. SO I wish you the best of luck. Baby and Ziggy look as though they are taking their parenting roles very seriously. I hope to see little babies running around in that nest-box before long!

 

Thanks alot Rosie. They are being really good. Baby is still waiting for egg #2. I checked the nest box this morning and she welcomed some head scritches. Ziggy got some too for being so good and standing guard all night.

 

I'm waiting on egg 4. It will be here soon enough. Lilly's vent looks swollen. Peeks being a good dad. Chasing and biting at sonic if he comes to close to there side of the cage. Did baby sleep in the box?

 

Did baby sleep in the box?

We're still waiting on #2. It'll be here sometime today. Baby slept in the box the whole night and Ziggy slept right outside it guarding it. When I got up they took a break and had some veggies, etc..He went inside to check things out and now she's back in there...with him still standing guard. :blush:

 

awww how sweet. Ziggy sounds a lot like peek. On the door gaurding lilly/ feeding her. She usually lays before 3 so we have another 3 1/2 to go with any luck it will be here by then. i love opening the nest box door very slowly and watching lilly roll and stuff her eggs under her. She's such a good mom.
Hope you plan on getting us a pic of egg two if baby don't mind that is. i usually grab mine when lilly is out with peek.

 

Baby doesn't mind at all although I'm trying to only check the box twice a day. I just want to make sure eggie # 2 is out and then I won't check it until tomorrow. Everytime I open the box she wants head scritches....

 

Any egg #2 yet aly?

 

Nope, nothing yet. Thanks for checking on us.
They seem more patient then me. We watched some tv this afternoon and she had a little bath but nothing yet. They're eating some boiled egg yolk, shells and moist whole wheat bread and they had some corn, peas, carrots and green pepper earlier..Maybe if I stop watching her so hard it'll come.

 

Egg # 2 just got here about 5 minutes ago! Baby came out for some hugs and kisses and Ziggy went in to investigate.

 

I think like you said, that you know your tiels best, and if you belive that they are ready, then go ahead. From what you have written so far, it seems as if they are doing everything right. Congratultions on egg number 2 by the way.

With the candling, the reason you can wait for 5 days or so to check the egg, is becuase that is the age when you can see veins forming inside the egg.. This means its fertile. The one that you shook, candle it again. If you notice it has a yellow tinge to it, means that the egg has been addled. You may only see the yolk sak, with no visible veins, so the egg may not have been fertiel from the get go. Just have to be patient I guess, and wait for the right time to check. Its realy helpful that they allow you to check the box so freely.

Wishing you all the best

 

Yeah egg #2 all the tiels seem to be all in this together Spike wants me to get him a nest box :wacko: I just had to put him down :blush:

 

Thanks Phill, that's helpful. I have a video of the egg # 1 being candled, will post it tonight so maybe you can see what I'm seeing. It is great that they're so easy to check on except everytime I check it she doesn't get up and bows down for head scritches...silly.

Thanks Jaime! Did Spike want a box for you and him? hehe

 

:blush: Yes :blush: I told him I would not fit in a nest box and he said pretty boo

 

No probs Aly!

 

Update:

Everything is going good. They've been incubating both eggs full time already. I haven't taken any of the eggs out since # 2 came just because I really have no reason to just yet.
Here is the video I have of # 1 being candled after it was shook...It's kind of hard to see what I'm seeing as clear on video but at the end you'll see the larger bottom of the egg and the black dot that I mentioned...Don't mind me in the back, I was still sniffling from balling my eyes out (yes, I'm a big baby)

 

Congrats on egg 2. Egg #5 for us tomorrow.

 

Thanks and goodluck! Egg # 3 for tommorrow. There's another on the way for sure.


PS. I have a question...Ziggy was sitting on the eggs this morning for a couple of hours while Baby was eating, sunbathing and taking a break and then she wanted to go back. When I put her back she kicked him out...? He's halfway in the box now just tweeping to her and she's ok with that but she didn't want him to sit on the eggs anymore. Is that normal?

 

Congratulations eggie #2! You must be excited

 

Another little update:
Everyone is fine, wanted to share some recent piccies:

Sweet Ziggy faithfully guarding Baby and the nestbox tonight.

Manly Ziggy

Curious Ziggy while I was checking the box:

My beautiful Baby:

 

Hmm hard to tell by the vid, I don't think I could judge by that vid.. Sorry But I would guess it is no good. COuld you take some pics of it being candled? Would prob be easier to see.

Oh, and it is normal she kicked him out. They share the turns in incubation, she wanted to go out to eat, e.t.c, so when she comes back, she is suppose to return to the incubation. Obiovusly, being the fab dad he is, didn't want to leave, so she had to use brut force

 

I wish my nest box opened like that, the only ones i've ever seen here open on the top only. Ziggy sure looks manly in that 2nd pic.

Thanks Bea. Yea, the only ones we have here is the one you see. The whole back is made of two pieces that completly slide out.

Hmm hard to tell by the vid, I don't think I could judge by that vid.. Sorry But I would guess it is no good. COuld you take some pics of it being candled? Would prob be easier to see.

Oh, and it is normal she kicked him out. They share the turns in incubation, she wanted to go out to eat, e.t.c, so when she comes back, she is suppose to return to the incubation. Obiovusly, being the fab dad he is, didn't want to leave, so she had to use brut force

Thank you Phill. It's ok that you can't see it. I know it's hard to see it in the video plus the better way would have been to place the egg on a little whole with only one small beam of light so I'll try that next time. I won't be candling them atleast until the egg # 2 is at 5 days or the last egg reaches day 4 if that makes sense..hehe :blush: and thanks for explaining the answer to my question. I thought is was ok but it sure seems like she wants to sit on them more then him. Maybe until the clutch is complete and then she'll be more sharing of their duties. Poor Ziggy doesn't leave her and inch so he'd be glad to help.



On another note, today we're waiting on egg # 3. Hopefully it'll be here by later tonight. The babies are eating some eggfood, mashed veggies and parsely right now. Later today I have to go get them more stuff *I don't have to but...* I can't help myself.

 

Good luck on egg 3. I'm hoping egg 5 will be lilly's last seeing as they all look like duds. Not even sure she is going to lay egg 5. Been leaving her alone and not really bothering with her.

Great pics BTW. I love that nestbox. Mines the darn plastic budgie type. I'm going to make one now incase anything ever happens, Just gotta get some wood.

 

Thanks birdiness. Hopefully #5 will be it for you..and you never know...you might get atleast one baby. If not, then it wasn't meant to be. If this clutch is not fertile, acctually even if it is, mine will be getting a long vacation as originally planned. Baby's egg #3 is on the way for sure...not sure how many more she plans to have..hopefully no more then 4 like last time but you never know.

 

Thanks birdiness. Hopefully #5 will be it for you..and you never know...you might get atleast one baby. If not, then it wasn't meant to be. If this clutch is not fertile, acctually even if it is, mine will be getting a long vacation as originally planned. Baby's egg #3 is on the way for sure...not sure how many more she plans to have..hopefully no more then 4 like last time but you never know.

She might go full out lol.

I don't know. i think her laying eggs was meant to be. She was always in breeding condition and was always pretty nesty. Now the eggs came and maybe peek just isn't fertile. Even if none hatch i'm ok with that. This is lilly's first and last clutch due to her age. She's going on 4 and i'm hoping once she is done with all this egg laying stuff she goes out of condition for a long while.

 

Aly,

I want to thank you for posting all of the info you have concerning the ongoing progress of the eggs. It's really a great way for a novice such as myself to gain insight on the whole topic of parenthood for tiels. One doesn't realize all that's involved. I guess that's one of the pluses of this forum.

Also, thanks for sharing your feelings that you have been experiencing through this. It takes courage to candidly share that info with everyone. This has been an eye opener to me about what is involved physically and emotionally. For all parties, not just Ziggy and Baby.

Please keep it up. The photos too. It really has been informative.

And, a big Kudos to Ziggy for bucking up and doing his part. :clap: You must be proud of him. I love the photos of him inspecting the eggs.

Take care and hang in there.

Kathie

 

Looks like Ziggy is being a good Daddy

 

Good Luck! Looks like Ziggy is doing his part perfectly, he looks so big and proud!

 

He's being great-better then I was expecting. They just had a big lunch and he went in the box with Baby.