Awww, bless, he's said his first hiss!! It really doesn't seem like 8 days since the little fellow was hatched, he's doing really well. It's so good that you have loads of photos that you can look back on as well.

 

I have to say i noticed another change tonight. I was giving Cookie cuddles, and i could hear Bailee feeding Snickers. Inbetween the frenzied chirpchirpchirpchirpchirp's of feeding, he has changed his voice. He used to peep pathetically for more and now the sound he does resembles the radio static sound we hear in our freshly weaned baby tiels when we first bring them home.

 

Oh, so cute. When do the eyes open up?

 

Awww! What a bitter sweet sound It is sooo cute! but after a while gets a tad bit annoying haha

Kirby

 

Well the eyes should be opening any day now, but i have to say i'm a bit worried.

To me, Snickers seems too small for his age compared to other photos i've seen of chicks the same age. Even from what i know from experience. Today Snickers is 9 days old, but as far as i can see there's little sign of pin feathers and his eyes aren't open yet. I first saw Bailee at 10 days old and he had his eyes open, a tiny crest popping through and a few pins showing up on his wings.

Also, for the last hour and a half Snickers has been screaming to be fed but hasn't been, and his crop is getting very close to empty now. I'm seriously considering setting up a homemade brooder and pulling him for handrearing. Cookie and Bailee seem slightly more sick since they've started on the antibiotics and i think they should have nothing to do but get better. What does everyone else think?

 

If he is not being feed you might not have a choice, no time is good but what a rotten time for Cookie and Bailee to be sick the poor things I do hope they get better soon, one good thing if you have to hand feed your off right now and home to monitor the situation which must be a relief for you, maybe Cookie and Bailee are just feeling to yucky right now to feed him maybe a little help would be good for them.

 

He has been fed by Cookie since i last posted, but i'm thinking that since Cooks and Bails aren't well i might still handrear the little fella.

I've set up a brooder by getting an old fish tank, filling it partially with water, sticking a water heater in there on the highest temperature, then wedging another container inside the fish tank. I've wrapped the whole lot up in towels, put wood shaving in the container and put a towel over the top. I'm still waiting to see just how warm it gets and how warm it stays, but at the moment it feels nice and toasty when i stick my hand in under the towel. Plus, i can adjust the temperature as Snickers grows which is good. If it doesn't get quite warm enough i'll buy a heat pad to stick on the side just for that little bit extra.

 

That is cute that he is starting to make his big bird noises But how will Snickers also get the medicine if Cookie or Bailee is not feeding him? If you can hand feed him, that would help them out. But I thought Snickers needed the medicine as well

 

He's been getting it for a few days, he doesn't seem to have anything the matter with his poops, they're very normal for a baby bird. I might mix some probiotics with his formula to boost his good bacteria. Antibiotics in such a small bird can wipe out all the good bacteria along with the bad.

 

Sounds like a plan, I was just worried that he might get sick if there was no antibiotics in him. Since Cookie and Bailee are not feeling well. I know after I was done antibiotics for strep throat I was told to eat some yogurt with probiotics in it. Let us know how the hand feeding goes

 

I started ringing around the place looking for a heat pad to stick to the side of my tank for extra warmth, and i was being quoted prices like $60-$100 for SMALL heat pads. But i've just done some more investigating and there is an exotics (reptiles specifically) pet shop which has exactly what i'm after for $25, so it looks like i have a great excuse to go check out this place.

 

Sounds like a great excuse It does not hurt to shop around

 

I hope that all is well and everyone feels better soon Bea, I am glad you caught it early! Please jeep us posted!

 

Theres an online store called Canberra exotics which sells super cheap heat pads...
http://www.canberraexotics.com.au/shopshow.toy?animalnid=15193&categorynid=5775

You won't find any store cheaper, I use them for my hermits and did a search through as many places as possible, these are the only guys who do cheap prices.

Good luck with your birdy

 

That's the exotics shop i went to today. I picked up a pretty large heat pad for $28 which was a really good price. I've also got the handrearing mix, so i'm just waiting to make sure that the temp is good inside my tank with the heat pad before i pull little Snickers. I feel pretty nervous, i don't want to kill the little guy, but Cookie and Bailee really need to get better and that has to be top priority for me. I'm going to be doing my absolute best for Snickers and hopefully that's enough!

 

I've decided to put off handrearing for another day at least. Cookie and Bailee are seeming brighter this afternoon, and Snickers is full and sitting up on his own in the nest! Very cute indeed. When Bailee jumped out of the nest box while i was having a peek, he bopped Snickers on the head with his tail and you should've heard the little guy hiss!!! :lol:

This was him this morning in my hand.

Does he look small for a 9 day old chick? I think he does but i could be being over paranoid. His skin is a little on the dry side so i've been misting the nest box once or twice a day just to increase humidity.

 

Bea, it sounds like you have all areas covered! It is just bad timing about Bailee & Cookie getting sick. It sounds like their bub is OK?? Maybe you could get his/her poos tested to check or does it cost too much?? Hope they have a good night and start to get on the mend tomorrow. How is Gracie? Is she still well??

 

Well apart from the fact that he's growing a bit slowly Snickers seems ok. He's getting treated whether he likes it or not, because he'll be getting the medicine from Cookie and Bailee. Gracie seems well but i'm keeping her away from the budgies just to be safe.

I had thought that watching Snickers sit up and hiss at being whacked on the head would be the cutest thing i would see tonight, but i was wrong. I saw this and just HAD to grab the camera!

 

Awww Bea.....that photo is just beautiful. It looks like Bailee has his wing wrapped around Snickers.

 

It looks like Bailee has his wing wrapped around Snickers.

That's the way Bailee likes to keep Snickers warm, just like in cartoons where the mummy bird has all the babies lined up under her wing.

 

Oh my goodness, that is just so sweet!! You will have to do one of your drawings of them with Bailee cuddling Snickers, that would be brilliant.

 

:rofl: I'll have to experiment and see if i'm capable of drawing a baby tiel. I will try though, maybe at some point when i'm supposed to be doing homework. It seems like a worthy project to use as a way of stalling. :lol:

 

Absolutely. It's all done in the name of research. LOL!!

 

I have been reading the whole thread everyday. First off, congrats, he is cute! I just wanted to comment on the size of him. When I went and picked up my little ones at 2 weeks old there were two others that were 2 and 4 days younger than mine. There sizes looked very close to the size of yours, if not even smaller than yours. I think he is doing great. The smaller babies eyes weren't open yet either.

Anyway, have lots of fun with him! I just wanted to add my 2cents in so you can hopefully relax a weee bit about him being on the small side and just enjoy him. Hope this helps atleast a lil bit for you!

 

That is really good to hear! I was so worried because i was making judgements mainly from what i'd seen when Bailee was a bub. Hopefully Snickers will keep growing bigger and stronger with each day.

 

awwwww!!!... I don´t have enough awwws......... they are so cute!!... Bailee is just melting my heart at how a good daddy he is......

LOL at the hissing... it was like "hey! watch it dad" LOL