[MerlinxMim]

Hello!

I am new to the cockatiel rearing life and my two cockatiel have had 2 babies hatch so far.

I wanted to know when we can start handling them? The box is getting a little messy so I want to clean it out but not sure on the correct method? I have a heating pad etc for the removal but don't want to harm the babies or distress the parents too much. They are exactly 1 week today. Easter babies!

Also, we have hand rearing food and the parents are acting as of they are constantly hungry! They have exact, seed, veggies, fresh water, some rice (all which is replaced often throughout the day) and 2 cuttle bones. Could I feed the parents some hand reading food to feed the babies? Would this work?

Any advice would be appreciated!

❤

 

[Robert Seale]

First of all, I JUST went through what your dealing with. Our 4 babies are now 5 weeks old and almost ready for new homes! Yes, the parents WILL act like there starving all the time just to feed the chicks. That's normal. However, DO NOT feed the parents baby formula. They probably wouldn't eat it anyway. What you described is an excellent choice for them. As to that nesting box, YES, you need to clean that out every other day and add new bedding because germs and bacteria can build fast! Good luck!

Robert

 

[MerlinxMim]

Thank you! They are 3 weeks old now. I want to start supplemental feeding to help the babies get used to being handled by humans. Any tips on how to start that? I have set up a small carrier cage with a heating pad underneath it to see if I could keep an eye on their crops and see when they empty. Also to give us a chance to clean the box today.

Could I keep them in this little cage ( they won't fall out and its base has a kitchen towel at the bottom).

Is this recommended?

 

[Robert Seale]

That sounds like an excellent idea! I also congratulate you on remembering to keep the nest box cleaned out! You'd be surprised at how many don't! What we did at three weeks is simply keep them in that small cage you mentioned (away from parents) and start hand feeding them. This will get them use to human touch and is really the first step at taming. Like you said, just watch there crops and make sure you don't over feed them. At three weeks, each chick should get about a syringe and a half three times a day.

Robert

 

[MerlinxMim]

That sounds like an excellent idea! I also congratulate you on remembering to keep the nest box cleaned out! You'd be surprised at how many don't! What we did at three weeks is simply keep them in that small cage you mentioned (away from parents) and start hand feeding them. This will get them use to human touch and is really the first step at taming. Like you said, just watch there crops and make sure you don't over feed them. At three weeks, each chick should get about a syringe and a half three times a day.

Robert

Thank you! I have 1ml syringes and have read that it should be about 10% of their total body weight which at the moment is 100g. Is this correct? I was going to feed them at 6 am, 10 am, 2 pm, 6 pm and then 10 pm.

 

[Robert Seale]

Yes, correct on the syringe but I would change those feeding times to 6 am, 12 noon, and 6 pm. Three feedings a day is plenty however.......that doesn't mean you can't take them out and handle them a little more to get them use to humans and hands.

 

[MerlinxMim]

Thank you! How many times a day can I handle them? I don't want to overdo it but I do want them to be tame. They are 4 weeks on Sunday.

 

[Robert Seale]

At four weeks, I'd say you could handle them as much as you want. The more time you spend with them. the faster they will be use to human touch and feeding. Post some pictures if you can.

 

[MerlinxMim]

At four weeks, I'd say you could handle them as much as you want. The more time you spend with them. the faster they will be use to human touch and feeding. Post some pictures if you can.

Thank you for all your help !