banding my opaline red rump parakeet babies

[crimson]

well, today was the day I start banding my red rump parakeet babies.

the band went on super easy, and the parents were calm while we removed the oldest chick from the nest.

It can be very stressful when the parents are freaking and flying around frantically while you try and get a tiny band on a tiny wiggly little leg but they were REALLY good today.

In 2 days we have band the 2nd oldest. I have 4 chicks in total, 2 were tossed out of the box a few days ago...I am suspecting they were the youngest ones.
6 chicks is plenty for any hen to look after:11:

I guess it's all in the timing when to check the box, had I known 2 more were born, I would have pulled the two oldest to hand feed. I don't like to check too often, these birds are not hand tamed and very flighty type birds.

trying to figure out the best way to hold the chick so I can band it


putting the band on


done....whew!


I'm glad I did it today, I noticed he had a huge clump of poop stuck to his bum,
(you can see the clump by his bum)
which would have caused problems if it was left.
I used warm water to loosen it, and it came off after a few attempts.

here are the parents: male is Lutino Opaline, Hen is a very soft green


this picture of the parents was taken 1 day after I brought them home from the bird show.....I realized how gnarly they looked.

 

[thekarens]

Awwww so sweet!

 

[JerseyWendy]

Very well done, Beth! Don't forget to breathe.....breathe in...breathe out. I can imagine how nerve wracking this procedure is for everyone involved.

LOVE the picture tutorial, and the parents are GORGEOUS!!!

What causes the poopy to be stuck to the little bum? So glad you got it off for the little wee one.

 

[MomtoPercy]

Oh my word, that is such a teeny tiny creature! No wonder you were nervous!
Glad it all went well

 

[crimson]

I'm guessing he pooped and it got stuck, then he pooped again, etc....mom should have cleaned it off, but didn't

I'm praying the band stays on, if not, I'll have rummage around the nesting box and find it, and put it back on.

I really need to get a great photo of these two, pictures don't do them justice. I love these birds...the male makes sounds similar to Star Wars....ha ha so I named him 'Gunner'....they are one of the prettiest birds I've ever seen. all babies will be Opaline, as both parents are Oplaline as well.
I thought I would breed something different. they eat 80% organic veggies, leafy greens, grains etc....so they babies should be coming out looking like superman, hee hee.

 

[Terry57]

That baby is so precious I can't imagine trying to get a band around that little leg.
Good thing you did it now and found the poop on his little bum
The parents are stunning!

 

[Betrisher]

Are these Australian Red Rumps, Beth? They look like the ones I see on the roadside verges near home, but yours are a lot yellower. The 'normal' ones are mostly green (if they're what I think they are). Love the little babies - you did an excellent job getting the bands on!

 

[crimson]

that's a good question Trish, I am assuming they are Australian.
they come in different colours(mutations)
this particular pair was so striking looking at the bird show, they caught my eye immediately, especially the male.

you are right, the normal ones are green, you are so lucky to see such beautiful birds in your country.

 

[Betrisher]

Ahhhh! I had no idea they came in different mutations. I've never seen such a thing in a petshop, even. Aside from our well-known larger parrots, there are plenty of smaller parakeet-types (such as your Red Rumps) as well. These are generally lumped under the name 'Grass Parrots' because that's where you see them: in the grass at the sides of the road. Then, there's plenty of other small-to-medium-sized parrots like the Turquoise Parrot, Princess Parrot, Superb Parrot, Port Lincoln Parrot, King Parrot etc etc etc. We have squillions of 'em, not just cockatoos!