breeder birds do's and don'ts?

[Sadie13]

Ok, this is random and totally unexpected but my husband had his old stereo for sale on craigslist, some lady replied asking if he would do a trade...
he was curious and one of the things was a proven pair of cockateils. so my husband says...hunny???
i said i was willing to bite and i called and asked more info about them, turns out this lady had them in a cage the size for a finch or 2 (in my opinion) and the breeder box was...well a tissue box tied to the cage.

from what i got she just went clutch after clutch...after clutch. She was on a seed mix that she was picking up at walmart....pictures were sent and i just kinda went omg lets take the birds, give her your stereo cause these guys just cant live like that.

she was on eggs when i brought her home, she abandoned them obviously. the woman never did give me a clear answer on if they managed to raise any babies or if the were good parents ect...

so i took the tissue box out as soon as she abandoned the nest and i did candle them and after crack them open (they looked infertile) just to make sure and yup, just yoke.

so the birds look like crap but they love each other.
the boy has a bald neck in the back, and the house and the birds just stunk of smoke.

they are also underweight...she recommended half a cup of seed every 2 days cause if not "all they do is eat"
yeah...ok so that changed and i stuck in some pellets hoping they try them.

for the record i have 0 intention on breeding these guys (i would love to see them raise a clutch after they have had months of rest, i think it would be an amazing thing to experience, i just start thinking of the full rescues....), just wanted to get them out of there, i may even try to find good home for them with no mention that they are proven or a pair or whatever..

they are not friendly at all but adorably curious. So since the are filthy and they hate people anyway can i give them a bath? should i clip them and try to tame them down? will she be ok without the nest box? and is he bald from her? he cant reach that far back...

sorry for all the questions, just want to get these guys turned around..maybe find them a home..or a rescue if you guys think that is good?
we are gonna try to keep them, but i do have a few birds as it is...
i just don't want to go out and buy a flight cage when i don't know if i am their best option...
how long can i give them in this little cage (its 24x18 dome top)?

and again...sorry...

i named them jack and sally because she didnt even bother having names for them :/

 

[TessieB]

I, too, removed three cockatiels from a smoke-filled home (crack house), and you could smell them for days. One cockatiel actually had tremors from withdrawal, another laid an egg, and the third paced endlessly for days. I simply put them in isolation for a month and slowly converted them over to an improved diet of veggies, pellets and seed. Due to their stress level I did not bathe them, and eventually the odor left them.

I was lucky in that the female has proved to not be a chronic egg-layer, and has a sweet, engaging personality. She did develop a yeast infection which responded well to treatment, and so far, is doing well. The other two did well once all that crap was out of their system. As time passed they managed to rid their feathers of the grime. I was afraid to spray them because I didn't want the grime on their feathers to mix with the water and increase the possibility of ingestion while they preened.

With time they all recovered and are now doing well.

 

[Sadie13]

thank you for your advice.
i'm hoping she will quit laying without the nest box and recover some nutrients.
the boy looks worse off than her...i have them far away from my own birds for the time being..in the spare bedroom.