For experienced handfeeders!

[DannyA93]

Hello I'm very excited to say that ill hopefully be getting a baby tiel here in a couple months my cousins cockatiels have been mating all week about 2-3 times a day =D but what my question is I want to handfeed my baby how old should s/he be before I ask to take him/her? And I would greatly appreiciate if someone could PM me details and all that good stuff on handfeeding! Ill be doing research of course but I know you guys know what your doing and honestly I trust you guys more then a random website thanks in advance! I'M SO EXCITED!!! ill post lots of pics! The mother is "yellow" according to her so hopefully that's what I get)

 

[WharfRat]

If you've never handfed before DON'T!! Just a small miscue can cause death if not done properly. Wait til its weaned would be the best choice IMO

 

[DannyA93]

That will be strongly considered! Thank you! D= I dnt wanna kill him/her!

 

[henpecked]

I'd suggest not handfeeding but it sounds like the breeder parents don't know how to handfeed either. Someone needs to learn how incase the babies need it. I'd go to amazon.com and order this book used,,"Parrots,,handfeeding and nursery management" by Howard Voren and Rick Jordan. If the birds are first time parents your sure to need this book. Other than that,i'd pull babies at 3 wks or better yet,co-parent them.

 

[brianlinkles]

I would suggest not handfeeding your new baby. However as henpecked has said someone needs to know how to do it. I have handfed several birds however my breeder will never allow anyone to take home a baby tiel. They say it is very difficult to wean them fully and they always wait until they are fully weaned until letting them go to their new home.

 

[DannyA93]

Ok well the thing was there just gonna let the parents raise them and I dnt want the baby to be a wild one and you know? I've never had a handfed baby and just wanted to know the experience of having a sweet handfed baby and do you happen to know how much that book costs?? I know for a fact they don't know how to handfeed! All there birds that they have are in cages and they don't interact much with them physically but they just talk to them a lot so the babies will deffinatley be wild. Even there sun conure!

 

[MollyGreenCheeks]

Here is a brief read on the subject Let Someone With Experience Hand Feed And Wean Your Baby Bird

http://www.birdtricks.com/blog/when-is-the-right-time-for-weaning/

 

[DannyA93]

GOOD NEWS!! There's a local breeder ill call and see if they'll be willing to help me thanks for the link MollyGreenCheeks

 

[henpecked]

There you go.. That book is cheap if bought used. Mine was about 10-12$ with shipping. Bet you that breeder has a copy.Ask if you can borrow it.

Look for it on amazon.com

 

[DannyA93]

Thank you guys so much do you think if i ask the breeder to handfeed him/her for me do you think they'll do it?? and how much do you think they'll charge?

 

[henpecked]

I'd think they wouldn't want to bring an outside bird into their nursery. Maybe you could go learn how with his birds and help. Then you could help the breeder's parents with their chicks. Get the Book.

 

[DannyA93]

The books ordered. So i just told her to socialize the babies or mine at least and she could probly bump up the price for them being handtamed! like 5 bucks or so, so she's gonna let the parents raise them! so thats gotta be better! i have all the stuff for a brooder and ill just use that when my budgie has babies

 

[henpecked]

If you mess with any babies you'll love that book, it has saved many little birdies.

 

[DannyA93]

Yay haha and I was hoping for a lutino baby but I doubt any are gonna come out because the mother is the lutino

 

[henpecked]

That's not written in stone. Father could be split. So many tiels today have lutino genes.

 

[DannyA93]

O i didn't think about that? so theres hope!! for the record i definatley wouldn't mind a normal grey though i cant wait!! i see what people are talking about when they talk about the wait!! D=

 

[IcyWolf]

Glad you ordered the book, that should help a lot. I think being taught in person by someone experienced is really necessary as well. Call around to local breeders and pet stores and try to find someone that is willing to teach you properly. ALWAYS use a good thermometer to monitor the formula temp and pick up a digital scale to weigh your baby daily. I recommend weighing your babies first thing every morning BEFORE their first feeding. Even though the breeder parents plan to parent raise the chicks it is really important for them to know how to properly hand feed and have all of the supplies on hand. Sometimes bad things happen and you must intervene if you want to save the chicks. Some parent birds won't sit and feed, even if they feed for the first weeks some are known to stop feeding before the chick is ready to wean. Some birds will also attack the chicks or kick them out of the nest box so it's really important that they are prepared to hand rear these babies even if that isn't their initial plan. And in all honestly, I would highly suggest hand raising all of these babies. There are SOOOO many friendly, tame tiels that are in need of homes, unless they plan on keeping all of the babies it may be quite hard to find homes for ones that aren't tame.

 

[DannyA93]

yes they have yet to lay eggs so i was planning on buying all of the supplies this month but i barely convinced them to handle the babies much less hand feed them! they live 7 hours away from me so i don't have any way to see what there doing but i asked her to make sure they're used to playing and hands and stuff so there friendlier and MUCH better pets. ill probably get all the stuff anyway because im planning on buying my budgie a bf(she's not much of a people bird) i've tried for this past year to get to like people but she only tolerates anything except occational scratches and everytime theres ANY other bird anywhere she goes crazy to be with it! i was going to ask the breeder here to show me how to handfeed and all that good stuff anyway so i have some hands on experience thank you for the reply!