So I got her a nestbox....

[fiddlejen]

Thank you so much for your advice. This is what I will do. Three is also not really out of the nestbox for the most part, mostly hanging out in the "front porch" food bowl. I think Three is still getting Mama feedings, as well as some self-feeding. So I believe I will need to offer food the Three as well.

I have two small cage-heaters; however they attach to the bars. I'm quite unsure about rigging it up into the nestbox, and not sure it would be safe if I could. I keep the room in the low-to-mid 70's. (Mid-70's daytime, low 70's at night.) I actually have the nestbox and that side of the cage covered with blankets to block a draft from the air conditioner. It usually seems warmish inside the box when I open it. Do you think that is sufficient, or would I need to keep the room warmer for a while?

 

[Laurasea]

The fully feathered ones should be able to self regulate at this point.

 

[Kitekeeper]

The fully feathered ones should be able to self regulate at this point.

Yes, they should be

So I believe I will need to offer food the Three as well.

Excellent!!

I actually have the nestbox and that side of the cage covered with blankets to block a draft from the air conditioner.

Very nice!!

Do you think that is sufficient, or would I need to keep the room warmer for a while?

Do you have a recent picture of Tiny? Last picture showed a good amount of feathering, still he might need some protection.

I don´t think you need to heat up the box. You might get into the risk of overheating the nest which is also not good for Tiny and Three.

Regarding the room temperature, we must remember that budgies are from the Australian desert. Although your birds are already conditioned to New England temperatures, their main physiology is adjusted to some level of heat. Tiny´s body is most likely functioning on species default physiology at this point of his life than Jefferson´s that is already more than one year old.

That said, I would keep the room temperature around 80 Fahrenheit, considering the babies body heat will increase the nestbox temperature in 3 degrees (83) it sounds good. Of course you can check the bird temperature simple by picking him up in your hands, usually they feel hotter than our hands, colder than that is not a good sign.

You are doing a great job! Don´t feel bad for Jefferson reproduction usually has a downside for the parents. Imagine the stress Calliope is enduring as for nearly one month there is no food that stops in her stomach. Most of it is regurgitated....not to mention the physiological stress to produce eggs, loose calcium, have a constant state of alert including during the night. The downside for male budgies usually is to cope with a stressed female and be subject to some degree of aggressiveness. They both were born already knowing that in some level.

 

[fiddlejen]

Tiny today:

 

[LaManuka]

Awwwww Tiny, what a little champion you are!!

 

[Kitekeeper]

Tiny is lovely! He is almost there, one more week (maybe less) and I think he is out of the nest.

When we first suspected that Tiny was getting behind I estimated he had a five days lag in development. Thanks to all your hard work Tiny could catch up his development, but the 5 days lag seems to persist.

So I guess nature would not speed up his development to compensate the lag. Nature is not a sprinter, but a maratonist.

Thank you!1 It has been a great experience and I´ve learned a lot.

 

[Laurasea]

Tiny is beautiful! Way to go!

 

[saxguy64]

Tiny, you're looking gorgeous, little one!

 

[fiddlejen]

Jefferson and Riker and Patchouli (probably Patchouli) today:

 

[fiddlejen]

(Probably) Three today:

As you might guess by my use of the word "probably," I am already having some trouble telling the blues apart. Well, when they're apart, that is. Next to each other, the color difference is clear -- but -- their colors change in different angles of sunlight. Looked at separately, I'm often confused between Patchouli and Three.

So this morning I moved Calliope to the Separation Cage, and let Jefferson out. Turns out young budgies like to be near the grown-up budgies. And, Young Riker definitely likes to be close to Papa. Pretty soon all but Tiny were Out of the big cage, on cage-tops instead. I made sure there was food and water available everywhere. Mama had fed Tiny before this. Some time later, after I had fed Tiny her second-breakfast, I realized everyone was still OUT of the cage. I feel like Mama has only been violent towards birdies with Grown-Up Appearance, so I moved Calliope back to the cage. Sure enough, she immediately went to feed Tiny again, and seemed happily non-violent. Everyone else seemed completely happy to rest and eat on-high.

Throughout the day I've kept checking on Tiny, and Mama definitely keeping Tiny filled. Much later in the day, everyone still out of the cages, I noticed that, although earlier I did see Three chowing down with the others, by that point Three's crop had gotten empty, where Riker and Patchouli had a noticeable bulge. I gave Three a ride back inside the big cage, where Mama immediately started stuffing Three as well. Three then retreated to the nestbox, wherein I later saw Mama feeding both Three and Tiny at the window.

Now it's evening. When I opened the large cage, Mama flew out. I had a bit of a time getting Riker, Patchouli, and Jefferson into the big cage, and then Mama Calliope into the separation cage for the night. The amount of nighttime struggle is daunting... especially if it's gonna be another week... but as long as she remains peaceable with the littlest ones, it may be worth it. She does such a much better job feeding than I can!!

 

[Kitekeeper]

So this morning I moved Calliope to the Separation Cage, and let Jefferson out. Turns out young budgies like to be near the grown-up budgies. And, Young Riker definitely likes to be close to Papa. Pretty soon all but Tiny were Out of the big cage, on cage-tops instead. I made sure there was food and water available everywhere. Mama had fed Tiny before this. Some time later, after I had fed Tiny her second-breakfast, I realized everyone was still OUT of the cage. I feel like Mama has only been violent towards birdies with Grown-Up Appearance, so I moved Calliope back to the cage. Sure enough, she immediately went to feed Tiny again, and seemed happily non-violent. Everyone else seemed completely happy to rest and eat on-high.

Throughout the day I've kept checking on Tiny, and Mama definitely keeping Tiny filled. Much later in the day, everyone still out of the cages, I noticed that, although earlier I did see Three chowing down with the others, by that point Three's crop had gotten empty, where Riker and Patchouli had a noticeable bulge. I gave Three a ride back inside the big cage, where Mama immediately started stuffing Three as well. Three then retreated to the nestbox, wherein I later saw Mama feeding both Three and Tiny at the window.

Now it's evening. When I opened the large cage, Mama flew out. I had a bit of a time getting Riker, Patchouli, and Jefferson into the big cage, and then Mama Calliope into the separation cage for the night.

Perfect management!

Congratulations for your observing, you would make a great behavioural biologist!

 

[fiddlejen]

Tiny today:

Blue Babies Patchouli and Keye:

Jefferson seems to have bonded with Riker, and vice versa. Riker seems to have inherited Papa’s caringand sociable personality, but not Papa’s anxiety and high-strung demeanor. Jefferson and Riker:

(Difficult to get the photo light-balance right for the little green birdies.)

Mama Calliope expects her green budgies to show her the Best food so she can then drive them away & keep it all for herself:

 

[Laurasea]

Tiny looks like a sweetheart! Want to smooch him/her

 

[fiddlejen]

Blue babies again. Patchouli on the left and Keye (baby number three) on the right.

I mentioned that Three would eventually develop a name, right? Woke up yesterday thinking about baby number three. But, at that moment, Three’s name had become Keye. No thought nor pondering, I just awoke and baby’s name is Keye!

Next, I will need to find good homes for Patchouli and Keye. I had considered keeping all four but really I’m feeling quite overwhelmed by all these little-bitty people living here with me.

Riker I think should never be alone, so Riker stays. Plus Riker is already well-bonded with Papa.

Both Patchouli and Keye are acting very independent - although Keye I think still needs parents a few more days. And of course I don’t want to give up Tiny. So my plan is to keep Riker and Tiny, find homes for Patchouli and Keye.

Although..,. hm I hope that Riker and Tiny are not both girls? (I don’t believe three females plus one Jefferson would be a good plan.)

Any best advice for finding good homes for two beautiful baby budgies?

 

[Scott]

Wow, wow, wow, a visual feast of beauty!

 

[Kitekeeper]

That thread is inspiring! Not long ago I followed the egg laying and the concern was if Calliope would throw out any nesting material....now there are four more budgies in the picture and they are all gorgeous!

Following Hollywood movie pattern we have plenty of action! Jefferson was attacked, Calliope would have to raise all babies by herself, there was drama with Tiny getting behind and its rescue!!

They all look like a movie star for me now...so famous! I loved it!

I loved the name Keye, which looks like as a female and Patchouli a male but they are so young I might be wrong. Best of luck to find new homes for them

Thank you for sharing that beautiful budgie story.

 

[fiddlejen]

Mama, Papa and three babies decided to assemble yesterday for a family photo:

Tiny still living alone in the nestbox did not join in. Tiny has the Exact same coloring as Patchouli. And baby ceres seem to change daily, so once Tiny is flying, no way can I tell them apart. Solution (for now)? Food Dye! (natural of course.). Wingtips and tail, as dark-blue as I could get them. (I think I did an okay dye job.)

 

[Kitekeeper]

I loved the family picture!! Almost seems like they planned that with the babies up and the parents down Oh no, in the second picture Jefferson blinked

Nice solution to paint Tiny´s tail, hopefully you will find homes for Patchouli and Keye.

I am always impressed of how many mutations can come out of a pair of budgies. I could almost bet that in another clutch Calliope and Jefferson would have at least two birds with not yet shown mutations and colors.

I had a pair of budgies once, a normal green male and a grey yellow face female which had a baby just like Tiny and three grey normal siblings in the first clutch. Their second clutch had a grey yellow face (like mama) two normal greens (like papa) and a pied white grey recessive.

 

[Laurasea]

Amazing family photos!!! Love them!!@ all so gorgeous!!! Love Tiny new feather decorated for identify!@ smart @

 

[fiddlejen]

So the babies are acting like a flock now, and not so much like four random personalities. That is, they still have personalities. But. Now they are acting like a flock, together. This is great, I no longer have this overwhelming feeling of, "oh my gosh I am sharing my home with all these tiny people will all these different personalities!" I think what I mean is... They have each individually explored, and realized, just as their parents did long ago, that their parents' favorite spots are, indeed, the best spots; that going Under things is not a good plan, and, it's better to Not hang around on the floor. Moreover, they are starting to somewhot learn their names, which I had not really expected. (I taught Jefferson and Calliope their names when they were still clipped, and really did not think I was gonna be successful.)

This all said... I've decided NOT to look for home(s) for two of them. I still feel I'm at 2-above my preferred maximum numbers of birds. BUT... (1) how could I be certain they would go to a home where they would be happy, and wouldn't miss their home here, and (2), More Importantly --- Jefferson has gotten attached to all of them!!!

Regarding Jefferson. He IS HAPPY now. I realized part of the reason he seemed so dejected, he was missing his youtube budgie friends. (I had stopped playing the youtube budgie video in order to help keep him calm. It worked but then he got depressed.) I went back to playing the youtube budgie video, and he perked back up. He is back to his normal self, only slightly less boisterous. More like, "Im a responsbile flock leader now." The fact is, wanting to make Jefferson happy has been my motivation for quite a lot. Calliope, my beautiful albino, is HIS budgie. I let her have babies so HE could have a flock. I choose what to play on TV based on Jefferson's preferences!! My only bird-related choices which are not about Jefferson first, are those relating to Sunny.

About Riker, baby Number 1. Riker has Jefferson's highly-sociable personality, without his anxiety. A wonderful combination. Also, Riker is greatly bonded to Jefferson. When not socializing, Riker seeks out Jefferson to hang around with. Patchouli and Keye are simply pleasant little birdies. I admit I have studied them less as I was originally planning to re-home them. Tiny is still in the Independence stage, where the other babies were last week; however, participating in group activities today more than yesterday.

Tiny's hand-feeding has definitely had an affect. All the babies are un-afraid of my hands. The other babies, however, will not step up without prompting, and then only part the time. (Whereas, Jefferson and Calliope fly away if the hand comes near.) Tiny, however, if my hand is near, views it as just another convenient perch, and is quite likely to hop up even without an invite.

The vegetable dye is unfortunately Not permanent. Well, I knew that. But it needs reapplied quite often. If it wears off, visually Patchouli and Tiny are really Exactly the same. The ceres change daily, or more often, so cannot go by that. Yesterday after bathtime, I had to guess who was who... luckily, once Tiny was in my hand, I could see a small line of the most recent dye job. Of course, Tiny is also the only one who would just happily sit still for me to paint their tail, so there is that clue as well!!

The pics are from today and yesterday.

All Together Now: