Question about a baby tiel

[racing_gurl07]

There was an ad in the paper, that said "Need to sell: male & female cockatiel with 2 3 week old babies, cage, food, everything for 150$" so i called him asking if he will just sell a baby, since i already have spike, and he said theres a guy, whos a breeder that is going to buy them, but if he wants to sell them go head, but the guy who is selling them said he wants the babies to go to a good home, not a breeder. So im TRYING to talk Jason into letting me get one. But my question is, they wont be able to leave their parents til they are 8 weeks right? and..IF i do get one, can it be in the same cage as spike, or should i buy another cage?

[Giselle]

Oh dear gawds, please contact a cockatiel breeder or avian vet before you even think of taking in these babies. They need to be either handfed or they need to stay with their parents.

I'm so infuriated right now. I can't even believe that horrible excuse for a human being is even *dreaming* to try to sell a breeding pair and their 3 week old chicks! Dear GAWDS. I'm so appalled right now :mad:

Honestly, I think the best route would be to let the "breeder" take the birds because I'm hoping against hope that the person is an experienced, reputable breeder who knows how to handfeed or at least has the resources to take care of mom, dad, and the babies. If you really REALLY want these babies, I highly recommend you contact an avian vet or a cockatiel breeder and ask them to mentor you. If the chicks are going to be parent raised (which is the best option), you'll need to heavily supplement mom and pop's diet with fresh fruits, veggies, eggfood, etc. If the chicks are going to be handfed (which I don't recommend unless you have experience), you're going to be sacrificing weeks of sleepless nights and you cannot go to work without bringing these chicks with you.

That guy is such a poor excuse for a human being. I'm sorry. He doesn't want his birds to go to a breeder??? Why did he breed them in the first place?!?! Second of all, the average home doesn't know how to take care of breeding birds and their chicks. His best bet would be to hand his birds over to his fellow breeders, but I bet he doesn't even know anybody else who breeds. *sigh* Soooo infuriating...

[lute]

i agree with Giselle!

i personally wouldn't take one of the chicks. i would let the breeder take them. the breeder would have a better knowledge of what to do. i would get the breeder's phone number and buy one of the chicks from him when they are old enough. you'd be saving yourself from emotional upsets and no sleep because you'd have to feed the chick. what if you loose the chick. it is very easy for a chick to die.

[racing_gurl07]

i went to talk to the guy, they are about 8 weeks old, that thing has been in the paper forever i guess!

[racing_gurl07]

here is a picture...

[racing_gurl07]

I dont know if Derrik didnt like the breeder or what, derrik tried to call him but he woudnt answer, i dont know if he thinks that hes a bad guy or what.

[Giselle]

8 weeks is still pretty young. Is he fully weaned? When I was breeding budgies, I made sure my chicks were able to sufficiently feed themselves before letting them go to their new homes because 7-9 weeks is a pivotal age. If they wean themselves and then relapse, you have to re-wean them which can be a tough issue. If he's not fully weaned, *demand* that the guy wean them before he sells the bird to you.

But back to your original question, you can't let the new addition share the same cage as Spike because you'll need to quarantine the new bird for about 3-4 weeks. If you don't quarantine, you'll run the risk of giving a fatal illness to Spike. After 3-4 weeks, you can start to introduce the new bird to Spike's cage. However, if the new bird is of the opposite gender, they will breed in the spring. I can almost guarantee that :p

[racing_gurl07]

im not sure if it male or female, and derrik said that this one is feeding by itself, eating seeds and what not, but the grey one is still wanting his mother to feed him.

Is it ok if i just get a small..not too small cage for him now? i dont want to spend alot of money on another cage, when i have the nice one spike is in.
so you said, if i put the chick in with spike, spike will get sick?

[laredos_mom06]

Quarantining is essential. The other bird could have a disease Spike could get, even if it looks healthy. Here is a link about it. Good luck!

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art6433.asp

[Giselle]

If you don't quarantine the new bird for 3-4 weeks, there's a very high chance that Spike could catch an illness from it. While I was on vacation, the caretaker of my birds introduced several new birds into the flock. He did not quarantine any of them. His lack of judgement killed off more than half my flock. Quarantine is just that important!

I think it's fine if the new bird has a smaller sized cage. S/He's only going to be living in it for a couple weeks :)