New Cockatiel babies! (updated on 6/3)

[gini]

Logan, as I know absolutely nothing about raising little birds...........do you supplement the feeding with an eye dropper or do Roger and Millie take care of everything?

They are so sweet!

[Logan]

Gini, right now, the are doing everything, but I am committed to this smallest baby that I think might be in jeopardy. I am researching things right now so that I can know what to do. My problem is that I worry about being able to feed him/her often enough to do any good. I hope that they will provide for all 5, but that is a lot of babies to care for and as far as I can see, Roger is doing most of the work, not Milly. Of course, I can't see them every minute, so I don't know exactly what is going on.

Let's hope and pray that they are doing all that is necessary right now.

Logan

[Roxyluvsme13]

Oh no. I hope the little one makes it through .

[Logan]

I just checked in on them and all seems good, so far.

Brianna, I got your PM. Thanks.

Let's watch these babies for a week or so. I think we definitely are doing well and I just want people who will love and cherish them to take them home.

Logan

[Chilli]

If you are serious about this, you never know what can happen! Amber, one of our members here at Pet Talk lives in south Florida. She took one of our babies from the first clutch, almost 3 years ago. I kept him (turned out to be "her") to her in Asheville, NC, while her family was traveling in Tennessee. Another friend who lives in TN met me in NC, also, and got the other two, last time. Surely there are enough Pet Talkers to get that baby to you by transport if you want one (or more). Just food for thought. We are not handfeeding them, but we are holding them and bonding with them every day.

Logan

This would be perfect if we weren't adding a new foster/rescue kitten to the family in about a month.
If all is going well, if they have another clutch next year or so, I hope I can seriously look into giving one a home! =D
Mum already told me that when I find the "perfect" bird, she'd allow me to drive quite a distance to meet someone halfway or something.
I hope all goes well with this clutch, and I love seeing pictures. Keep them coming!

[Roxyluvsme13]

Glad they're doing okay. I hope the little one does better.

Glad you got my PM

[Roxyluvsme13]

How are the babies doing?

[sandragonfly]

oh cock-cockgratulations, grandma logan!!

I've always wanted one or two - so so cute.. I can feel the softness from this screen... -melts-

I hope the smallest one is doing okay now!

[Logan]

Thank you for the good thoughts for our smallest baby. He/she seems to be doing just fine, so far. Roger and Milly are good parents and the baby seems to be thriving, just behind, as expected, on development since he hatched later than the others.

We do have an unexpected issue that arose over the weekend. We have been trying to take the babies out, one at a time, to hold them and get them accustomed to the human touch. One of the first babies seems to have a deformed right leg. At first, when Helen noticed it, she thought that it might be broken, but after closer observation, it appears that it did not form correctly. I have only ever used the only avian vet that we know of in our area for having Roger and Milly's wing's clipped (he also clipped the wings of our last clutch when they started flying), but I called him this morning and they were able to get him right to the phone to talk with me. Scott and I were concerned because this baby seems to be thinner than the others. What we don't know is whether that is because he is refusing to eat or if Roger and Milly aren't feeding him. Dr. Fernandez told me not to bring him in right now because there is little he can do to help that leg at this point since the baby is so young. He did suggest that we try hand feeding him for a few days and see if he is willing to eat and will gain weight, and he also suggested that we use a scale to monitor his weight. We are committed to doing whatever is necessary to keep him comfortable and try to help him along in development. So, handfeeding will begin today, if he is willing, and he will remain in the nest as long as Roger and Milly and the other babies will allow. If he does not thrive, we know what we need to do. And if he does seem to bounce back and find a way to survive on one leg, we will surely keep him and when he is old enough, provide a safe place for him, away from Mom and Dad, and he will become a part of our family.

I allowed these eggs to develop and I know that I need to be committed to seeing this thing through. It makes us all very sad to see the one baby having so much trouble. Please keep the little fellow in your prayers and also ask that we have the wisdom to know what to do for him/her.

Logan

[sandragonfly]

oh wow, so much for little. I feel so bad. but very glad you're there for her/him!

I know I can trust you to do your best taking care of this little fluffball. s/he will remain in my thoughts until s/he becomes one big trooper!

[zippy-kat]

I just read this thread so I'm late in congratulating you!

For what it's worth:
My cockatiel, Jackie, walked on her "wrists" rather than on her "fingertips." As a result, she would rub herself raw on the part between the "wrist" and the "elbow" (did that make any sense?). The vet we took her too told us to use dow rods as perches and cover them in Dr. Scholl's moleskin. She still walked on her "wrists" (it was genetic) but her wounds healed quickly.

Maybe that's a "trick" you could keep in mind, should this wee one's right leg rub on the perch.

[luckies4me]

Can you take a picture of the babies leg? If it is splayed leg this can be easily fixed with a brace, and is actually quite common in cockatiels. When I used to breed we had a clutch with two babies who had splayed leg. They both got their legs corrected and grew up to be normal tiels. Sometimes as you pointed out though, the parents refuse to feed the babies. Sometimes they will even try to kill the baby, feather plucking and tossing it around the cage.


Ours were all parent *and* hand fed so they got everything they needed. Just keep an eye out for this little one. Just FYI, if it is splayed leg the sooner you treat it the better. Also, I've known many a bird to live happily ever after with only one leg. As long as they got a beak they're good to go!

[momoffuzzyfaces]

Prayers on the way from me for the wee one!

[Roxyluvsme13]

Prayers for the little one, hope it makes it!

[Logan]

I have gotten some great advice from one of my bird friends complete with the "how to" on the leg. Scares me to death, to tell you the truth. Scott and I will review the information tonight and if he can help me, we will do all we can. I have the formula for handfeeding and will begin that process in a few minutes.

I hope this baby is going to be ok.

Thanks, you guys.

Logan