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Have Parrots Ever "Adopted" Other Baby Parrots?

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Have Parrots Ever "Adopted" Other Baby Parrots?

Postby Kirsten » Wed Mar 02, 2011 11:42 am

This is just a spur of the moment question honestly. I've seen cases where brothers and sisters of varying ages taking care of each other as if they were the mother. In particular, I saw a video of a big brother severe macaw feeding his little sister. So my curiosity is this: Are there ever any cases in which a female (or male even) has taken on a mother role for a baby parrot of a different species? Or is it usually just hostility?

Like I don't mean necessarily companionship. I mean for example: A female Hahn's Macaw feeding a baby conure. It's just pure curiosity of course since I saw that youtube video. I have no idea what parrots are like when breeding yet so I have little point of reference.
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Re: Have Parrots Ever "Adopted" Other Baby Parrots?

Postby zazanomore » Wed Mar 02, 2011 12:24 pm

I've read that you can sometimes have a foster mom. Like, if you have a flock of breeding budgies, and the birth mother doesn't want to care for her chicks, then you can put the baby chicks in with another nest.

I'm not sure if they would feed another species though. And I think if a macaw were feeding a conure, they might over feed them, as the baby conure's crop is smaller than a baby macaws crop.
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