Hello im new amd need some advice

[Birdlover00]

Hello im new and i just wanted to interduce myself so 4 days ago i got 2 baby fischer lovebirds from a local breeder, i estimate that they are about 3 and a half weeks old the one is aybe a few days older then the other the older ones name is Crunchie and the younger one is peanut, so far every thing is going well at first Crunchie dident want to eat but i made the formula a little warmer and now is eating ok im new to the whole hand rearing thing as i have only owned two adult cokatiels before, so anyways i know almost nothing about lovebirds and any information will be greatly apreciated, i also have a few questians like how much should they eat each day currently im feeding them 4 times a day 3.5 ml each feeding session is that ok?? Do they need more??, also how much should they be handled at this stage? I usally sit with them and hold them for about 15 minutes after feeding ( they love crawling into my poket (; ) should i handle them more? Or less? Also in last night they just satrted chirping and making really wierd loud noises so i checked on them and they were trying to get food from each other by pecking each others beeks is that normal?? I thought they were hungary so i gave them i little bit of formula and they seemed to be quite but just when i got back in bed they started again, i barely got any sleep, dose anyone know what is causing this?? And how can i get them stop?? I also put some millet in there box and they were pecking it so im going to get them seed mix and put that out for them tomorrow.
Any advice or tips would be greatly apreciated

Thanks Sam

[liz]

Beautiful babies. Welcome to the forum.

Being babies they are probably having separation anxiety and wanted to be with you to cuddle.

[Wolf]

I have no real experience with Lovebirds, the closest to them that I have are parrotlets which are much more aggressive and no experience with baby birds as all of my birds came to me as adults.

Still, I do a bit of research and part of this, in order to both answer questions and to better understand my own birds, was on the life cycles of parrots. Parrots regardless of species are never alone from the time of their hatching until the time of their deaths. They are born totally helpless and dependent on their parents for survival, then because they do not know anything they even require their parents to teach them how to eat, their minds are nearly a total blank, and up until they fledge and leave the nest there is always at least one of the parents with them. When they go through puberty and leave the parents care they are surrounded by the flock until their deaths.

Although they are being raised in captivity some of this transfers into captivity and this means that these birds see you as their parent and they are totally dependent on you to teach them what foods to eat and everything else that they need to know to survive in a human environment and it also means that they expect you to be there with them at all times.

The continued noise and new sounds that you are describing are very likely the birds trying to call for you so that they can feel safe and secure. I would also check to make certain that when they are put to bed at night that there is no light entering their srea so that they can sleep more soundly.

[Pajarita]

Welcome to the forum, Birdlover and babies! Now, I hope you don't take this the wrong way but I have to tell you that yours is a worrisome situation, my dear, because handfeeding is not an easy thing to do (too many things can go wrong), it requires not only a lot of time and preparation (formula has to be made fresh every time and everything has to be thoroughly washed), but also the proper set-up, utensils and knowledge which it seems to me going by your posting, you don't have. For example, cold formula (which you, apparently, were feeding - by the way, at their age, the formula is supposed to be at 103 degrees -but make sure it stays at that temperature, too because starting off with it but not keeping it would cause it to get too cold for them) causes yeast to grow in their crops and, if this happens and the condition is not taken care of on a timely and proper way (prescription medication, flushing the crops, etc), the babies can die because the crop will stop 'pushing' the food down (and this is why the condition is also called 'slow crop') into the proventriculus (one of the 'stomachs') and the babies will die from starvation.

Now, as to your questions: They are supposed to eat 10% of their weight so you need to weigh them everyday at the same time and with an empty crop (you need to keep a record), and from this, calculate how much they should be eating (they are also supposed to gain weight steadily until they fledge when they might lose a teeny tiny bit of weight which they will regain later) but, to give you an idea, at their age, they should be eating 4 to 6 cc every time. I have to tell you, though, these birds were much too young to be sold (the breeder should have known this and he/she should have taught you how to handfeed also so I am afraid that you ended up getting birds from a not so responsible breeder) and, because they are very young, they need to be fed more often than 4 times a day (at their age, rule of thumb is every 4 hours day and night). Also, the formula gets thicker as the babies get older so that's another thing you need to take into consideration but it's hard to explain the actual consistency (this is the kind of thing that people need to see with their own eyes). I would say it needs to be thicker than tomato soup or maybe like the yogurt kids get in those little tubes they drink from, creamy and just a bit thick but still liquidy enough that would flow easily from the syringe.

Are you keeping them in a brooder even if it is a makeshift home-made one? Because, if you are not, the most likely reason they were awake in the middle of the night is cold -and that is also real bad for babies, they need high temperatures to thrive because they can't even digest their food properly if they are cold (the brooder should be between 93 and 96 F at this age). If you do have them with heat, I hope it's not provided by a heat lamp because they are not supposed to be exposed to light so young (their eyes will not develop correctly as parrots are born in dark cavities with immature eyes that finish developing in the dark of their nests) and a lamp cannot be regulated to a specific temperature.

Yes, they should be handled but not as you would an adult or even a juvenile bird but much more gentle and without a whole lot of touching all over... Putting them on your lap and keeping your hand lightly resting on them (as if they had a mother bird sitting on them) will work just fine and you can do this for as long as you can because baby parrots are never alone at that age, the parents take turns feeding them so there is always one in the nest with them. Also, are these babies sexed? Because, if they are not and you end up with two females, you will have trouble down the road.

Ah, one more thing, you are not supposed to feed them millet or anything besides formula until they are 4 weeks old, at the very least.

[Birdlover00]

Hello thanks for all the advice, i am feeding the formula warm and keeping them in a home made brooder type of thing to keep them warm, i will star weighing them today and keep record of it thanks again for all the advice i will definatly use it all oh and i have one more questian, we want to build a cage for them but im not sure how big or what type of wire i should make it from because i dont want to make it from something harmful for them, and also can i use copper treated wood?
Thanks Sam

[Wolf]

As far as I am aware of the only metals that are bird safe are stainless steel, aluminum or nickel. These are bare metals, but you could use normal steel and then after you have made all of the cage parts have them powder coated and then assemble.

The size of the cage is dependent upon how many birds will be in it as well as how long they will be in the cage on a daily basis.

[Pajarita]

Sam, I would not even try to make a home-made cage. Some of them look absolutely beautiful, with stands and/or sides of polished wood, etc but none of them are really very good for birds and they are all a nuisance to clean (I had one, the cardinals came in a beautiful one that looked like a nice piece of furniture but it was not practical AT ALL). The best housing for birds is a good quality cage of the right dimension (rule of thumb is 5 times their height and 3 times their wing span BUT for little species, I would actually get a bigger one as they are very flighty), the right material (Wolf already told you), the right shape (no weird shape roof, dormers or anything, rectangular is best) and (very important) with the right kind of doors, holds for bowls and bar size and gauge as well as a grate and bottom tray that is easy to remove and clean. I would also look for one that is on a stand so the top perch (the one they will use for roosting), is at a human's eye level when standing up.

[Birdlover00]

Ok, thanks for the advice i will consider just buying a cage

[Randall]

Hi Birdlover! how are your little babies doing? please give us a update if possible!