Pepperrific Photo-op

Percy and Phoebe's First Christmas

Phoebe and Percy

Phoebe and Percy in their new home

Our babies trying to get the feel of things...

Chillin' with the Duckie

Percy and Phoebe in the house!

Our babies perched for the first time!

Just after their evening feeding, I tried to get Phoebe to perch on my finger. She did so after a few seconds. It took Percy a while to do to the same. No matter, they're both stars in my book.

Chain of pictures below:





On top of that, I also caught Phoebe bathing in the water dish like a proper bird. It's just so cool!

Phoebe and Percy

There's a video of Phoebe and Percy when they were 20 and 18 days old, respectively. Now, they're more than 5 weeks old and they look super. It's so nice to see how they changed from this:

to this:

The pointers we got from True Love Aviary really helped.

And then there were 3

Happy hatchday to the latest addition to the family! Now there are 3 of them. They kind of look like adorable naked molerats, don't they?

We're thinking of names for all of them. Maybe they can all start with "P" like Percy, Pippin, Petey, etc. We're all really psyched about this.

We're ready with the materials for the brooder when we start handfeeding them on October 12. Sylvia is just awesome. Here's a short video of the 3.

The first two new hatchlings

Last Saturday, we got 2 new hatchlings, coming out of their eggs a few hours apart. Both looked well and healthy. The third egg is starting to hatch (if you look closely, you will notice a small chip on the egg next to the more prominently seen chick). I used my phone camera to take this one so the photo resolution is not so good. I also took a short 17-second video.

We're so excited. We hope everything turns out well.

The third egg

As predicted, Sylvia laid the third egg last night. We are expecting the fourth one this Wednesday. Yippee!

Bird Behavior

Dr. Foster and Dr. Smith of the Veterinary & Aquatic Services Department had an interesting entry about bird behavior. They have a detailed description about the things birds do and what it means.

Pepper, our pied cockatiel, and the Lovies are fond of beak grinding and hanging upside-down in their enclosures. This means that they are happy. They also have a habit of bobbing their heads when they see people. This means they are trying to catch attention.

Pepper has a habit of spreading his wings in a quasi-predatory pose, which can mean either one of two things: 1)he's stretching, or 2)he's showing off. He also has a habit of calling out to us when we're home, because he really doesn't stay in his enclosure that often. (He mostly stays there to sleep and eat. We also put him in when we open the windows, so as not to risk him flying out.) One annoying habit that Pepper has is that he tends to cry when we leave the room so we have to answer his call to reassure him that we are coming back.

Lovebirds and cockatiels are smart birds that require constant stimulation. If a bird starts feather-picking (this is very different from preening) and chewing on its feet, it could mean that it's either bored or upset about something. Spend a portion of the day with them. Make toys out of cardboard material, toothpicks popsicle sticks, raffia, etc. Put their enclosures where people normally hang out like the livingroom. Do not put them anywhere near the kitchen (especially when you're cooking) as certain chemicals found there can be toxic to birds.

To know more about pet behavior, read the article on Pet Education.

On Weaning

1. Eyes open up at about 10 days, pin feathers start emerging in about 2-3 weeks, and they should start pecking at items on bottom of cage at about 3-4 weeks of age.
2. Start weaning baby lovebirds at 4 weeks of age, when the baby is ready. Lovebirds need to imprint on humans at as early age as possible so they will be tame pet birds. When they start pecking at stuff on their brooder/cage bottom, you can start the weaning process.
3. Handfeed lovebirds under 4 weeks of age every 4-5 hours or whenever their crops become empty (varies with each bird). The rule of thumb is whenever the crop is empty, except during the nighttime hours. It doesn't hurt them to be a little bit hungry if you can't meet a regular time (if you happen to be out shopping or something), but don't go too far over the time.
4. Have them in some type of brooder situation where they have sufficient warmth, humidity, etc. They shouldn't still be in a nest without their parents. They need heat in order to process their food. They can be introduced to a cage when they can walk and climb on the cage wire and have enough feathers to keep them warm enough. Otherwise, the 3-week old should be in a brooder type setup and the 5-week old could probably be in a cage.
5. Babies often try to feed off their clutchmates. This is normal. Their beaks are still soft so it's doubtful that injuries would occur.

Source: All Experts

Rodney and Tamara Money of True Love Aviary maintains:

1. If you are going to be a great bird breeder then you need to buy a scale that measure in grams. You can get them at the birdie boutique also. Healthy, 8 week old+ lovebirds can weigh from 45-52 grams giving a gram or two.
2. To introduce "big bird" food to babies, introduce the food to the babies when they start to chew on their bedding. Let them have a taste by physically placing a very small piece of "big bird food" in their beaks (make sure they do not choke). After you hand feed babies with formula, place them in their brooder next to their food; formula stimulates them to eat "big bird" as they get older. At 7 weeks, introduce cooked foods and fruits, sprouts, and veggies.
3. Every baby is different. If your babies are still very young, like 4 weeks for example, and they are not eating formula as well, then cut down on the number of feedings. Around 5.5-6 weeks of age, baby lovebirds should be on two feedings and taking around 8-10+cc's every feeding.
4. At 7 weeks old, the babies should be on 1 feeding. And by 8 weeks, they should be fully weaned and ready for their vet exam. Let your babies learn to fly before they wean or you will have a very difficult time weaning them; it's natures way. Then after they wean if you want to clip your birds you can.
5. Drop a feeding or two every week. When the babies are three weeks old, start placing crunched up Nutri-Berries, Avicakes, pellets, seed, and millet for the babies to eat and explore. When they start eating, you can add a water bowl also.
6. If the babies are crying at an hour or two, they need more food during feedings. Use either Roudybush or Harrison's Hand feeding formulas. Exact Hand feeding Formula that you can get at Petsmart and other retail pet stores is a bad formula. The food is hard for the babies to digest and stays in the crop which can cause an infection. 10-14 day old babies will take up to 3-4 cc's. Only use O-ring syringes. You can get them at birdieboutique (google it).
7. When you pull the entire clutch at 10-14 days, or 10-16 days, if you have 4 babies, then feed them every 3 hours from 8:00 am-11:00 pm (that is about 6 feedings.) Other "experts" would say less feedings, but others have found out that this is closer to what their parents do.

Sylvia lays her second egg

We checked the nestbox this morning to find a second egg. We're all very excited about it. The birds have been eating okra like crazy, which is good. We make it a habit to feed them greens and not just seeds.

Philip is starting to come around. He's not as nervous as he used to be when we first got him. We lined their nestbox with a substrate, but they immediately removed the material to replace it with the ones they have gathered on their own. Apparently, they're very picky when it comes to nesting materials.

Yesterday, we were looking for good brooders for the chicks and found some interesting materials. Will post them later.

On Clipping Wings and Trimming nails

A few months ago, Pepper, our cockatiel, got a litle cocky and flew out of his cage, straight towards the white wall. We had to rush him to the vet clinic where we learned that his eyesight isn't all that good. To protect Pepper from himself, we've decided to have his wings clipped. Apparently, we have to do that every two months.

I found an interesting diagram drawn by one Kaytee posted in the website of the National Cockatiel Society (NCS).


According to Nancy Kizuka of NCS Magazine, the bird's wings need to be clipped again after the next molt. She says, "When clipping these flight feathers, be careful not to clip any growing feathers. You will recognize these blood feathers from the others since you can see the dark blood area in the shaft."

Kizuka also wrote something about clipping the nails of the bird.

"Nails need to be clipped when they are becoming snagged on toys, cage covers or clothes. One can use a human nail clipper or baby nail scissors, and take off just the tippy-tips.

All nails have a blood supply. If you nick into this blood supply or quick, have some Quik-Stop or Stay on hand. If you do not have these commercial products on hand, flour or corn starch will work. Apply this with gentle pressure until the bleeding stops. Occasionally the nail gets cut too short and these products don't work. Silver nitrate sticks stop any bleeding. They are available from your avian veterinarian.

The proper size perch can help keep nails at the correct length. The tips of the nails should touch the perch. You can also use concrete perches, pedi-perches, sandy perches, hard wood perches or any of the other conditioning perches available today. Using a variety of perches also helps the bird stay comfortable since they are on their feet 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It also helps to prevent early onset arthritis." (Source: NCS Magazine)

I've been clipping Pepper's nails and it has worked like a charm. He's much more balanced and gets a better grip of the perch. He also doesn't hurt himself anymore when he scratches himself.

Based on the text that I have read, we should get CAREFRESH to line the brooder with to avoid splayed legs, and to make sure that there is no build-up of bacteria in the brooder. PetSMART says that CAREFRESH is "the ideal pet bedding and litter for parakeets, finches, cockatiels, conures, parrots, macaws and all other birds." Apart from providing superior odor control, CAREFRESH is highly absorbent, natural and biodegradable. It comes in many variants, all of which are non-toxic and pet-safe. It contains no contaminants, added inks, dyes, or chemicals. Made of natural, biodegradable wood pulp fiber, CAREFRESH is sanitized to kill bacteria, mold and fungus. Its natural, biodegradable fiber allows for safe and easy disposal. Heck, some even say that it's flushable (but I'd rather not disprove this theory firsthand).

I'm thinking of hitting the pet shop this week and buying a pack. Price ranges from $3 to $25, depending on the size and the store. I'm particularly interested in the white variant.

Philip on the defense

Philip is noisier than usual. Every time Sylvia emerges out of the nest box to eat or gather nesting materials, Philip is right beside her, making threatening sounds while beating his wings at imaginary predators. It's funny how, they've never been to the wild, yet they still do some of the things wild birds do.

Sylvia's getting better at gathering nesting materials, and Philip has been stuffing himself with all the leafy greens we've been feeding them. This is all so exciting. We're going to have chicks soon!

Sylvia lays her first egg!

According to aviary owner, Amanda Stoner from Canada, "the first egg is laid within 10 days after mating. The lovebirds eggs are laid in the nest every other day. The hen usually starts to brood (sit on the eggs) after the second egg is laid. Most of the time, the eggs are laid at night. Brooding takes 22 to 25 days."

Sounds like pretty exciting stuff. Now, we have to think about handfeeding and brooding. The people from Parrot Parrot have some very interesting text, particularly, about avoiding splayed legs in chicks. Read below:

You know it when you see it: a poor chick's legs are spread straight out from the body and the chick is unable to get a grip and sit up with its legs properly underneath its body. Splay legs can be very traumatic for the novice breeder. The best way to deal with this is to prevent it. Even the best nest-builders should be given a basic substrate for the nest box. I recommend Care Fresh. It is nontoxic and easy to get. Put about 2-3 inches into the nest box. Then give the hen nest-building materials. She will build her nest on top of the substrate. This prevents the chicks from ending up on the bottom of a nestbox on a slippery wooden floor where they can't get a proper grip. It also cushions them if they have an overzealous mother who sits very tightly on them. If you've already got chicks in the nest and realize they are hitting the wooden floor, remove chicks, remove the nest built by the mother (try to keep it basically intact), add 2-3 inches of Care Fresh, replace mother's nest on top of the substrate, replace chicks. Problem solved. If you've got some babies with splay legs, the best way to treat it is to double band the legs, use dental floss to tie the legs together in the proper position under the body, place the baby in a cushioned cup to help hold it in the proper position. Obviously this entails pulling the baby from the nest and handfeeding it separately from other chicks, as the string between the legs can strangle other chicks in the nest. If you are having difficulty, take the baby to the vet. You do not want to let this go, as these birds are often severely crippled and will need special caging and extra help all their lives. (Source: Parrot Parrot)

I've been researching since day 1 so that we could prepare ourselves to handfeed the chicks when they hatch. I've never done it before, but my husband has had some experience in it. He has handfed 3 chicks, and they turned out pretty well, so I'm pretty optimistic.

What's curious, though, is that despite having laid an egg, she's still gathering nesting materials. Perhaps this is normal behavior, but then our birds are pretty weird. For instance, they sleep like people. I was alarmed by this at first, and I thought that something was wrong with them. As it turns out, it's just something that they do: they lie prone on top of the nestbox with their eyes shut. Some days, I panic and think they're dead, but they just chirp and hop around looking pissed that I woke them up.

Ah well...