New bird owner and have ? Please

[sam]

Hi I'm new here just browsing and found this site seems to be a very nice place to hang out and share talk about your birds with others.
But anyway I just got this little baby today and the lady I got him from she is a breeder and had the 2 little babies ready to go. So my son and I got them.

And they are still being hand feed twice a day is what she told me to do and offer them other food along and in time they will start to eat seeds and things.
Well I went and got it all kind of goodies today along with a new cage.

so far he seems to be loving it. But hasn't tried eating any of the things I had put in his cage for him just as yet. I gave him a good feeding just before I put him down for the night and he seems to be full and happy. He seem that he's going to be a very loving bird. just will crawl all over you and preen your hair and all.

so so sweet he is . But My question is can you tell me what maybe he will grow up to be what type of cockatiel and what sex maybe he will be? She told me that the both of them she thought were males. the one my son got has lots more yellow on it's little head and cresses. than mine does. I was just wondering if he will stay this color are will he change. I think the lady told me that they were like a month old but don't quot me on that just yet.

I'm going to call her tomorrow and find out for sure. I looked at so many and she told me the age but I forget when I got home for sure what she said their age is. But I'm doing everything she told me to do and too I have hand feed before so this is not my first time hand-feeding one out. I think they are just so much more loving when you do have the time to do it your self and makes them more gentle.

So is there anything maybe that I might need to do that I'm not doing right. If so I would love to here your suggestions. I sure don't want it to die on me. I had a little quaker that I had gotten from her a few days ago and it did find for 2 days then got up Sunday morning and it was dead like to have killed me I had done gotten attach to it very much. But it was only 10 days old. the lady i got it from thinks maybe I let it get chilled and thats what happen I don't know but I thought I was doing everything right I had it on heating pad and under a lamp also so I thought it was plenty warm enought...But guess not. my heart was tored deeply. I was so sad :-( and I though maybe my going back and getting this one maybe it would help me from griving so badly over the other baby.

So I thought I would look up a forum board on cockatiels and get advice form someone that knows more than me. So when I need help I can call on some of you for help as to what I need to do. Well thanks for listening to me. And I hope I didn't over doi it with this long post. I would appreciate some help from you all if you don't mind. I'm checking it's formula and all for the right temp before I feed it. and trying my best to get it off its little face the best and it drying to its face, feathers.

thanks and hope someone will reply to me let me know if I'm doing things right and what kind this bird is and will it stay mostly all Grey like that? I was kind of wanting some yellow on his head but if not it will be ok too. Well thanks again Hugs Gail,
here's a few photos if I can figure out how to get them posted here.

Thanks
Hope this works....

Image #1



Image #2



Image #3

[Oh Mowsie]

Hi Gail,

Welcome to Tail Feathers. You have two very adorable cockatiels there. But, by the looks of the pictures, you have two very YOUNG cockatiels. I read your post thoroughly and I am going to tell it to you straight. I am VERY sorry for the loss of your little Quaker but the fault did not lie with you. It was the breeders fault ENTIRELY. Why? Because at ten days old.. that baby should have NEVER EVER EVER been sold.

If your cockatiels ARE only a month old... they too, are MUCH too young to be weaned and sold as well. This breeder you are dealing with concerns me. The pictures indicate that they have perhaps just come out of the pinfeather stage and may still have a few.. so they may in fact be just about five weeks old. If that is the case.. they are very young indeed. They will require hand feeding which is tricky business. Did the breeder show you how to do this? They are not old enough to rely strictly on getting their own food so they will starve if they do not get supplemental feedings from you.

Cockatiels generally wean at 8 to 10 (sometimes longer depending on the bird) weeks of age so you have some work cut out for you. They should receive their formula, as well as be shown different options for "snacking" in between... for example.. where their seed is.. where they can nibble on veggies.. cuttle bone.. mineral block.. pellet.. etc. Food offered should be of a softer variety first and then as they get older, harder foods can be introduced as their beaks strengthen. Food should be kept lower in the cage and monitored for debris until they are more steady on their feet and have better climbing ability.

I hope the breeder at least sent you home with a proper feeding schedule, amounts that the babies should be eating, and the proper "decrease" amounts as they grow. Just remember to ALWAYS offer a variety of other healthy foods as options so that your cockatiel will become familiar with healthy eating habits early on. Establishing a "flock" mentality with your young cockatiel will help this. By eating healthy food in front of your young tiel and then offering him tid bits of the same food item (that hasn't been in your mouth) he will learn by your example that "this is food and it is good".

Also.. if you ever see your tiel "bobbing his head".. and hear a "radio static" type sound coming from him... he's begging because he's hungry.

As they grow: Judging by the pictures.. they look to be Standard Grays. So.. that means coloring wise.. if they are hens they will look just about the same when they are adult. They may get a little more yellow in the face and crest.. but not much. The barred yellow tail feathers will remain. Usually, (but not all the time).. hens are quieter and don't sing as much or do alot of the vocal displays that males do.. although that does NOT mean that hens never chirp. They just don't show off as much. If they are males.. you might notice that after the first molt (which begins around the age of six months.. sometimes a little earlier.. sometimes a little later).. males will begin to get MUCH yellower in the head until they have a bright yellow head.. and pronounced orange cheek patches. The yellow barred tail feathers underneath fall out and are replaced with solid gray feathers. They sometimes take a few molts to get their full coloration in.. but you'll start seeing the difference after the first one. Usually around six months of age.. sometimes sooner though.. with males... they begin to display some behaviors like banging (hammering)their beak on surfaces like perches and the bars of their cage (a territorial display), they're more vocal.. often picking a song they like and singing it at dusk and dawn.. they develope a certain strut with their wings held in a postion and their chest out while they sing.. and other behaviors that set them apart from "typical female" behaviors. Those are the things that my hen DOESN'T do.. that my males ABSOLUTELY do. By six months of age.. I can usually tell, what gender my cockatiel is based on behavior.

Good luck with your babies! PLease keep us posted and if there is anything we can do to help, please feel free to ask.

[featherjinxer]

Good Afternoon Gail!

Your chicks are very pretty . Chances are you won't be able to tell how old they are until after they moult, however, as they are normal greys. At around 6-8 months, they will lose all their feathers, and grow their adult plumage. the male will get all yellow feathers on his face and crest, whereas the female will only have bits and pieces. All immature birds will have the female coloring. Here is a link to what you'll be looking for:
http://www.showbirds.com/tiels/pairs/normal.html

Let me address a few concerns in your post now, ok?

I had a little quaker that I had gotten from her a few days ago and it did find for 2 days then got up Sunday morning and it was dead

Please try to understand that this is NOT your fault. Unfortunatley, there are irrisoponsible breeders who will sell unweaned chicks to people who trust the breeder to help them. These people are just in it for a quick buck- they don't care if the bird is raised healthy or not, they just want to move product for less of a cash loss. As far as bonding, I don't know what the breeder told you, but if it was that if you handfeed them yourself, they will have a closer bond, that isn't the case. There is no difference in bonding, or personality if the chick is raised by another person- in fact, the socialization needed between the chicks, and different people is essential to their psycological heath.

Please also try to understand that is is incredibly easy to lose these guys when they are this young, and you are inexperienced. If the formula is off by even a degree- or tenth of a degree when the chick is young, it can kill them, or put them into crop statis, slow crop, etc. If it doesn't kill them, it messes up their digestion badly, and a vet is needed. If any bacteria isn't sterilized between uses, this can cause very bad infections, and also lead to death. Temperature, also, is crutial- they can easily overheat, or get chilled. Humidity changes can also lead to death.

Be sure you weigh them before every feeding, and keep a good record- this will be the first indication of a problem. It will also give you a good basis for how the weaning is going in a few weeks. The gram scale needs to go at least 2 decimal places.

What brand formula did she give you(Most commercial brands are ok, but if it was something homade, I probably wouldn't trust it to have everything the chicks need to grow healthy, and have a healthy long life). I happen to prefer Zupreem, but I've heard the Kaytee formula does ok too. There are a few other brands, too, I just don't know about them .

Make sure to sterilize everything completely with antibacterial soap and hot water. Do not keep formula between feedings- if you make to much, toss it, it isn't worth losing a chick over it. It took me a long time to figure out the right amounts of formula to make when I feed, but it isn't worth risking a chick's life over 10 cc's. Also, read the instruction- DON"T make formula in the microwave, as it fluffs it, and changes the nutritent content. Yours babies are feathered, and that is good. You won't have to worry as much about temperature and humidity, but be very careful they are not cold or hot. Are they in an incubator or cage?

But hasn't tried eating any of the things I had put in his cage for him just as yet.

It's not uncommon for them to regress after being stressed. Be sure to ALWAYS have seed, pellets, and veggies available to try. Usually, they begin by playing with them, then eventually figure out it is food. Watching you eat is good as well, just don't share, as our saliva has bad bacteria for birds! The seeds may take awhile to figure out, as these birds don't have any adults around to show them how to hull seeds. Anyway, be sure there is always food available. Veggies need to be changed every 2 hours or so to keep the bird from consuming anything spoiled. I would estimate it will take a good 2 1/2 to 3 to 4 weeks for him to begin trying food, and actually eating it. They will play with it, and just end up shredding it, but NOT consume any.
Let me get you some links on weaning, ok?

Please take the time to read all of these- they are important!

http://www.toolady.com/articles/handfeeding.htm
http://members.tripod.com/~Cockatiels4U/handfeeding.htm
http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww66e.htm
http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww67e.htm

http://www.cagenbird.com/weaning.htm
http://www.quakerparrots.com/qtips/a...ce_weaning.htm
http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww4e.htm



Here are some very general nutrition links:

http://www.exoticpetvet.net/avian/20facts.html
http://www.exoticpetvet.net/avian/avnutrition.html


Hope to hear back from you!

[sam]

Thanks to the both of you for the welcome and good info on my bird and the links you posted for me to go to. I agree the baby was too young I shouldn't have even tired it knowing it was only 10 days old. I had hand feed before but not that young.

The cockatiel I have now is doing just great. I put her in the bottom of the cage today as you suggested and put different variated seed and Millet and he has been eating up a storm. He's been chirping today and cleaning his feathers.

He's so sweet well he are she which ever it might be. I will still love it. The lady I got it from said it was a male but I don't know yet but I will watch for the signs as you both told me and be able to tell. And I just have the one baby my son has the other.

in the pic's that's just my bird I know the pictures kind of look different guess it's the way the flash hit it. But again thank you both and I will sure be asking more questions along.

As I'm sure I will need more advice. I have one now BTW is is ok to put just a little water in the bottom of the cage in cup at this age are should I not? I was thinking maybe it might get thirsty for water. But I didn't want to put to much to where it could fall over in it and get too wet. And the Formula I have it on is KAYTEE exact.

I feed it twice a day and too it's eating some seed also. Ok again thanks hugs Gail,

[Oh Mowsie]

Hi Gail!

Oh Yay! I'm glad your sweeties are doing well and eating.

Yes.. you want to have some water available for them to drink. Keep a shallow bowl available for them, lower down by their food cups. You may need to physically show them where it is, and monitor them to make sure they know where it is. They probably get water content from their formula, but its still important to have it on hand for them. They might like to bathe in it too but just make certain its shallow enough that they cannot drown in it.

[Budgieobsession]

Are you handfeeding your son's bird as well? I woudl try to get him to eat fruits and veggies and pellets rather than jsut seed if you are not already donig so. Cute bird!

[sam]

Hi, no my son is hand feeding his. Yes I do give it fruits and veggies as well. But seems that he loves the millet the most of all right now. And thanks for all your help. I will put just a shallow dish of water in for him. I did call the breeder today were I got him and she said he's 4 ½ weeks old. He is still very young but I think he's going to make it. We are doing great.

He's a precious little baby. :-)
Thanks Everyone for your help.....

[sam]

where do you post photo's of your bird? in what topic.

Well I will do this one here for now...but heres a new picture of my baby. And I think I found the name lol... how about Bitty ? would I be taking anyone's name here?

[Budgieobsession]

Great name and no I dont think Ive heard of anyone's bird with that name. Does your sone knoq how to handfeed, Im picturing a little boy but Im guessing hes older than 15 or so? You can postpictures here, the animal photo board or the pet image gallery.

[sam]

Hi thanks yeah my son is 29 not a little boy any more they grow so fast and then I have a 17 year old still home. And I miss them being little. Mama's babies growing up. :-)