atvchick95
Biking along the boulevard
Here are some tips, on how to prepare to bring a new baby home- when it is not fully weaned -
I have a teddy bear in my brooder for all babies, no matter if its just one or 8, its for them to cuddle with and feel safe/secure , I breed small-medium birds so mine isn't a very big Teddy bear.
but I use a medium size care bear like in the pic below
when that Teddy is dirty I use this one
also a fish tank is a lot better than a plastic tote, I tried that when i first started - i got it off line - take 2 plastic totes fill the bottom with water use a fish tank heater to heat it, sit the top one (the baby would be in) inside the bottom one - It did NOT hold heat, and I almost lost my lovebird several times because of it
Since then I've switched to a Fish tank, with a heat pad under one end Never had a problem since with my tank I have a screened lid(for reptiles) i use that Plus cover the cage with a blanket, the ones I use are "throws" that my kids have out grown works Great - perfect size for a 10 Gal. tank
Also i turn the heat pad on the day before I turn it on High , get the tank to the temp it needs to be , turn it to medium, as long as the temp stays right I leave it there until they're feathered enough I can turn it to low, and eventually off
I layer mine in newspaper( i tried the care fresh bedding because its what i used in nest boxes - HUGE HUGE mess! and more trouble than its worth cleaning ) I put 4-5 whole pieces of paper down Depending on which size tank i'm using i have a small 10 gallon plus a bigger one (can't remember the gallon size) but my small one the papers are folded in half (like when you get it from the store or what ever) in my big one I can unfold it and use them whole (not open like your reading) then i layer with plain white paper towels (i buy the big packs at dollar store for like 5 bucks) i put several layers and after each feeding i remove a layer until I have to replace them all
for a scale I use one that measures grams/ounces/pounds, plus has a button called TARE - this is when i have to use a bowl or something to weigh the baby i sit the bowl empty on the scale, hit TARE it clears the weight and I put the baby in, it only weighs the baby and not the bowl
this is my scale
Digital Scale
this is when I have small birds and use a "bowl"(its actually a cleaned out dog treat holder but hey they dont know that
)
for my bigger birds when they're too big for the bowl & can perch I have a basket with a handle I sit on - do the same process to clear the weight of the basket, then have them perch on the basket handle and weigh them
For a Thermometer I got mine at walmart, it measures the temperature and shows the humidity as well
not sure how well you can see it but its off to the right in this pic
Also I use one meant for fish tanks as you can see in the above pic its suctioned to the inside of the tank
This way I have 2 different ones, if one isn't reading exactly right the other one is
I've never hand fed a macaw or any bird bigger than a conure (for now any way) so not sure how often at 4 weeks they need fed
but I pull mine at 3 weeks ( i have gotten busy and not got them pulled until 4 weeks though and they did great actually the 3 lovebirds I just pulled towards the end of June the oldest was closer to 5 weeks old and Took straight to the syringe no issues)
Also I start with a syringe, and after the 2nd week I introduce the disposable spoon - to me it is A LOT easier (and safer) to use a spoon -they're eating from the front just like mom/dad feeds them when using a spoon
and not so messy
some take to the spoon quickly(these 3 did really quick) some take longer, But when I start using the spoon, I'll give them a bite or 2 from the syringe then use the spoon and i put it on their beak so formula goes on and they'll know "hey this gives me food".. then another bite or 2 from they syringe, and back to the spoon, i go back and forth eventually they start eating from the spoon, some once using the spoon refuse the syringe all together - some don't care as long as it has food they'll use it LOL
I feel like i am forgetting something, but i'm sure I've repeated what others have said. but I hope I helped some.
I have a teddy bear in my brooder for all babies, no matter if its just one or 8, its for them to cuddle with and feel safe/secure , I breed small-medium birds so mine isn't a very big Teddy bear.
but I use a medium size care bear like in the pic below
when that Teddy is dirty I use this one
also a fish tank is a lot better than a plastic tote, I tried that when i first started - i got it off line - take 2 plastic totes fill the bottom with water use a fish tank heater to heat it, sit the top one (the baby would be in) inside the bottom one - It did NOT hold heat, and I almost lost my lovebird several times because of it
Since then I've switched to a Fish tank, with a heat pad under one end Never had a problem since with my tank I have a screened lid(for reptiles) i use that Plus cover the cage with a blanket, the ones I use are "throws" that my kids have out grown works Great - perfect size for a 10 Gal. tank
Also i turn the heat pad on the day before I turn it on High , get the tank to the temp it needs to be , turn it to medium, as long as the temp stays right I leave it there until they're feathered enough I can turn it to low, and eventually off
I layer mine in newspaper( i tried the care fresh bedding because its what i used in nest boxes - HUGE HUGE mess! and more trouble than its worth cleaning ) I put 4-5 whole pieces of paper down Depending on which size tank i'm using i have a small 10 gallon plus a bigger one (can't remember the gallon size) but my small one the papers are folded in half (like when you get it from the store or what ever) in my big one I can unfold it and use them whole (not open like your reading) then i layer with plain white paper towels (i buy the big packs at dollar store for like 5 bucks) i put several layers and after each feeding i remove a layer until I have to replace them all
for a scale I use one that measures grams/ounces/pounds, plus has a button called TARE - this is when i have to use a bowl or something to weigh the baby i sit the bowl empty on the scale, hit TARE it clears the weight and I put the baby in, it only weighs the baby and not the bowl
this is my scale
Digital Scale
this is when I have small birds and use a "bowl"(its actually a cleaned out dog treat holder but hey they dont know that
)
for my bigger birds when they're too big for the bowl & can perch I have a basket with a handle I sit on - do the same process to clear the weight of the basket, then have them perch on the basket handle and weigh them
For a Thermometer I got mine at walmart, it measures the temperature and shows the humidity as well
not sure how well you can see it but its off to the right in this pic
Also I use one meant for fish tanks as you can see in the above pic its suctioned to the inside of the tank
This way I have 2 different ones, if one isn't reading exactly right the other one is
I've never hand fed a macaw or any bird bigger than a conure (for now any way) so not sure how often at 4 weeks they need fed
but I pull mine at 3 weeks ( i have gotten busy and not got them pulled until 4 weeks though and they did great actually the 3 lovebirds I just pulled towards the end of June the oldest was closer to 5 weeks old and Took straight to the syringe no issues)
Also I start with a syringe, and after the 2nd week I introduce the disposable spoon - to me it is A LOT easier (and safer) to use a spoon -they're eating from the front just like mom/dad feeds them when using a spoon
and not so messy
some take to the spoon quickly(these 3 did really quick) some take longer, But when I start using the spoon, I'll give them a bite or 2 from the syringe then use the spoon and i put it on their beak so formula goes on and they'll know "hey this gives me food".. then another bite or 2 from they syringe, and back to the spoon, i go back and forth eventually they start eating from the spoon, some once using the spoon refuse the syringe all together - some don't care as long as it has food they'll use it LOL I feel like i am forgetting something, but i'm sure I've repeated what others have said. but I hope I helped some.
