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NEED HELP! Three cute Kakariki babies !!

Squeek

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I have three Kakariki chicks, removed from their parents due to aggressiveness. I am up to date on how to feed them and quantities, temperatures & such but I planned on rearing them in two days.

The breeding box was full of blood, and the youngest chick died 3 days after it hatched after the parents (probably) killed it. It was found buried on the bottom of the cage half eaten. I've been watching them like a hawk since but after i heard a weird noise I opened the box and the mother flew out and I saw blood all over the walls.

They have a full crop, does that mean I wait before feeding them?

Here is the site I have my info from:

kakariki | HAND REARING FEEDING CHART

I don't know when to feed the 23 day old chick and its siblings both of 27 days. They have been with out their parents for 2 hours now. I do have formula and equipment. Photos below of the chicks!

Thanks in advance!! I'll take ALL advice
 

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saroj12

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can you call your avian vet?
 

iamwhoiam

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If the crop is full you need to wait until it is empty or mostly empty.
Here's another website about Kakarikis. Handrearing Kakarikis
Do you have a digital scale? It's very important to weigh them daily. Do you have experience hand feeding?
They are very cute. Hope they thrive and survive. I've raised other birds but not Kakarikis.
Can you contact a vet or a local Kakariki breeder for assistance?
 

Squeek

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Hi, Sorry that I've not taken time to reply. I've put them as a main priority and things have been going well. Along with taking care of my son and work I've had little spare time. I'm very careful with them and have been feeding them at 08:00 in the morning, 16:00 in the afternoon and 20:00-21:00 in the evening. They eat very well and finish the entire syringe of 12ML, I then add another 3ML which they most of the time eat as well. Today I have introduced Millet and the largest one has taken it off the stick itself and chewed on it, the other two still had some food left in their crop so I didn't try with them yet, though I will.

There is little to no information how to properly take care of baby Kakariki's, sure the internet shows me the amounts and temperatures and ideal breading situations but it does not display extra information like playing with them, feeding any fruits or millet/seeds in between the 3 feeds a day? Do I have to wait until the crop is 100% empty of formula to feed some new foods? I do not own a scale, but I have been making daily pictures to track their size and feather growth. They all have very healthy feathers now, wings and tails are growing out nicely, but their bodies are still busy covering up in feathers. I'll post a few new pictures would anyone like to reply to my questions above, that would be great!

There has been 3 times that I've turned around from my office chair where one chick is under the table the other is sitting next to mama and papas cage and one with its beak on the cardboard box trying to pull its baby weight up lol, pretty good escape artists i'll give them that.
 

iamwhoiam

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They are beautiful. Looks like you are doing a great job caring for them.
 

MagpieDragon

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Super cute!
Well done :)
 

melissasparrots

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I've never raise Kakarikis. But, unless told otherwise, I'd proceed as though they were a a cockatiel or similar sized small parrot. I always fed my babies shortly before they were completely empty. Except at night. I'd let them go totally empty and feed shortly after at night. Otherwise, I'd feed when they were down to about a 20% crop. In other words, if my last feeding was about 10 cc, I'd feed them again when it looked like they had 1-3 cc left in their crop. The crop works from muscle action aided by tension. So, as the crop becomes slack, less food is being pushed into the gut. Fat babies come from full crops. So long as you don't over do it. If I know 10cc makes a full crop from empty, and I'm estimating they have 2 cc left in their crop, I give 8cc for the next feed instead of the full 10. Being ever aware of the dangers of an over stretched crop and the importance of making sure their crop is emptying at a good rate and that they empty completely in 6-9 hours over night so as to prevent bacteria build up. If ever I go to feed and there seems to be a lot more left in the crop than I think there should be, then I hold off on that meal. Do keep in mind, that when you don't let them empty between feeds, the usual result is that the first meal goes through them fast since not only their crop is empty but the gut too. Later in the day, you can often go longer between feeds as they are not starting with an empty gut then.
 

Squeek

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Hi melissa, thanks for the info! I do have a few questions: A feeding chart that I posted above shows to feed them 3 times a day 08:00, 16:00, 0:00 , today for the largest chick that changes because it hit 35 days old to 08:00 > 20:00 only. Should I stick to this or should I feed them whenever their crop is empty? I fear of overfeeding and underfeeding. It tells me to introduce new foods too and keep food/water in the box but it seems very hard to get them to try. Also I don't know when I should do that, before formula? When the crop is empty? Can I introduce new foods to their system in between the 8 hour feeds when it's empty or before I feed formula? Sorry for the overload but I am a bit stuck with these questions.
 

Squeek

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For example, I'm waiting till 16:00 right now ( 55 minutes away ) until I feed them next, I do this because of the chart and general information on Kakarikis I was able to pull off the internet. But I do not know if that's a good thing or not, they are jumping up and down with an empty crop now looking at me for food lol. Can I go off schedule and feed them more than people suggest?
 

melissasparrots

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I feed when they are empty and seem to want to eat. The reason the chart goes down to 2 feeds a day is probably because you are nearing the time when your babies will start loosing a little bit of weight in order to start flying. However, how much they loose and how dramatic their sudden loss in appetite is related to how fat they are and how concentrated the formula you feed is. I find there are enough variables between one person and the next, I only take internet charts as a very general guideline. If your babies are nearing empty, and they seem like they want to eat, and food is generally moving through their crop okay, then feed them.
For introducing adult food, this is largely a passive process. For babies still in the brooder, I just sprinkle some pellets on the floor of the brooder and put a small bowl of soft veggies and/or sprouted/cooked grains and beans. Replace a few times a day so it doesn't start growing bacteria. I usually put soft food in after their first hand-feed of the day. I pick it up before their afternoon feed, and offer again sometime in the evening. If they eat it great. If not, that's fine. Late in the weaning process, when you think it might be time to eliminate their morning feed, you can put veggies in first and see if they start eating it enough that you can skip hand-feeding. You probably will not have that happen for quite a while still. You will find that they will start picking at stuff but probably not eating it much until after they have been flying for a few days. Kaks may be different. I've raised amazons, cockatiels, parrotlets and quakers. So...I would expect minor variations because you have a different species, but the same basic concept should work.
If the babies start refusing formula, or acting like they don't want very much for a few days in a row, then its time to drop a feeding, or increase time between feeds. I usually don't just drop a feed until very late in the process. But if they were going every 4-6 hours between feeds and suddenly they are acting lukewarm about their afternoon meal, then I might start going every 6-8 hours during the day and sleeping a full 8 at night. My small species usually get 4-6 feedings a day at 10-35 or so days old. Then I go based on what the babies need. I don't drop them lower than 3-4 feeds a day until they are nearly weaned. But, sometimes I do a half feeding because its not time for them to eat, but I have to leave for a few hours and I don't want them to empty while I'm out. That's why my feeding schedule tends to be not much of a schedule.
 

Squeek

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Thanks a lot for your reply, I'll start feeding them when their crops are empty and they are hungry. I'll do as you mentioned if they show signs of skipping a feed/ less hungry i'll eliminate a feed. I just got a kitchen scale so i'll start measuring them too. They eat good, like proper. A full 15ML 3x a day, once their crops are empty this evening i'll measure them and either post back here or check if there is a general chart for how much they should weigh for their age. Thanks again!
 
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