MaggieBee
Meeting neighbors
- Joined
- 3/15/20
- Messages
- 49
Ok, I've been saving these up so I don't spam the board. Here goes:
I've had Pearl, a 5 weeks old cockatiel for 6 days. Overall she seems healthy: she eats well, is sociable enough, has started to get very energetic (she does not aprove of being left in the border and will make that fact known) and even makes frequent flight attempts (her breeder, however, clipped her before I got her, and I didn't notice until I got home, so that might take a bit longer than it would otherwise.)
That said, I've never had a baby bird, so I wanted to check a few things with more experienced bird parents:
1) Oh god, the noise.
Alright, disclaimer: I don't mind noise. I keep birds, and two extremely excitable dogs, I get suspicious anytime they're not blowing my eardrums out. However, I'm a little worried because Pearl makes what I'm told are 'baby/begging noises' all the time. And I mean all the time. It sounds like very loud static (or dinosaur screeching) and from what I've read it's the sound they make to call for their parents. What concerns me is she does it continually, whether or not she's eaten, whether she's in her brooder or on me or exploring – all the time. Sometimes she switches out for proper calls or very quiet rusty-hinge squeaking, but she's never quiet. Again, I'm not overly preocupied with the noise, I just wonder if it's normal or a sign there's something I'm not doing right. She eats 10% her weight three times a day in regular intervals, the room is kept at a comfortable temperature, and there are no stressors around.
2) Engament
Naturally, I don't expect a 5-week-old to be too curious or playful. She mostly sits on me, screeches, eats and poops, and if left somewhere that's not me probably tries to fly. However, I'm not sure how I should go about engaging her as she grows up. Will she naturally become interested in her surroundings, toys, etc, or should I actively encourage that? How old should she be before I start training her?
3) Should I wash her?
Ok so she's still in her brooder, where she has enough space to roam a little, but it's still cozy enough. I change the wood shavings and cloth every morning, but birds are pooping machines and formula doesn't make for the firmest droppings. All that together, her belly and tail get pretty dirty, and while I regularly get the worst of it with a damp flannel, she's still pretty dirty most of the time. I'm worried getting her too damp will make her sick, but I'm also worried she'll get a fungal or bacterial infection otherwise. I've considered a warm bowl of water followed by a sojourn under the heat lamp, but I wanted to check first what the best procedure is.
Ok, so far I think that's all! Thanks <3
I've had Pearl, a 5 weeks old cockatiel for 6 days. Overall she seems healthy: she eats well, is sociable enough, has started to get very energetic (she does not aprove of being left in the border and will make that fact known) and even makes frequent flight attempts (her breeder, however, clipped her before I got her, and I didn't notice until I got home, so that might take a bit longer than it would otherwise.)
That said, I've never had a baby bird, so I wanted to check a few things with more experienced bird parents:
1) Oh god, the noise.
Alright, disclaimer: I don't mind noise. I keep birds, and two extremely excitable dogs, I get suspicious anytime they're not blowing my eardrums out. However, I'm a little worried because Pearl makes what I'm told are 'baby/begging noises' all the time. And I mean all the time. It sounds like very loud static (or dinosaur screeching) and from what I've read it's the sound they make to call for their parents. What concerns me is she does it continually, whether or not she's eaten, whether she's in her brooder or on me or exploring – all the time. Sometimes she switches out for proper calls or very quiet rusty-hinge squeaking, but she's never quiet. Again, I'm not overly preocupied with the noise, I just wonder if it's normal or a sign there's something I'm not doing right. She eats 10% her weight three times a day in regular intervals, the room is kept at a comfortable temperature, and there are no stressors around.
2) Engament
Naturally, I don't expect a 5-week-old to be too curious or playful. She mostly sits on me, screeches, eats and poops, and if left somewhere that's not me probably tries to fly. However, I'm not sure how I should go about engaging her as she grows up. Will she naturally become interested in her surroundings, toys, etc, or should I actively encourage that? How old should she be before I start training her?
3) Should I wash her?
Ok so she's still in her brooder, where she has enough space to roam a little, but it's still cozy enough. I change the wood shavings and cloth every morning, but birds are pooping machines and formula doesn't make for the firmest droppings. All that together, her belly and tail get pretty dirty, and while I regularly get the worst of it with a damp flannel, she's still pretty dirty most of the time. I'm worried getting her too damp will make her sick, but I'm also worried she'll get a fungal or bacterial infection otherwise. I've considered a warm bowl of water followed by a sojourn under the heat lamp, but I wanted to check first what the best procedure is.
Ok, so far I think that's all! Thanks <3