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Breeding Indian Ring-necks questions

Chad 02

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hey
i have two Indian ring necks one is a lutino (lady) and the other is morris who is i believe a sky blue cinnamon. at the moment they have four eggs and i believe maybe more to come. lady has been sitting on the eggs for a few days to i believe that the eggs are no longer dormant. every day at about 4 or 5 a clock she leaves the nest for between 3 and 8 minutes. with the out door temperatures being about 13 degrees will the eggs die? if not how long can she leave them for in weather like that for?
 

expressmailtome

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Chad 02

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just in case it confuses that is 13 degrees Celsius
 

karen256

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It's hard to say. It's not bitter cold, and eggs are generally fine getting cold for a few minutes. Also, the nestbox insulates the eggs somewhat.
8 minutes is a bit long for her to leave them though. If possible, I'd try to encourage her to not leave the nest for so long (like by moving the food/water closer to the box).
There is not much else you can do, really. Even with the colder temperatures, the eggs will probably do better with the parents than in an artificial incubator.

If I were you, I'd just let the parents care for the eggs and let nature take its course. If they hatch (I think there's a good chance some will), then you will have to be extra careful that the babies are kept warm enough; cold may not kill babies outright, but it will make them less active and less interested in food so they may starve or just not develop well. Chances are, the sound of babies crying will keep the mom from leaving the nest like she does with the eggs. But you will need to check and make sure babies are being fed and developing well, and be prepared with a heated brooder and handfeeding supplies in case the babies aren't doing well. Hopefully the weather will warm up before they hatch and cold babies will not be a problem.
 

Chad 02

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thanks heaps Karen that was super helpful.
i was just wondering what would i need for hand feeding some of them as that was my original plan?
 

Chad 02

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also when should i pull them?
just wondering being a beginner and all
 

karen256

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For handfeeding, you would need formula, handfeeding syringes or spoons, a safe disinfectant, and a brooder (which could be simply an aquarium with a towel-covered heating pad in it) - and very importantly, a good thermometer for checking the temperature of formula. However, handfeeding is not something you should just plan to do without being shown, in person, how to handfeed. Find an avian vet or experienced breeder who can show you. Feeding incorrectly can potentially cause aspiration of formula, formula the wrong temperature can cause crop burn, ect.

The usual age to pull a baby for handfeeding is around 2 weeks, or around when the eyes open. Earlier is not necessary for tameness, if you wait much later, they will be able to see and recognize that you aren't their parents and it will be a much more stressful transition. If you are not confident about handfeeding, you can try gently handing the babies once or twice a day, starting at that same age, and return them to their parents. Of course, this depends on how tame their parents are and may be more difficult with a pair in an outdoor aviary. But you can get parent-raised babies that are pretty tame this way. If taken from their parents as soon as they are weaned, and worked with individually, they can be nearly as tame as handfed babies.
 

Chad 02

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hello again
thanks heaps for that. i have some relatives that hand-raised some Alexandriens that i will get to show me and help me. just wondering is there any good online(online due to in Australia we may not have the same stores) stores that i could buy a heat pad from? also would you suggest a spoon or a syringe for a beginner?
thanks again
 

karen256

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I'd just feed using whichever the person who teaches you uses. Spoons tend to be a little safer for feeding (less chance for aspiration) but syringes are less messy and it's easier to keep track of how much they eat.

I'm not from Australia so I don't know where you would find a heating pad, I would think any store with medical/health supplies would carry them (I just mean the regular heating pads a person might use for sore back). Just only use them on low and with several layers or towels or bedding between the babies and the heating pad.
 

kitsunebandit

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The eggs should still be okay but by all means if you can pop into the nest during the time the hen is off them you could candle them and find out how they are doing/developing. I have always used a syringe for hand feeding babies. I find it easier for myself. I recommend being shown how to use one prior to pulling them just so you know 100% what you are doing. Making a small mistake can mean killing the chick and that is the last thing that you want.

As for heat pads, any reptile heat mat will do providing that you attach a thermostat to it. If you're making your own brooder I have found that to be the most safe and efficient way of doing it and little can go wrong once it is set up. I recommend getting yourself a good infra-red temperature gun too. I use them for both my reptiles and my brooders. You can be certain of the temperature then without guessing. Obviously the mat can heat the bottom of the tank/tub but you need to know what the ambient temperature is too

Indian ringnecks breed readily in colder months where I live in the wild and are very successful. I don't think you'll be having any issues

Good luck with them
 

Chad 02

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thanks heaps both Karen and Kitsunebandit
that was realy helpful. i will see where i can get the heating pads from.
 

Chad 02

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turns out i got my dates mixed up. checked in the box today and there were two baby Indian ring-necks sitting on the bottom with the mother. i checked because he seemed to be spending a lot of time in the box. pretty cool!!!!!!!!!!!!
 

finchly

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Pictures! We want pictures!
 

Chad 02

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have pulled two. never had any trouble once they realised the spoon that was against their beak was food. took about 15 seconds till they were downing it.
 
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