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Handfeeding mousebirds...

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Anne & Gang

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:omg::omg::omg: soooooooooooosweet...wow you take fantastic pictures...look at how wide their mouths go....wow... i see you give 1/4 of something called Insecta Pro....is that what I think it is?? ewwww
 

waterfaller1

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Awesome Susanne! Your collages are great. Anyone needing information on mousebirds is certainly covered from all aspects. Good job!:highfive:
And look at that gaping mouth..lol:p
 

srtiels

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:omg::omg::omg: soooooooooooosweet...wow you take fantastic pictures...look at how wide their mouths go....wow... i see you give 1/4 of something called Insecta Pro....is that what I think it is?? ewwww
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Anne, Since I am doing up my own recipe, which greatly deviates from what the mousebird book recomends (2/3 formula, and 1/3 baby food)

Most commercial parrot formulas are made from grains and soys which are not a natural food of mousebirds. They are more fruit and veggie eaters. But by greatly reducing the commercial hand-feeding formula ratio I had to add in more protien. I don't have the bag in front of me but Insecta-Pro is ground-up dry insects/bugs in powder form. I top dress the adults birds with this also when they have chicks in the nest, and prior to going to nest.

Not only do they have large gapes (open mouths) they also have large soft poops, which I have to stimulate them to do after I feed them. They will store the poop in the cloaca until the nest feeding. I think this is done because if the feedings are late the body can still draw some fluids/nutrients from it before it leaves the body. Plus, if they are not manually stimulated (parents use their beak tips) it can build up inside and get impacted.
 

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srtiels

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Thanks Carole, so far they are doing good on the formula and bits of fruit.
 

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If I am a little bit late in doing the next feeding, this is what I see when I open the incubator. He will get out of his nest...I don't know if he thinks he will find food, but I can hear him giving that 'FEED ME!!!!' cry...:lol:
 

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srtiels

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The little BN chick is going to be worse than Chubbs. Those little eyes seen me as I walked by the incubator and he started begging. When I took the begger out he had his mouth open. I set him down because I forgot the tweezers. Kirby said as I went to get them the little brat watched me, closed his mouth and as soon as I turned around and came back he was begging. That tells me he (or she) is going to be a smart little mousers.

When I fed the parents their 2nd plate of food for the day the first thing they all went for is the pigeon peas and bits of bee pollen. They went right up to the nest and fed them to the foster chick. So I am now adding some to the fresh bits of fruit for the next feeding.
 

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Anne & Gang

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I love the way you describe them...I can feel the love and that just warms my heart
 

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Thanks Anne...I have never tried to handfeed the mousebird babies so young. I'm finding it is easier, and they are smart and what personalities. And I confess, YES I :heart: my mousebirds :)

For years my vet had told me to try some other types of birds, but I told him "Nope, I only like tiels" Mousebirds are like tiels but in a smaller package with a different diet.
 

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I just got done feeding the little one again. When it is hungry that mouth is wide open, and when he's had enough he tucks his little beak to his chest :) I was reading in the mousebird book that around 3 weeks of age they will start the adult whistle to call me for food. Carole, remember what a loud mouth that Gryphon was?

Since I kept notes on Chubs and daily pix's I've noticed that the growth appears fine but this little one is several grams lighter than Chubbs was. That could be due to handfeeding versus parent fed. But in looking over my formula I needed some amino acid sources and a little more protein, so I disolved some Bee Pollen and Brewers Yeast in a little water and added to my mix.
 

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AWWWW
" I'm full no more please"

How cute is THAT!:heart:
 

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What do you mean "remember how loud Gryphon was" he lives here, he can still be loud when he wants to.:)
 

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LOL! It seems that the BN are the most vocal of all the mousers, and the loudest when it is time for food :) And the BN tend to be the calmest of the babies.
 

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That is a cute pic. I can see how you would fall in love. :)
 

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This little BN is a bad baby:lol: It has learned to hang and climb on it's basket nest in the incubator. last night when I opened up the incubator...NO baby to be found. I found it wrapped like an optopus to the fan/motor fram on the indie lid of the incubator lid. Scared me, but it was fine. Thankfully it can't get inside. So I put moss on the floor of the incubator and it travels all over. i think it will soon be going into a cage with a heating pad so that it can climb and hang if it wants to.

Today Carole phoned, and while talking with her I checked on the little one and it had it's mouth open for food. It ate 15 soaked pellets before it gave the 'I'm full' head tuck. The side of it's neck was stuffed. A half hour later I gave it a piece of papaya and a 1/4cc of dilute formula. The last pix shows 15 soaked pellets next to some coins for size reference.
 

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waterfaller1

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LOL, I think the new guy or girl is going to be a handful.:p
 
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