New Blue-naped Mousebird babies

[srtiels]

The blue-naped mousebird had 2 more chicks. Sunday I pulled them...and they are the sweetest babies ever. Normally when they are fully feathered when pulled so late they are very skittish and hard to get to open their mouths to eat. Nope...these two were ready to accept formula right from the start And late yesterday I started them on bits of fruit from the tweezers in addition to their formula. One baby is already reserved for a lady in CA that lost her longtime pet mousebird and she has been waiting for a sweet little boy, but so far I'm only getting little girls. I haven't sexed these yet, but I'm suspecting they are both females.

Today the little brats tried flying when I took them out for their feedings. They grow so fast...

 

[Anne & Gang]

awwwwwwwwwthey are beautiful!!!!!

 

[srtiels]

Thanks Anne

Look at the inside of their mouths. By the time they are 4 months old the entire inside of the mouth will change to solid black. Neither chick shows any blue on the back of the head...so in about a month some of the blue patch will start coming in.

 

[Roxie]

They are so beautiful! When you talk about "pulling them", what does that mean?

 

[srtiels]

Roxie...'pulling them' is a term breeders use...it means taking them from the nest and their parents to handfeed. Handfeeding helps them become tame pets. If they are left with the parents to wean out, then they don't want humans to handle them.

 

[GG.]

Susanne!!! they are darling


makes me want them

 

[Roxie]

That makes sense. Would that be a possible reason why my new find does not open his beak for me during feeding time? Does he have to just get more comfortable with me?

 

[srtiels]

Susanne!!! they are darling makes me want them

LOL...one is available

 

[srtiels]

Roxie...it will take a dfay or two for the baby to get used to you. Plus at this age it is harder for them to get used to a human feeding because they know they are birds. I've found the bigger they are the harder they are to get to feed at first. When they are unfeathered all it takes is a touch to the side of the beak and they open their mouths. At this age you almost have to pry the mouth open to get any food in them.

 

[expressmailtome]

They are very cute! I love the last picture!

Matt

 

[waterfaller1]

New babies to ooh and ahh over..yay! They are gorgeous and very healthy looking. What kind of names have you come up with for these two?

 

[Renae]

So cute! I love the baby in the 12 day old photo, s/he is so small and precious. (not that the rest aren't )

 

[srtiels]

Thanks Carole and Renae Carole...I'm not going to name them...yet. I've found if they are given a name it is harder to give them up So I am just calling them the 'Brats'

They are eating and pooping good. I look at them and they look back with expctant and open mouthed looks. The last pix shows the poop from both just from 1 feeding. That is alot of poop in the day, after several feedings...

They have learned their wings work and if I don't keep an eye on them they take off flying. And they have learned to hanging on the side of the carrier and stare at me letting me know it is time for more food

 

[srtiels]

So cute! I love the baby in the 12 day old photo, s/he is so small and precious.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

I did a comparison pix to show a mousebird and a cockatiel chick

 

[waterfaller1]

The one of them looking at each other! How adorable...spoiled by yucky poop pic though

 

[avianantics]

They are so cute!

 

[expressmailtome]

That second picture is very cute!

Matt

 

[MollyMouse]

The pic of them looking at each other is so cute I love their fluffy heads!!

 

[vanillacoke920]

So tiny and cute