Reptile & Amphibian Forums

First the sad, because I hate to end a post on a sad note. So I guess I'll start it off that way.

When I took the nest box out to clean it, I found out why it was so very smelly. Two tiny wilty baby birds It looks like #6 and 7 were just too much for these young parents. Since it was obvious they already have their wings full, I took the two remaining eggs out.

I replaced the timothy hay with some fresh wood shavings. and after snapping a few quick shots of the babies, put them in the clean box and back into the cage. Boy was Sea mad at me! LOL, But she is happy now, and both her and Pepper have gone in to make sure everyones ok. She's in there now, like she always is at night, and they can all breat a bit easier without that smell in there!

But here's the pic of the two oldest. Looks like they'll be colored differently so I can tell them apart when they're all the same size!

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Dianne,
Mom to a 12 yr old human girl (still in obedience training!)
A 1 year old Aussie/Border Collie mix "Jack"
A 9 year old gray short-hair Korat-looking kitty "Timothy"
A 9 year old black 'n' white short hair kitty "Trouble"
4 parakeets "Salty" m 3yrs,"Skye" f 2.5 yrs, "Sea" f approx 1yr, "Pepper" m approx 1yr.

And this is the whole gang 1,2,3,4 are getting harder and harder to tell who's which, but little #5 is still easy to spot I think he was lucky to be 5th, knowing the fate of 6-9

They were wigglin all over the place trying to pile up, so I had to snap quick while you could still make out 5 distinct birds

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Dianne,
Mom to a 12 yr old human girl (still in obedience training!)
A 1 year old Aussie/Border Collie mix "Jack"
A 9 year old gray short-hair Korat-looking kitty "Timothy"
A 9 year old black 'n' white short hair kitty "Trouble"
4 parakeets "Salty" m 3yrs,"Skye" f 2.5 yrs, "Sea" f approx 1yr, "Pepper" m approx 1yr.

more sadness today

Our first parakeet, Skye, had been acting down in the dumps since the other pair started laying eggs. When I put in a next box for her, she was happy again. But I guess it wasn't enough. I walked out to their room to see them and put in clean bath water, to find Skye in the corner on the floor in what seemed to be death throws, and withing seconds she was gone The other three adults sat up on thier perches just watching, and stared at her until I removed her from the cage. A good look at her rump tells me she was egg bound and I just didn't see the signs Or realize that's what they were. I know the signs, and had my suspicions over a year ago, but she recovered from that episode..i thought? I just assumed this was another one like that. I could just punch myself for not helping her in time.

The other birds have been quiet since it happened, like they are sad too. even the babies! (well some of them)

Skye was my daughter's bird, and she will be home from school very soon. I guess we'll have the funeral then

So here is a picture of Skye. (with her faithful Salty as always at her side) The little blue girl who started it all, we will miss her very much!

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Dianne,
Mom to a 12 yr old human girl (still in obedience training!)
A 1 year old Aussie/Border Collie mix "Jack"
A 9 year old gray short-hair Korat-looking kitty "Timothy"
A 9 year old black 'n' white short hair kitty "Trouble"
4 parakeets "Salty" m 3yrs,"Skye" f 2.5 yrs, "Sea" f approx 1yr, "Pepper" m approx 1yr.

I'm so sorry to hear about the "5" deaths. Even though it is upsetting to lose part of a clutch (6-9) it is even more so to lose a bird that you have actually known and been around for a while.

Sometimes even when we know all the signs and have experienced the same thing in the past it can still be hard to notice when it is right in front of you. It doesn't mean you have done anything wrong just that you can't always know what is happening even with experience.

I am happy to see 1-5 doing so well on a happier note. Keep the pics coming, they are always so cute when they are getting their feathers in and looking so soft and fuzzy

Thanks, it has been pretty sad for me. Disposing the two unhatched, no big deal really, the two smushlings mad me sad, the Skye made me really sad

But this morning I hear the babies all chirping away for food! And other than being even more protective of her box than before, Sea is recevered from the whole box cleaning She didn't care for how deep I filled it with the wood shavings, she was spitting them out all day yesterday! lol But she seems to have got it just right now.

Poor Salty is a King without a queen now. And he doesn't like it much at all. One good thing, is he probably will be able to pick from the babies..if there's a girl in the bunch anyway And I can assume he's not related, since he came from the wild outdoors Is it ok if he feeds Sea too? He's fair though, he feeds Pepper also. lol He just wants someone to love him
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Dianne,
Mom to a 12 yr old human girl (still in obedience training!)
A 1 year old Aussie/Border Collie mix "Jack"
A 9 year old gray short-hair Korat-looking kitty "Timothy"
A 9 year old black 'n' white short hair kitty "Trouble"
8 parakeets "Salty" m 3yrs, "Sea" f approx 1yr, "Pepper" m approx 1yr, and 5 hatchlings.

I don't see a problem with him feeding them as long as he isn't causing them to become too "hyper" having him around them with their babies. I haven't heard of budgies doing it a lot but some birds that live in flocks do seem to share in the care of productive parents. It isn't exactly common but it definitly does happen, have heard several reports of it with quakers who usually do colony breeding.

As of today, the 5 surviving chicks, or keetlets? are doing great! I can see color!! #1 is coming in with a lot of dusky blues, #2 with nearly all white. Then #3 has a teal blue on thier but, and 4 a mor smokey blue butt. lol The tails are a real good give away as to who was hatched first. #5 is still barely budding his pinfeathers, but growing every bit as fast as the rest did. So he's definately not being ignored, even though he's over a week behind the next youngest.

Salty continues to work on his empty nest box, it seems to keep him out of Pepper and Sea's Maybe he's waiting on one of those hatchling to be a girlfriend

I have 2 for sure homes, and with the loss of Skye, I will be keeping at least one for my flock. I don't think I'm going to try to find homes for the rest, if I keep 3 that will be a nice small flock of 6.

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Dianne,
Mom to a 12 yr old human girl (still in obedience training!)
A 1 year old Aussie/Border Collie mix "Jack"
A 9 year old gray short-hair Korat-looking kitty "Timothy"
A 9 year old black 'n' white short hair kitty "Trouble"
8 parakeets "Salty" m 3yrs, "Sea" f approx 1yr, "Pepper" m approx 1yr, and 5 hatchlings.

5 is there, just squeezing in amongst his older sibs Sea is under them all too, what a protector eh?

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Dianne,
Mom to a 12 yr old human girl (still in obedience training!)
A 1 year old Aussie/Border Collie mix "Jack"
A 9 year old gray short-hair Korat-looking kitty "Timothy"
A 9 year old black 'n' white short hair kitty "Trouble"
8 parakeets "Salty" m 3yrs, "Sea" f approx 1yr, "Pepper" m approx 1yr, and 5 hatchlings.

Glad to hear everyone is doing well. It's great that you are able to find homes for at least part of them. I am sure their colors will be amazing when they are fully in and I hope to see more pics of them