[taylor luvs budgies]

My Female budgie (Chipper) laid three eggs, in which two are hatched and been hatched for about 8-10 days now. I have gotten worried because they are getting big and can stand up on their two feet. I put in a nesting box inside the cage that is brand new and I haven't seen either of them go into yet. I want to know if it is possible to move them CAREFULLY into the nesting box that is x3 larger. It would benefit them and they get squished when the mother lays on them because how developed they have become. She herself can barely fit into the coconut even before the babies and I am scared she will suffocate the. If you know the answer to this please answer it !!

What she laid the babies in:

What I bought for her:

 

[StarlingWings]

Hello and welcome to the forums,

Yes, you should move the chicks. Ensure the nest box has a concave bottom lined with clean wood chips, not cotton or paper. Be sure to do so gently and move quickly while the mother comes out of the coconut for water or food. She will go in to feed them into the new nestbox. Try and ensure that when you touch the chicks, your hands are warm!

Is the father in with the chicks at this time?

This is a less than ideal situation as the lack of nestbox indicates that it was an unplanned breeding, correct?

I am putting the below as a note to ALL members who may see this post, as we are primarily an educational forum:

❗Please be sure never to put any type of coconut hut or nest box in the cage. Budgies are much healthier and happier when they are never bred, and it is essential to prevent breeding when you have mixed genders. Breeding, especially when unprepared or uneducated on the essentials, can be seriously detrimental to the parents and chicks, and many situations can arise such as aggression between parents or parents and chicks, potential chick abandonment, malnutrition, aggression towards the owner, plucking, etc. etc. People who breed budgies must not only know how to respond in any of these situations but also have an established connection with a reliable avian vet, full knowledge of a budgie breeding diet, how to handle chicks (and feed chicks in the case of an emergency), understand what complications can look like (such as egg binding, etc) to ensure ASAP transfer to an emergency care facility, etc. For more information, please read the links below:

When We Don't Want Eggs!
A Breeder's Tips for Discouraging Breeding
Before You Ever Consider Breeding Your Budgies
Guidance for Breeding Advice Threads

Now, onto your specific situation: there's nothing that you can do about having chicks now so we will try to help you save the chicks as best as we can. The first thing I would do is ensure you have a good avian vet; you already should since you own budgies but the reality is that many people live in places without access to an avian vet. If you do not already have contact with one, please try and phone all exotic vets in your area and explain the situation. It's best to set up these relationships early so that if there is a problem with the chicks you can take them there and they are aware of their background.

Moving the chicks is the first step. Other staff members with more knowledge in this area will respond shortly

Do you have photos you can share of your current cage setup? What is their diet like? Does the female have a cuttlebone in the cage? How old are the parents?

Apologies for all the questions, but it's essential you provide answers to all of them so that we can better understand the situation and give these chicks a fighting chance

Meanwhile, please be sure to read through the other forum links in your spare time. You'll find everything you need to know to stay posted on the best of budgie care practices. If you have any questions after reading through things, be sure to ask as we'd love to help.

We hope to hear updates soon!

 

[taylor luvs budgies]

ATTACH type="full"]266082[/ATTACH]

Their diet consists of seeds, millet spray, greens (lettuce and salad) and I included a beak conditioning stone (cuddle bone) in there as well. I got the female (green) during the beginning of Quarantine and the male (yellow) months after. As you can see she is in the hut 24/7 taking care of the chicks. I open the cage and they fly around the room to stretch their wings. She will also come down for food, water, and for the male to exchange food through their beaks to feed the babies.

And no, the father bird never goes in there simply because there is not enough room. But when he gets the chance, he will feed the mother the food to give to the babies. When you said "The bottom needs wood chips" for the nesting box, does that include aspen wood?

 

[Cody]

You can use aspen wood shavings, just make sure they are shavings and not sawdust.

 

[taylor luvs budgies]

You can use aspen wood shavings, just make sure they are shavings and not sawdust.

I will use those!! Thank uu

 

[FaeryBee]

Wash your hands and then gently move each chick into the nest box.
Remove the coconut hut immediately after moving the chicks.
The mother will follow the chicks to feed care for them when she hears them calling.

Clean the nest box twice a day.
Remove the babies into a large bowl lined with a towel and scoop out the soiled bedding.
Scrape the wood insert as needed and replace with fresh bedding. You may need to block the entrance to the nest box while you do this to prevent the hen from coming into the box.
You want to make sure that you are keeping the nest clean and dry so that no bacteria can grow and harm the chicks.
Use a safe bedding like pine shavings or aspen shavings do nut use pine or aspen dust.

Check the babies every day for fixable developmental problems.
Check under the top mandible (beak) for a build up of food, which can cause an undershot beak.
If you notice food stuck under the top mandible, remove gently and carefully with a toothpick.

Make sure the chick isn’t developing splayed legs.
If this is happening, try adding extra pine shavings.
If a young baby develops splayed legs, the problem can be corrected because their bones are still forming.
If that occurs, let me know and I’ll direct you to the proper link.

When the babies reach 3 1/2 weeks old, remove the mother from the cage into an individual cage of her own.
This is to prevent her from double-clutching or becoming aggressive toward the chicks.
At that time, the father will care for the chicks until they are fully fledged and weaned.

When the chicks start coming out of the nest, provide a shallow dish of food on the bottom of the cage to facilitate weaning.
You can remove a 6 week old weaned chicks from the father in the breeding cage.
It should be put in a large cage reserved for young birds.
Provide lots of food, available in different places, especially in a dish on the bottom of the cage.
Keep a close eye on newly removed chicks to make sure they are eating.
Check their crops to make sure they are full before covering their cage at night.

When the babies reach 3 1/2 weeks old, remove the mother from the cage into an individual cage of her own.
This is to prevent her from double-clutching or becoming aggressive toward the chicks.
At that time, the father will care for the chicks until they are fully fledged and weaned.

The purpose of this forum is to promote the BEST PRACTICES in the care of budgies for their optimal Health and Well-Being
Locating an Avian Veterinarian

If you have mixed genders, it is very important to do everything necessary to prevent breeding.

Budgies are much healthier and happier when they are never bred.
A Heartfelt Plea to All Members
Tips For Discouraging Breeding
Before You Ever Consider Breeding Your Budgies
Guidance for Breeding Advice Threads

A Healthy Diet for your Budgie
Quality Seed Mix
CuttleBones, Mineral Blocks and Manu Clay Roses
Safe Foods for Budgies
The Truth about GRIT

Please take the time to read through the Site Guidelines, the FAQs, the Budgie Articles and all of the Stickies located at the top of each section of the forum.
Additionally, please be sure to read the thread "Posting on the Forums" which is linked below.

Truly, the very BEST advice anyone can offer you is to take the time to read ALL of the stickies throughout the various Talk Budgie forums as well as the Budgie Articles we have posted.
(Stickies are threads “stuck” at the top of each forum sub-section)
These are great resources for Talk Budgie members and have a wealth of reliable information which will assist you to learn the best practices in caring for your budgies for their optimal health and well-being.

SITE GUIDELINES
Posting on the Forums
Let's Talk Budgies!
FAQ
Articles
Be Prepared for Veterinary Care Expense
Avian First Aid
Quarantine - Is it Really that Important?
Quarantine Your Birds
A Heartfelt Plea to All Members
Tips For Discouraging Breeding
Before You Ever Consider Breeding Your Budgies
Guidance for Breeding Advice Threads
Cage sizes.
Essentials to a Great Cage
Dangers to Pet Birds
Resource Directory

If you have additional questions, please post them in this thread.

 

[taylor luvs budgies]

Wash your hands and then gently move each chick into the nest box.
Remove the coconut hut immediately after moving the chicks.
The mother will follow the chicks to feed care for them when she hears them calling.

Clean the nest box twice a day.
Remove the babies into a large bowl lined with a towel and scoop out the soiled bedding.
Scrape the wood insert as needed and replace with fresh bedding. You may need to block the entrance to the nest box while you do this to prevent the hen from coming into the box.
You want to make sure that you are keeping the nest clean and dry so that no bacteria can grow and harm the chicks.
Use a safe bedding like pine shavings or aspen shavings do nut use pine or aspen dust.

Check the babies every day for fixable developmental problems.
Check under the top mandible (beak) for a build up of food, which can cause an undershot beak.
If you notice food stuck under the top mandible, remove gently and carefully with a toothpick.

Make sure the chick isn’t developing splayed legs.
If this is happening, try adding extra pine shavings.
If a young baby develops splayed legs, the problem can be corrected because their bones are still forming.
If that occurs, let me know and I’ll direct you to the proper link.

When the babies reach 3 1/2 weeks old, remove the mother from the cage into an individual cage of her own.
This is to prevent her from double-clutching or becoming aggressive toward the chicks.
At that time, the father will care for the chicks until they are fully fledged and weaned.

When the chicks start coming out of the nest, provide a shallow dish of food on the bottom of the cage to facilitate weaning.
You can remove a 6 week old weaned chicks from the father in the breeding cage.
It should be put in a large cage reserved for young birds.
Provide lots of food, available in different places, especially in a dish on the bottom of the cage.
Keep a close eye on newly removed chicks to make sure they are eating.
Check their crops to make sure they are full before covering their cage at night.

When the babies reach 3 1/2 weeks old, remove the mother from the cage into an individual cage of her own.
This is to prevent her from double-clutching or becoming aggressive toward the chicks.
At that time, the father will care for the chicks until they are fully fledged and weaned.

The purpose of this forum is to promote the BEST PRACTICES in the care of budgies for their optimal Health and Well-Being
Locating an Avian Veterinarian

If you have mixed genders, it is very important to do everything necessary to prevent breeding.

Budgies are much healthier and happier when they are never bred.



A Heartfelt Plea to All Members
Tips For Discouraging Breeding
Before You Ever Consider Breeding Your Budgies
Guidance for Breeding Advice Threads

A Healthy Diet for your Budgie
Quality Seed Mix
CuttleBones, Mineral Blocks and Manu Clay Roses
Safe Foods for Budgies
The Truth about GRIT

Please take the time to read through the Site Guidelines, the FAQs, the Budgie Articles and all of the Stickies located at the top of each section of the forum.
Additionally, please be sure to read the thread "Posting on the Forums" which is linked below.

Truly, the very BEST advice anyone can offer you is to take the time to read ALL of the stickies throughout the various Talk Budgie forums as well as the Budgie Articles we have posted.
(Stickies are threads “stuck” at the top of each forum sub-section)
These are great resources for Talk Budgie members and have a wealth of reliable information which will assist you to learn the best practices in caring for your budgies for their optimal health and well-being.

SITE GUIDELINES
Posting on the Forums
Let's Talk Budgies!
FAQ
Articles
Be Prepared for Veterinary Care Expense
Avian First Aid
Quarantine - Is it Really that Important?
Quarantine Your Birds
A Heartfelt Plea to All Members
Tips For Discouraging Breeding
Before You Ever Consider Breeding Your Budgies
Guidance for Breeding Advice Threads
Cage sizes.
Essentials to a Great Cage
Dangers to Pet Birds
Resource Directory

If you have additional questions, please post them in this thread.

Thank youu!! I will move these budgies carefully!

 

[FaeryBee]

Please keep us updated on how things progress in this thread.
If you have any questions or concerns, ask them here as well.

Best wishes.

 

[taylor luvs budgies]

Will my female get territorial over the birds if I move them? I am scared she will get aggressive over them and abandon them. I waiting until she gets out of the cage because every time I look at the birds, they get bigger and I am moving them. Advice?

 

[FaeryBee]

Are you afraid of the female?
Does she allow you to handle her?

If you are afraid then try to entice the female to come out of the cage with a bit of millet, then proceed to move the babies.
She will not abandon them when they are moved. That is a myth.
If they were eggs and not chicks, then those might be abandoned.
As only two of the three eggs hatched and its been 8-10 days, the third egg will not hatch at this point.

 

[taylor luvs budgies]

I am not at all afraid of her. She is super friendly and never bites. She come flying on my shoulder an is very curious. I am going to move them, she is distracted and is on the rug. Wish me luck ¯\(ツ)/¯

 

[FaeryBee]

You'll do fine.
Remember to take the coconut hut out and dispose of it.
Never put the hut back into the cage.
Let me know how the move goes.

 

[taylor luvs budgies]

ok. how do i hold/handle them. its very ironic how an ad on chewy.com popped up advertising the budgie hut that is not recommended.

i can barely fit my hands in there but ive fit them before

 

[FaeryBee]

Just pick them up one at a time as carefully as possible and place gently into the nest box.

 

[taylor luvs budgies]

Well, I found out the easier way was to take the coconut out and then place them in. Now they look so happing and so does my female. She goes in there an comes out and hops on my finger!! Thank you very much to all of you! You saved my budgies, in that coconut, there was dropping everywhere. It didn't get cleaned. I am so thankful for all of you and thanks for doing what you do everyday. I can't thank you enough <**** 🐣😇💖

 

[StarlingWings]

Please keep us updated on the chicks. Additionally, be sure to take the correct steps so this does not happen again in the future! 💛

 

[taylor luvs budgies]

I threw the coconut away! I won't make that mistake again. 😅

 

[Cody]

Glad the transfer went well, please keep us posted on their development, they grow fast

 

[FaeryBee]

Thank you for the update on the successful transfer.

Please post pictures and additional updates as they grow.

 

[taylor luvs budgies]

Thank you for the update on the successful transfer.

Please post pictures and additional updates as they grow.
[/QUOTE

I will!