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Birds--General/baby parakeets about to be hatched

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Expert: - 1/21/2007


Question
my parakeet, who has a male friend for a buddy, has been sitting on egss she layed about a week or so. do i need to be feeding her special food for when the babies hatch??

Answer
Hi, Flo.  Thanks for posting!

Is your bird used to eating a variety of foods other than seed?  If not, you can try offering her other foods, but she most likely won't accept them.  Birds won't eat foods they don't recognize as food.  You have to keep offering new foods every day until the bird(s) decide the stuff is OK and take a taste.  Also, you don't want to be changing her diet at this point if she's not used to eating other types of foods because this could cause added stress and possible digestive upsets.  This is why it's so very important to have birds on a good, healthy diet at all times to begin with.  It's really too late to start feeding well AFTER eggs arrive...adult birds, especially breeder birds, need to be on a good diet from the beginning.

With parakeets, the male feeds the female beak-to-beak while she is incubating eggs and/or caring for babies.  The female might grab a bite to eat when she comes out to drink or defecate, but otherwise, she stays in the nesting box most of the time.  

If your bird is used to eating a variety of other foods, by all means, continue to feed her a good variety of healthy, nutritional foods.  

Chrys  

Birds--General

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Chrys Meatyard

Expertise

I`ve been raising/breeding/handfeeding/selling parrots for over 20 years (parakeets/budgies, cockatiels, 6 subspecies of conures, parrotlets, amazons, lovebirds, etc.). I've been published in "Budgies" and "Cockatiels" offered by Bow Tie Productions, and have written avian articles for publication in England. I can provide advice in raising healthy birds, handfeeding/weaning babies, some health problems (although I'm NOT an avian veterinarian), nail/beak/wing clipping, general husbandry, etc. I also have experience with racing/showing homing pigeons. I cannot diagnose specific illness over this website. If you suspect your bird is ill or if you have an emergency, contact an avian veterinarian or emergency pet clinic ASAP.

Experience

Experience: Over 20 years raising parrots and over 13 years raising pigeons. Organizations: Currently, American Racing Pigeon Union and American Federation of Aviculture. Prior member Miami Valley Bird Club, Southern Ohio Pigeon Association, National Cockatiel Society, Miami Valley Sportsman's Club, others. Publications: Monthly newsletters of bird clubs.

Publications
I've been published in "Budgies" and "Cockatiels" offered by Bow Tie Productions, and have written avian articles for publication in England.

Education/Credentials
American Federation of Aviculture, completed Level I course, Fundamentals of Aviculture. Keeping/breeding parrots and other birds for over 20 years.

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