Expert: Chrys Meatyard - 1/20/2007

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i have 2 parakeets, a boy and a girl, and want to let them have baby's, but dont know where to start or how to take care of them after they are born. i have a nesting box and i have gotten quite a bit of info online but i still dont know what to feed them, how to know if they are healthy, if the parents will let me hold them right off, how the parents take care of them? if i want them to get used to me, should i hand feed them, or just hold them a lot? sorry bout all the questions, but i want to make sure i do things right.Thanks.
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Hi, Michaela.  Thanks for posting!

It's great you are trying to learn about this before allowing your birds to breed.  Do not put that nesting box up yet!  You have much to learn before doing so.

How old are your keets?  Are you sure of their sexes and, if so, how are you sure?

First off, you need to have these birds on a good, healthy diet BEFORE you allow them to breed.  This is important when babies arrive so the parents have healthy food to feed their babies and keep themselves nourished.  Tell me what type of daily diet you have your birds on.

You won't have to do anything at first...the parents will care for their babies.  However, you need to learn what to look for in order to identify any problems during the egg laying and incubation process.  You'll need to keep the inside of the nesting box clean once babies arrive.  To know if babies/adults are healthy, you have to learn all about parrots (your keets are parrots)!  

You'll have to hold the babies when they are young in order to move them from the nesting box to a safe, warm place when you clean out the nesting box!  But, yes, after the first day, it's OK to hold babies (but you must be careful not to drop them).  If you want any babies to be tame, you'll need to pull them from their parents at about 10 days old and handfeed them.  This is very involved and the babies must be handfed at least 4 times per day.  Handfeeding means feeding the babies baby parrot handfeeding formula with a handfeeding syringe...not allowing them to eat out of your hand (some people are confused by this).  

Start with my website for information you will need and go from there:

http://www.angelfire.com/falcon/birdinfo/index.html

You have a lot to learn before you let your birds breed.  

Come back with any additional questions.

Chrys





yes, im sure that my birds are a boy and a girl. i can tell by that weird color above their beaks. the girl has a brownish color and the boy has a blueish color. they are almost 2 years old. we have started feeding them lately fruit and vegis with their seeds to keep them healthy. we had before, just not as much as now.

         ~Michaela~
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Hi again, Michaela.

Fruits and veggies are good, but be sure these constitute most of the diet versus seed.  Seed should only comprise about 25% of your bird's diets.  Try adding cooked brown rice with shredded veggies mixed in.  Keets love corn bread and other whole/multi grain breads.  Also, add pelleted food to their diet.  Pelleted food contains many vitamins and minerals.  Keep cuttlebone in the cage at all times.  Two years old is a good age to start breeding keets.

Chrys




i have some more questions for you. sorry! what if you birds dont seem to want to eat their fruit? they eat some, but then they just eat the seeds. is there a specal way they like it cut? do they like it mixed with other fruits or seperate? also i was told by the pet store that the birds will make their nest with cotton. is that true, and if so, do you put it in the box or just in the bottom of the cage and let them carry it to the box. you also said to put cooked brown rice and vegi's in. do you mix that with their seeds or put them in a seperate case. we have 4 containers for food and water. 1 for food, 1 for drinking water, 1 for bath water, and an extra 1 that we use sometimes for treats. sorry for all the questions. i just want to do things right and keep the bird happy and healthy.

         Michaela
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Hi again, Michaela.

If seed is available at the same time you are offering other types of foods, your birds will always go for the seed.  You need to remove the seed from the cage at the same time you are offering other types of foods and then replace the seed after they've eaten what's good for them.  I've never known parakeets to be too crazy about fruit, so you might want to try lots of veggies, corn bread, cooked brown rice with veggies mixed in, etc.  You'll need to try different ways of offering foods and see which your birds prefer (chopped, shredded, sliced, diced, etc.).  Each bird is different, so you'll need to experiment to see which form your birds prefer (offer foods in different shapes/sizes and see which they eat best).  

Keets don't make nests.  Therefore, don't use anything, especially cotton, in a nesting box.  There are only a few types of parrots that make nests and keets aren't one of them!  Leave the bottom of the nesting box bare.

No, do not mix fresh foods with seed.  See above.

Please, do not allow these birds to breed until you learn much more!  

Chrys





when you do allow the birds to breed, is there something you have to give them other than the nesting box? or do they just decide to do it themselves?

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Hi again, Michaela.

When you want your birds to breed, connect a nesting box to their cage.  They will do the rest IF they are old enough, they are happy with their setup/nesting box, etc.  

I hope you've learned what you need to know before allowing your keets to breed.

Chrys