Please take the time to watch this video. It is
about a wonderful little bird named Milo.
His poor misguided previous owner had cedar
chips in his cage. Unfortunately, cedar is
TOXIC to our feathered friends. The video
also shows birds that were taken in as rescues
because their owners could no longer care
for them the way the birds needed.
Before bringing a bird into your life, make
sure you can provide for them like you would
your own children.
First, why do you want to breed? Do you have
top notch birds or are they pet store quality?
Are you aware that there are hundreds of
unwanted cockatiels and budgies out there
that are in shelters and rescues because
they can't find homes?
Are your birds on a proper diet? Cockatiels
can not all seeds, but not all pellets either.
They need a constant supply of fresh healthy
foods as well, which needs to be removed
after 1-2 hours to prevent bacterial growth.
If you are wanting to breed budgies, did
you know that they do better without pellets?
A pelleted diet has too high of a protein
content for their little bodies.
Next, are you aware that you need to wait
until the birds are at least 2 years old before they should breed? What will you
do if the hen is egg bound? What will you
do if they refuse to feed? Can you spend
4-10 weeks hand feeding the chicks around
the clock?
Do you know the signs of crop burn, other crop problems like slow or sour crop?
Do you have an emergency avian vet you can
go to in any emergency with the chicks? What
will you do if they get an infection or aspirate
the formula? What if they don't wean on time?
You cannot force wean a bird and expect it
to be healthy.
What will you do with the chicks when they
are grown? They don't sell for much, so you
won't make money breeding them.
Not all breeders are wild, but they won't
be cuddle bugs either. They will be bonded
to each other, not you.
What will you do if one or both parent birds
pluck the chicks? Not only does this make
the chicks look ugly, but it causes them
to use needed caloric energy growing feathers
a second or even a third time instead of
growing. This could stunt their growth permanently.
At this point, you will need to pull the
chicks and handfeed, even if you didn't plan
on it in the beginning.
Last but not least, what will you do if your
hen becomes a chronic egg layer? Constantly
laying and depleting her system of needed
nutrients? Are you willing to do what it
takes to get her healthy and keep her that
way, even if you can never breed her again?
| Lutino Blue and Gold Macaws | Cockatiel Aviary Cam FYI The cam is down for the time being, but will be back up in the future. The chat is still up. |
Erythrura, The Belgian Site for Gouldian and Parrot Finches |
| Broken link?? Please email me. | To see my personal flock, click the image
below.
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Protecting Your Birds Through Quarantine