1st zebra finch chick questions....

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lovezebs
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Re: 1st zebra finch chick questions....

Post by lovezebs » Thu Jan 12, 2017 1:09 am

Willow

Well Zebra babies usually fledge around 21 or 22 days (if I remember right), so give baby some more time to figure out that he/she has wings and what to do with them. Before you know it, this little sweetheart will take off, so better watch carefully that he doesn't crash into a window or a wall.

I would try offering a bit of spray millet close to where he/she sits, and maybe a tiny dollop of egg food, to see if Baby will make an attempt at pecking at it. Try a bit every day.
~Elana~

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Re: 1st zebra finch chick questions....

Post by Willow » Thu Jan 12, 2017 2:06 am

Yes, I have been keeping millet available to him. He's made attempts at flying, trying to get to other perches but hasn't been successful yet. Not sure how successful he will become with the damaged wing but hoping he will adapt.
''Everyone has ocean's to fly, if they have the heart to do it. Is it reckless? Maybe. But what do dreams know of boundaries?'' ― Amelia Earhart

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Re: 1st zebra finch chick questions....

Post by lovezebs » Thu Jan 12, 2017 10:32 am

Willow

I forgot about the wing issue #-o
Is he actually missing a wing tip, or is there damage further up? Depending on how much damage there is, he may be able to fly a little bit, flutter, or not fly at all, which doesn't mean he can't have a good life.

I have a male Zebra (Max),who lost one wing and one leg in a terrible accident. He can't fly, but does some extremely limited fluttering and hops around on his one good leg.

Max, is bonded with a little Society female (Kelsie), who arrived at the Pet Shop, missing a portion of her wing. Now Kelsie, can do some very limited flying, more like a flutter.

These two share a cage, with low perches, and have a wonderful relationship :D
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~Elana~

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Re: 1st zebra finch chick questions....

Post by Willow » Fri Jan 13, 2017 2:43 am

Aw, that is lovely. Your finches looks very sweet together. I would love for him to have a bond with another finch like that.

I haven't examined his wing much since he's been getting so many feathers but I looked and it seems to be closer to the tip though his other wing seems much longer especially with feathers

When I came home today he was on a lower perch (I have some natural branches placed low and he was on the higher half of one of those sleeping, I was excited to see that..though I have the bottom of the cage covered and sometimes he seems content to sleep on the floor.

I thought I heard him try to sing at one point but maybe it was distorted begging though maybe he really is a boy. Apart from male markings if hes male do you think his coloring will change as he ages? Just curious, not I important.

I'm trying to keep an eye on him, hoping to catch him eating on his own.
''Everyone has ocean's to fly, if they have the heart to do it. Is it reckless? Maybe. But what do dreams know of boundaries?'' ― Amelia Earhart

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Re: 1st zebra finch chick questions....

Post by lovezebs » Sat Jan 14, 2017 12:54 pm

Willow

Don't know why I want to name him 'Tiny' (as in Tiny Tim) lol.

Anyway, glad to hear that he has graduated into perching, that's a good sign. He must be at a normal fledging age by now, so you might be seeing more signs of independence on his part, such as perching, attempted flight, sampling different foods, and hopping around. He will be curious, so keep a close eye on him, to make sure he doesn't fall into a water dish or the bird bath, etc.

Will he be able to fly normally? Probably not, if the tip of the wing is actually missing. However, as mentioned above, he should be able to flutter, and just maybe do some very limited short distance up and down flying. Time will tell.

If he's trying to sing, then he is probably a boy :D

Regarding the colour....
What colours are the actual parents?
That might give you an indication as to what colours he will molt into at around two months old.

Keep trying to offer different bits of of food close to where he likes to sit. A bit of mashed hard boiled egg, is always a favorite with the youngsters, along with spray millet (these are soft foods, which don't take a lot of work to eat and are important and nutritious as first foods). You could try some finely chopped fresh spinach, or a tiny bit of finely grated carrot .

Keep the baby pictures coming :D
~Elana~

Linnies~ Canaries ~ Zebras ~ Societies ~ Gouldians ~ Orange Cheeks ~ Shaft Tails ~ Strawberries ~ Red Cheek Cordon Bleu ~ Goldbreasts ~ Red Brows ~ Owls ~ Budgies ~ Diamond Firetails ~ Javas ~ Forbes Parrot Finches ~

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Re: 1st zebra finch chick questions....

Post by Willow » Sat Jan 14, 2017 3:05 pm

Ill have to think of something besides little mutant though I like x-men so Iv been calling him that affectionetly. :P

His Dad is normal looking zebra. I'm pretty sure his Mom is the white finch she was the original one sitting with the eggs and Iv only seen her lay eggs. They're in my avatar. The white one's tail pattern is tannish and it looks like that's how his is starting to come in, his wings are white too, lots of grey from his head to his chest right now. Sometimes the colors look a little different especially with flash. I'm not well versed in all the color variations and how/if they mix or over ride. I don't know anything about his parents history either.

Im worried I haven't really seen him attempt eating/drinking on his own yet though Iv caught him on feed cups and seen him peck at the ground once so maybe thats something.. I still feed him but he usuallly only asks for a little and the grey female feeds him too. So far the bath and deeper water dishes are much higher than Iv seen him reach. He has access to water he couldn't get stuck in. He's doing really well at hopping/fluttering to everything in the lower half.

I think time will tell on his wing, the tip almost looked like it was healing a bit and has new feathers on the ends so I'll keep an eye on the end result. I'm just happy he can do a little more than hop on the bottom so far.
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Re: 1st zebra finch chick questions....

Post by lovezebs » Mon Jan 16, 2017 5:17 am

Willow

From the pictures, it does look as if he's missing a portion of his left wing (possibly bitten off by someone, along with a part of his beak) poor little guy.

He may have to learn to pick up food with the side of his beak, but not sure about being able to hull the seeds..... but as you said, time will tell.
~Elana~

Linnies~ Canaries ~ Zebras ~ Societies ~ Gouldians ~ Orange Cheeks ~ Shaft Tails ~ Strawberries ~ Red Cheek Cordon Bleu ~ Goldbreasts ~ Red Brows ~ Owls ~ Budgies ~ Diamond Firetails ~ Javas ~ Forbes Parrot Finches ~

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Re: 1st zebra finch chick questions....

Post by Willow » Tue Jan 17, 2017 2:21 am

Today he has been all over and flying to the highest branches... he seems really pleased about it. I was surprised to see him up there and watched for awhile. Looked like he was still figuring it out but did well going up and down.
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''Everyone has ocean's to fly, if they have the heart to do it. Is it reckless? Maybe. But what do dreams know of boundaries?'' ― Amelia Earhart

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Re: 1st zebra finch chick questions....

Post by lovezebs » Tue Jan 17, 2017 3:20 am

Willow

Wow!!!

The damage to the wing must be minimal indeed, seeing as he's able to somehow compensate for it and fly. Good for him!!! I am very impressed, and proud of the little babe :-BD :-BD :-BD .

Now to figure out the eating and the drinking :D
~Elana~

Linnies~ Canaries ~ Zebras ~ Societies ~ Gouldians ~ Orange Cheeks ~ Shaft Tails ~ Strawberries ~ Red Cheek Cordon Bleu ~ Goldbreasts ~ Red Brows ~ Owls ~ Budgies ~ Diamond Firetails ~ Javas ~ Forbes Parrot Finches ~

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Re: 1st zebra finch chick questions....

Post by Willow » Fri Jan 27, 2017 4:28 pm

Yes he has no trouble flying at all and he's much more independent.. he's not afraid to hop on my finger but he doesn't really want to cuddle anymore. I'm glad he's getting along well with all the other birds.

He or she still bugs a lot for food, the gray female usually will feed him still, occasionally I give him some food just because I'm not sure how much he's getting. I've seen him peck a little bit but I'm not really sure if he's eating and drinking fully on his own. I did see him take a bath which was cool. His beak is changing color but so far it seems to be like a tan pink color? He's not scared in the picture of me holding him, he was actually open mouth begging for food haha, I just didn't want him to fly off somewhere as he is very flighty now. He looks allot darker in these pictures than he does in person, I think it's because the Flash. In person he looks mostly white with a gray head and pale cheeks.
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Re: 1st zebra finch chick questions....

Post by lovezebs » Sat Jan 28, 2017 3:19 am

Willow

Has he ever grown, wow.

I'm not sure, but I think he might be a she, lol.
Is there any hint of colour on the cheeks at all? Even a tiny shadow?
Can't remember, but what colour mutation are the parents?

So glad to hear about the flying, and the bath, and if he starts to pick at some food, that's a good sign.
How old is he now?
Because of the beak issue, it might take him longer to wean and learn to eat and drink on his own, and he may need some supplemental feeding for life, but who knows.... this baby is determined to be independent :D
~Elana~

Linnies~ Canaries ~ Zebras ~ Societies ~ Gouldians ~ Orange Cheeks ~ Shaft Tails ~ Strawberries ~ Red Cheek Cordon Bleu ~ Goldbreasts ~ Red Brows ~ Owls ~ Budgies ~ Diamond Firetails ~ Javas ~ Forbes Parrot Finches ~

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Re: 1st zebra finch chick questions....

Post by Willow » Tue Jan 31, 2017 10:50 am

About 41 days now. The only way I know to tell is the color so if nothing changes I guess it's a girl, the cheek patches just look white, I would kinda prefer a girl so that would be good. :D

The Dad looks like a normal zebra finch and the Mom is a white in color zebra finch. I don't know anything about their history or in depth details of color mutations. Also these are the assumed parents... the normal looking grey female did take over the nest eventually but the white finch was the original and Iv only seen her lay eggs at all. The only other finch in there is a lone society, gender unknown who never went near the baby or nest.

I'm still feeding as she begs allot very loudly, I don't mind feeding log term if needed. She likes chin rubs. Other then the eating, seems very independent. :D

One pic w/flash, one without.
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Re: 1st zebra finch chick questions....

Post by lovezebs » Tue Jan 31, 2017 11:25 am

Willow

Baby looks great.
Other than the beak issue, she appears to be healthy and developing normally.

So cute that she enjoys chin rubs and physical contact.
It's great that you don't mind feeding her, however I would still encourage her to try eating on her own.

I would offer bits of egg in your hand, and see if she will pick it up and eat, also a bit of crumbled spray millet in the palm of your hand, to see if she can grasp it with her beak and manage with it.

I love seeing her pictures and how she's growing <3
~Elana~

Linnies~ Canaries ~ Zebras ~ Societies ~ Gouldians ~ Orange Cheeks ~ Shaft Tails ~ Strawberries ~ Red Cheek Cordon Bleu ~ Goldbreasts ~ Red Brows ~ Owls ~ Budgies ~ Diamond Firetails ~ Javas ~ Forbes Parrot Finches ~

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Re: 1st zebra finch chick questions....

Post by Willow » Mon Feb 06, 2017 2:07 am

Just home from work. It's a bit late but will try to get some new pictures on my day off. I swear she is the one making weird noises that sound like muffled singing but maybe not.. The beak is starting to turn more orange.

Iv tried hand feeding other foods but no interest shown. I feel like she must be eating/drinking something as her begging has lessened a bit but I haven't seen it. The society finch has taken a liking to her suddenly. He ( or probably she) never had conflict with zebras but I never seen him cuddling with them...He goes up to the baby and leans his head across her chest. I guess he/she wants her to preen him ? I'm not sure....never seen him do that before. He just kinda sits there like that for a bit, like he's waiting.
''Everyone has ocean's to fly, if they have the heart to do it. Is it reckless? Maybe. But what do dreams know of boundaries?'' ― Amelia Earhart

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Re: 1st zebra finch chick questions....

Post by lovezebs » Mon Feb 06, 2017 9:15 am

Willow

Societies, are wonderful little guys.

Is your Socie an only bird?

If that's the case, he will take baby under his wing, and look after her and make a wonderful companion for her. I wouldn't be at all surprised if you catch him feeding the baby if she's hungry and begs.
~Elana~

Linnies~ Canaries ~ Zebras ~ Societies ~ Gouldians ~ Orange Cheeks ~ Shaft Tails ~ Strawberries ~ Red Cheek Cordon Bleu ~ Goldbreasts ~ Red Brows ~ Owls ~ Budgies ~ Diamond Firetails ~ Javas ~ Forbes Parrot Finches ~

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