We are expecting!

[Babs _Owner]

Sheather

How in the world did I miss this?!! So sorry Dylan, been a hectic week working.

You must be elated about the new babies!! So poofy and soft! How many are hatched now? This is fantastic news!

[Sheather]

There are four chicks today.
The parents are very trusting and don't mind me handling the babies one bit.

To give you an idea of just how trusting they are I took some pictures while handling the chicks today. In one you can see Dad feeding one of his babies while I'm petting it.









Still, I'm keeping these sessions short so far... just a few minutes twice a day.

[Sheather]

@Babs lovezebs

[lovezebs]

Sheather

Wonderful news, wonderful pictures.
So glad mom and dad don't mind you handling the babies.

With my Gouldi couples, it was like: Take them please, give us a break from all the screaming

[Babs _Owner]

Sheather

They are adorable! The picture of the 3 with dad is certainly frame-worthy! Four babies first try! Oh boy!

[Sheather]

lovezebs babs The fifth egg is pipping as I type.

[Babs _Owner]

Sheather


Ohhhh you gotta get a shot with half an egg shell on his head!! Why are typing?? Video that!!

[lovezebs]

Sheather & Babs

Yes!!!

I want pictures with egg shell head too.

[Sheather]

I missed that picture but he hatched last night, we're now 5/5 healthy, well-fed babies.

[lovezebs]

Sheather

Awww, no egg head picture....

Glad that all is going well.
Babies look very well, parents are looking great, especially Dad who's looking very proud of himself

Where did these two parents come from? My memory must be failing me in my not so old age, but I can't for the life of me remember Were they part of your original crew, or are they new?

[Sheather]

I bought Freddy and Todd as hand-fed babies last autumn, Freddy in September 2015 and Todd in October. Freddy was 4 months old at the time and Todd was 9 weeks, so I've really watched them grow up. When I got Freddy his feathers were butchered and every flight was trimmed so he couldn't get six inches in the air. It took until this spring for them to grow back enough to let him fly, but he is now in perfect condition and doesn't seem to have any lasting problems from his grounded upbringing - he became a skilled flyer.

At first they didn't like each other at all and then they were friends but Todd wouldn't let Freddy do any funny business. At some point over the summer she accepted him as her mate and they are now inseparable, and very good parents together!

Freddy has always been friendly but Todd is exceptionally hand-tame. She is a doll and loves to be petted and held. She wants to spend all her time with people. Her temperament hasn't changed with motherhood, whenever Freddy is taking care of the kids she's out seeing what I'm up to and flying over for a snuggle.

As her name suggests, we thought Todd was a male at first. I realized I was probably wrong when she never started to whistle and was confirmed when the eggs started to appear.

[lovezebs]

Sheather

You just answered my question, lol.

I was just going to say TODD! (?)

They both look to be in wonderful shape, and the babies are gorgeous, and no Elana, you don't need a Tiel!!!

[Sheather]

lovezebs i love them but they're very messy and destructive compared to finches or even budgies and I have no plan to get into anything bigger than them. I can't have the silk flowers I used to have all over my bird room around Todd anymore, she chews off everything but the wire stem in a few days. Todd and Jade (who we got this spring, she isn't tame but bonded right away with my dove, Sparky) are quiet, but Freddy is extremely noisy. I've gotten used to it but he is the loudest cockatiel I've met and he doesn't make any pretty noises, just screeches.

Freddy gets a little pushy with the parakeets when his hormones are raging, which happens every couple weeks for a few days it seems, but normally the cockatiels get along well with my smaller birds. I've never been bitten by any of them either. I don't think Todd even knows how to bite, Freddy will mouth you if you try to pet him when he flies to you (he doesn't like that), or if I go and grab him, but never painfully. Todd doesn't even do that, she likes to be carried, and Jade doesn't like being handled at all and will stay just out of your reach in the bird room, but she tolerates being picked up to have her nails clipped.

This is Freddy a few days after we brought him home, his wings all cut short and his face muddy in baby plumage. His first friend was Sam, the parakeet (our tame one), and I still catch these two playing every so often.



Their first meeting when Todd came home the next month, where they didn't really know what to do with each other.



A friendship begins to form... a few weeks on.



And earlier this summer after Jade joined the group, with everyone together.



Like I said I don't know if Jade thinks she is a dove, or if Sparky thinks he is a parrot, but these two were best friends the moment they laid eyes on one another. Jade will just turn her head and chirp and Sparky is next to her to preen her.



Jade comes from the same breeder I got Todd from, was hand-raised, but is totally different in personality. She just doesn't want anything to do with me. She's okay as long as I don't touch her, but she won't even eat from my hand.

[lovezebs]

Sheather

No Tiels for Elana then....

How are your adorable babies doing?

[Sheather]

Abby, Patches, and Bumble Jr.

The younger two's names are pending.