Video of a VERY, VERY chatty little owl!!!!!!!! Begging to!!

[annague]

Yes, I can see where you get that! I like Food Bubble, too!

[cindy]

He acts like a grumpy old man mumbling and carrying on when he does not get his way!!!!

[annague]

Hahahahaha... what a character!!

[cindy]

Just wondering after fledging how long owls take to wean...zebras take about a week or so.

[annague]

I guess both you and I are going to find out ... my parent owls still feeding the fledglings a lot. I was gratified to see a little wing-lifting this morning though not on the same level as your precocious little guy!

Your Zebs only take a week? I could swear mine mostly take 3-4 weeks before they're pretty independent...seems like forever...

[FeatherHarp]

Cindy!!...Just viewd the video....so adorable! My 2 Owls stopped in their tracks hearing the begging and chirping. Owls are the most fun and silly to watch!

How about Zorro? He has a cape.

[cindy]

Anna...most my Zebras take about a week to wean with a possible exception of my FF/FSilvers, They take just a tad longer.

The owl chicks are a little quieter today....mom and dad are so busy building, dad is courting and dancing. So this pair is planning on being productive again!!!

Deborah, we were just amazed how good flyer the babies were even a few days after fledging....guess their wings grew strong all the waving and begging!!!

[annague]

Is that it?! Maybe I'm waiting for them to totally stop begging (which they almost never do before 3-4 weeks).

I am still a neophyte at this finch raising stuff... how do you determine for sure that the babies are weaned enough to remove and put on their own?

[Sally]

Great video, and what an adorable baby, he is making sure the parents feed him first! Cindy and Anna, the FIC says Owls wean at 5-6 weeks of age. Considering how long it takes them to fledge, say 3-1/2 weeks, that would say they could wean from 1-1/2 to 2 weeks after fledge. However, I have found that mine stay with the parents a bit longer than that--I don't like to rush it. My babies fledged Mar 23 and Mar 26, so they are 13 and 10 days out of the nest, Mom is back sitting in the nest, and Dad is ignoring them as much as he can, but he is still feeding them some. I see them at the spray millet and the eggfood, but not sure they are drinking yet. I will leave mine a bit longer.

[cindy]

Sally, mine have not mastered the water tube like mom and dad but do like the water cup...it is a giant pool for them!!! Mine are eating a bit and like millet to! I haven't looked in the nest box yet but mom is sitting also!!!

The little ones retreat back into the childrens' nest, a clean tube nest like the one they grew up in and placed in the same spot...mom and dad go into their "room" and feed them.

Mom and dad have the nest box across the branch from them, they sleep in there and the babies sleep in their nest.

[MLaRue]

What a cutie!

I love some of the names mentioned! lol ;)

[cindy]

Thanks Misty...they were so worth waiting for! As far as names...I think one is a girl and the butterball is a boy!

[annague]

So, are you calling him Butterball? (I like food names for pets -- Bon Bon, Truffle, Oreo...)

C'mon, Cindy, we're trying to help you out here!

[cindy]

Not sure yet....taking all names into consideration!!!! LOL!

[6finchfriends]

Butterball... hee hee....